The most essential power of any individuals, organization, industries, churches, government, and nations is truly rely on the wings and Caprices of economic power.
Political power is good but political power can not survive without good economic power, political power is irrelevance if there is no good economy situations of any firm. It takes the economic power to build every other aspects of life.
Even government can not operates effectively if they lack or suffered economic kwashiorkor. Smooth organization operates as a function of good economy situations. When you economic power is stable and dignified, the evidence of Man's labour becomes very easy.
In my opinion, economic power comes before political power. I mean if a nation wants to have political power, it should have good economic power firstly. That is what China is trying to do, as we can see their political power increasing and that is due to the developed economic power they have been working on for years. More specifically, China has been providing loans to some nations, especially African nations, and using these loans they are trying to control the power of these nations, as Africa is full of gold and other industrial minerals. However, the way China is dealing with other nations is much different from the way the USA was dealing, and that explains why the USA is falling back in Africa and the Middle East.
We can simplify the matter by coming back to human nature. A man first strives to stay alive by eating and drinking, then when he finds himself comfortable, he starts to search for additional power that satisfies his ego. We can apply the same thing to the relationships between nations.