Why was the west able to build a prosperous Japan and West Germany, but unable to do so with Afghanistan and Iraq?

by citylitterboy

I have been watching a history YouTube channel lately and he has been going into detail about how how the west -- particularly the USA -- succeeded in rebuilding West Germany and Japan into the economic powerhouses they are to this day. Why did "nation building" succeed in these cases, but fail catastrophically as in the cases of Afghanistan and Iraq? What did the US do differently in the former than with the latter?

I have heard the argument proposed that the reason Iraq and Afghanistan failed was because of Islam and culture incongruity, but that seems weird given how different Japan was from the west.

Thanks in advance!

Holy_Shit_HeckHounds

While I'm not an expert, my reading on this sub would suggest that the premise of your question may be a bit flawed. Additionally you are skirting awful close to the 20 year rule.

  • Some reading on the Marshall Plan (Germany) and how it may be misunderstood

How effective was the Marshall Plan really? written by u/DrMalcolmCraig

Why didn't the United States create a "Marshall Plan 2.0" to help Russia after the end of the Cold War? written by u/Kochevnik81

  • On Japan

How did the U.S. do such a good job of rebuilding Japan that it's now one of its strongest allies? written by u/Wirelesszombie

  • Related, this discusses Soviet efforts to "rebuild Afghanistan" and draws some parallels between the Soviet involvement and the US involvement

How did Afghanistan go from being relatively stable 50-60 years ago to the constantly-devolving mess it is today? written by u/SuperKamiGuru1994