The poverty of the Third World is not the result of American imperialism, much as Moammar Khadafi would have us believe it is. Our building a highway doesn't mean that Zambian commuters have to navigate a goat path. The fact that I can chill my malted beverages doesn't deprive some Moluccan urchin of a night-light. Not only is the argument specious, it's as stale as Al Gore's Toastmaster jokes. In fact, it's nothing more than class envy in a rented tuxedo.
Leveling is a great offensive tool.
We leveled whole cities in WWII and large stretches of shrubbery in Vietnam. But that was war. As an economic incentive, it has severe drawbacks. Among other things, it discourages excellence and encourages mediocrity. But I'm not channeling Ayn Rand, and I don't intend this to be a discussion of economic Objectivism.