 Though the overt colonial era had passed, "Western" nations, as comparatively rich, well-armed, and culturally powerful states, wielded a large degree of influence throughout the world, and with little or no sense of responsibility toward the peoples impacted by its multinational corporations in their exploitation of minerals and markets.The dictum of Alfred Thayer Mahan is shown to have lasting relevance, that whoever controls the seas controls the world.During the Cold War, a new definition emerged.