There are some things I feel need to be said about this, and things being glossed over a lot here.
It's far too simplistic to say that the USA is responisible for the worldwide presence of democracy and capitalism. Such ideas were spreading before the US even existed - heck, it's not too strange to say that the USA as a nation is a product of pre-existing ideas of Democracy, Nationalism, Capitalism, Civil Rights, Separation of Powers... a product of its time! That's not to say America had a hand promoting it further of course.
Next comes a gross overstatement that, never across human civilization, had a nation ever help rebuild in the nation they defeated or conquered, and turn them into allies. Some of the largest empires of antiquity had tried their hand at this, for better or worse. Rome, China and Persia, had, at times, gotten busy trying to build up their neighbours rather than destabilizing them. It fails more often not, but Nation- and Statebuilding by one foreign nation in another is not unprecedented.
It wouldn't be the first time for the US either. The Phillipines is the earliest instance I can think of where the US had tried to build a national identity and state institutions outside of itself. Though some say it was colonialism rather than nationbuilding. In the end its institutions have unfortunately not been able to supress dicatorial rule in the country.
Regarding the success in Germany and Japan, credit where it is due, would not have come about without american aid, but moreso through their stance of temporary occupation and reinvestment which did the trick. You see, both Germany and Japan already were proper nation-states in their own right long before WWII. They had long histories of ever-expanding institutions on legislature, land management, trade, police, etc.. and relatively recently had gone through the motions of democratization and industrialization - quite similar in that regard. Their young underdeveloped democratic institutions, among other things, made their states vulnerable to hostile takeover from corporate monopolies and populist warmongers, leading directly to their involvement in the war.
America's part in their rebuilding was not to dismantle or replace their institutions, but propping them back up - with a guideline toward democracy and without the boot of fascism looming overhead this time. This is why it was so important to revitalize german industry, and why the japanese emperor was allowed to stay put, for example. Booting out the nazis and zaibatsu did most of the hard work.
Afghanistan was not a great attempt, neither the russians or americans succeeded here. There was, and is, no sense of national identity among its peoples, nor are there pre-existing institutions to bolster and form into anything resembling a modern state. Unlike Germany or Japan, you can't just boot out the taliban, here - that is how society in Afghanistan operates.
...All that said for this spiel that supposedly AI is like the Atomic Bomb 2.0 in terms of influence over the world, and that this influence specifically is what allowed democracies and capitalist systems to prosper, which 1; no, AI does not have such power over the world. The most powerful properties of AI currently are in fact the 'unintended' side effects which proponents insist 'are not so bad' or do not exist at all. Proper applicable use of gen AI is something that companies are desperately searching for, lest their investment go to waste.
Which leads to my point 2; for as long as the atomic bomb has been a card in play, those capable of using it have handled it with extreme caution. Even amid the rising tensions between the Americans and the Soviets, both dreaded its use. Even without the MAD principle, those wielding this weapon knew to do so responsibly and carefully.
As opposed to the creators of AI, who like to go fast and break things - Throw every precaution to the wind. Access to the programs were sold or just given freely across the world and their use left to proliferate. Consequences - copyright infringement, education fraud, information poisoning, the list goes on - be damned, there was 'innovation' to be had and money to be made! If anything it is the likes of Musk and the tech bros of Silicon Valley who do not realize the dangerous potential of AI, nor do they use, develop and release it responsibly.
jacobvanloon
origamiaround
tangentwithtanner
