"As specific as Asimov was in the original story"? Have you read Foundation recently? Asimov had Hardin wave a magic wand that spontaneously converted the population of all Four Kingdoms into zealots worshiping nuclear engineers in the space of twenty freakin' years. Yeah, that's specific compared to, "Use economic incentives to encourage democracy."

And, yes, democracy building can fail spectacularly, but we also know it can work. Which makes it better than enslaving four star systems with a deliberate program of cultural hegemony. Or do you believe that the people of the Four Kingdoms lost the right to self government because of the action of their dictators -- dictators whom Hardin was willing to keep in place so long as it forwarded the Foundation's interest.

I'm sorry, the whole damn book is a paean to imperialism and manifest destiny.