Yeah, ask Francis Fukuyama about that, that's pretty much his "End of History" theory, that he distanced himself from as soon as he realized people aren't fucking automatons, and the world and humanity wasn't going to suddenly change just because a small portion of the world population deluded themselves into accepting a kumbaya fairy story ideology. People are people, as soon as you start treating them as "rational" actors you end up with cold, clinical theories like pure capitalism and communism, that completely ignore human nature in favour of some bullshit projection of what they want humans to be like. Is/should fallacy.
PS: The only reason China even exists today as political and ethnic entity is PRECISELY because of their past history, not least the cultural imperialism that transformed dozens of disparate ethnicities into a more or less unified one. Pretty much exactly the same way that the ethnicity "french" was largely constructed out of dozens of disparate tribal, ethnic and linguistic groups that were only tangentially related to each other. Every single country, nation, culture that currently exists today exists only because of a sense of tribalism and community. You know what happened to the ones that didn't have it, or weren't "strong" enough? They got absorbed by ones that did, or dissapeared.
I find it particularly ironic you use China as an example considering how culturally/ethnically imperialist they are, and how much their identity is linked to their past, ESPECIALLY the most powerful and widespread chinese empires. They're possibly the most nationalistic developed/ing (it's both really) country in the world at the moment.
For once Oberyn, i disagree with you... I chose China, as it is such a clear example of political and economical reforms producing such a quick result, in terms of a huge country! I do not see how linking their identity to their past, made them achieve what they did today, in any way.
But since I am not an expert on China, i will not insist.
Tell me one thing, what is it humanity/nation/tribe wants to achieve in the very end?.. I believe, that liberal and socialistic ideas of what you call "neutered eunuchs developed countries", is what will eventually develop in every country, where basic needs of it's citizens are satisfied ( according to some: physical needs, security and respect of ones "ego"/self ).
Some, like Nietzsche, might call democracy a victory of slaves, where the weakest, dumb majority, controls and restricts the "best and strongest" in society, a secular form of christianity - religion of slaves. Even if that is so, a society of slaves AND masters - is way more disgusting and humiliating. I do not believe that any person, however talented, gifted, or, better say
ambitious, is worthy of being a master of others, less fortunate humans, since i believe that every single human is corrupt and unnatural. And I refuse to be a part of a nationalistic Hive, where i am nothing but tiny tool of creating an abstract, fragile and short lasting entity of "Nation", while suffering hardships throughout my entire life, for the better good of
the future. Fuck the future! I don't own those, yet unborn, fuckers anything!
And when you talk about "the rest of the World", who is clinching to nationalism and racism, one thing comes to my mind - if humans were not seeking safety, comfort, respect ( however worthless is respect, that is equal to everyone else's respect... ) and satisfaction of basic biological needs, then why are there so many immigrants/refugees coming to US and Europe?.. And if liberal democracy is able to sustain a quality of life with happy population ( have a look at "happiness charts" in google ), why would someone still go the dangerous way of nationalism? Yeah, as always in history - to cover for internal problems: "We were great, we are great, it is our neighbors fault we live like shit".
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I apologies for the wall of text, and not being able to write or think as clearly, as others can, but i hope the general idea is there, somewhere...