I'm a newbie, so forgive my intrusion. But I have to laugh to myself at the idea that the US economy is somehow <i>harmful</i> to developing nations.
The fact of the matter is that since the US became engine for the world's economy, nation development has occured at an unprecedented rate of speed. The standard of living in across the globe has improved rather dramatically since the end of WWII.
US consumerism is GOOD for the people of developing nations. The US trade imbalance is GOOD for the standard of living in formerly impoverished countries.
The reason for the dominance of the US economy is that the government places fewer burdens on businesses than do other nations. As a result, the best and brightest from all over the world have come to this country to seek their fortunes, and have built a country that continues to enjoy an unprecedented prosperity while contributing to the prosperity of the rest of the world.
OK, enough rhetoric; here's some data for you to consider before you go bashing the impact of the US on world prosperity. Facts speak much louder than academic polisci theorizing:
http://www.undp.org/hdr2003/pdf/hdr03_HDI.pdf