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Originally Posted by matthew330
From personal experience, the younger generation of Europeans "hated" America for nothing more than the political role we play.
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I think it goes far beyond politics. It is a cultural issue. America is the melting pot - we take in cultures and merge them out of existence - and as our exportation of our "culture" increases, the backlash from other cultures is amplified. As for the political aspect, my view is that we are perceived as hypocrites. We claim that we strive for freedom and liberty and the "greater good" for the whole planet - but the view is that we strive for dominance and control and ownership of the entire planet. This is accurately summed up by the actions of our corporations and the many statements by Americans, for example, the denuciation of the U.N. If it were true that we desired freedom and not control, our first and foremost priority would be ensuring the effectiveness of the U.N., not subverting it when it won't do what we want. The U.N. is the closest thing the world has to planet-wide democracy, by definition, America cannot be a replacement for it.
That also happens to be a view that I hold.
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As for your other point, sure we manipulated parts of the world for what we believed to be the greater good, and sure things have come back to bite us in the ass. But are you suggesting that because of actions we took in the past for reasons that were historically relevant, that we alleviated our responsibilites to solve the problems that arise in the future. I would think we are even more so for that very fact.
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I'm suggesting that manipulation is not the correct course - particularly if you intend to claim a "greater good" or moral superiority. The problems that arise in the future are a direct result of the actions we have taken in the past - and as long as we deny that and continue along the same course, we are in no position to "solve" the problems of the future.