Not entirely by accident, no. I think it was the underlying cultural and legal propensity for capitalism, in the most idealistic libertarian sense of the term. Are the Chinese under the impression that competent leadership in government is the determining factor behind a nation's wealth? 

At an individual citizen level you are probably correct.
But the USA does not enjoy its currently globally dominant position by accident.
The true power and strategy behind US hegemony is not exercised by individual US citizens.


Solomonsatoshi

econ

You Can’t Break the Laws of Economics

zuspotirko

I think Western motivations are a lot more simplistic and insular than the grand strategy you make them out them to be. An American in Texas votes for Trump because he wants to pay less in taxes. An American in California votes for Harris because she wants student loan forgiveness. We're really more interested in winning against each other than against any other country. 