>>>Building huge, unimaginably expensive monuments to the egos of leaders is no way for a society to prosper.
Taj Mahal, a repeat performance. The leader bankrupted the country and was reputedly overthrown. Public spending gone wild!
What is less desirable, letting large unemployed populations sit unemployed and unpaid, or building large, impressive, or beautiful structures, that today bring in millions in tourist dollars to the countries in question?