My take is that we should leave them alone and try to keep others from meddling. They have to figure this out on their own. The idea that European enlightenment values are the only path to success is part of the problem though: they have a different culture and success will look different for them than it does for us. Look at China, Japan and other successful Asian countries: they are each different and it’s hard for people of European cultures to judge them without judging them for not being European enough. They have to evolve out of the aftermath of imperialism just like Europe did after the Roman Empire collapsed. We were able to do it on our own and thinking they need us to help them is pretty demeaning IMO.
Your take sounds reasonable and might be the best idea, but it means change will be very very slow (if at all) and millions of lives will be lost to famine and civil wars.
> China, Japan and other successful Asian countries:
Japan was kinda occupied by the Americans post WW2 and had an American dictated constitution, with a very American influenced society and everything.
The Chinese after years of socialism copied western capitalism (and lots of other things) with a very strong government being the only difference. And before that change they too kept having their share of extreme poverty and famines.
> just like Europe did after the Roman Empire collapsed.
Sadly this might mean waiting for a millennia which might have an unacceptable cost.
> We were able to do it on our own and thinking they need us to help them is pretty demeaning IMO.
Yes but in a millennia in which rest of the world made much less industrial progress than happens in less than a century now.
I have no solutions in mind here. Just highlighting some points to think about.
