Mousethief,

Good point about irrational editorializing by many newspapers abroad. It is pretty amusing the way that the U.S. is viewed by many as the source of all evil even when the roots of many problems date to times when the U.S. did not exist or when it had virtually no involvement in international affairs. For example, many conflicts in the Middle East and Asia stem from the colonialist programs of European nations. And unless I am mistaken, people in these areas were trying to conquer and/or exploit one another long before European-based colonialism developed. And sorry but the U.S. is far from being the only capitalist nation. In fact, we didn't even invent it or fully participate in it for a long time. That credit must go elsewhere. So yes, the U.S. is a major player in current world affairs and no we are not perfect, but don't try to make us a scapegoat for the basic fact that humans have been and will be shitty toward each other. If the U.S. did try to adopt an isolationist policy, the same people who criticize us for causing harm would be begging us to get back involved in mediating disputes, providing aid, and participating in the global economy.