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by bilbo0s 1181 days ago
Meh.

I'm not going to count Japan and Germany since there is that little "Marshall Plan" detail that, at least as I understand it, may have had some small influence on their development. [end sarcasm]

No seriously, how can you make that statement and not mention the billions on billions of dollars they were given in aid? That's the height of intellectual dishonesty bro.
4 comments
Jensson 1181 days ago
Billions of dollars have been given in aid to Vietnam and similar as well. The Marshall plan isn't an outlier in size, most poor countries have been given more, the only special thing about the Marshall plan is that it was successful not that it was a large amount.

https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Vietnam/foreign_aid/

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rayiner 1181 days ago
Fun fact: the Marshall Plan was about $150 billion in today's money, for all of Europe. It was nice, but let's not overstate the significance. The U.S. spent $145 billion on nation building (that doesn't count the war effort) in Afghanistan and accomplished fuck-all.
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WalterBright 1181 days ago
Because far more billions in MP were given to Britain and France, who did not have an economic miracle. Britain was also far far less devastated than Germany was.

You might also consider the hundreds of billions spent trying to develop Iraq and Afghanistan, to little visible effect.

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inglor_cz 1181 days ago
"billions on billions of dollars" can be squandered in their totality by corrupt elites and not be of any use to the nation at all. Just look at all the superwealthy authoritarians in Africa.

And you do not even have to look at Africa and squandered aid. Russia has enormous revenues from its natural resources, but the money ends up in yet more oligarch yachts and gigantic Putinopolises on the Black Sea coast, while random Russian soldiers loot toilet bowls and the Russian army is so decrepit that it cannot capture a city somewhat larger than Bangor, Maine after several months of battle.

I mean, the last effect is actually beneficial to us, but still, it nicely illustrates the point about billions being to no use if they are stolen.

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