Sorry if it came over that way. I certainly didn't mean it to sound rhetorical. I'm all about actually changing things.
> 20th century is full of examples of the West "rebooting" the cultures and economies of non-aligned states
And Britain long, long before that. All have been failures, since all were looting presented as benvolent reform and aid. People help themselves, which can generally happen only once the boot is romoved from their faces. So perhaps "rebooting" is clumsy language, if you're suggesting that a new boot will simply take its place :)
Maybe de-booting is what we're after?
One cannot impose a culture. But there's no reason it need take "a generation of chaotic violent struggle". That seems a little pessimistic. Historically, "blind primate hierarchies" [1] have civilised themselves rapidly under the right conditions. It would be nice to think we could reason our way into a better place before it comes to the point W. James's "Moral Equivalent of War", as climate change, inevitably brings us to our senses.
[1] Do you think of Western culture as a blind primate hierarchy? Is not that very perspective part of the problem?