Britain did indeed have an Empire, back in the days when such things were fashionable; so did France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Russia, China and others. Britain tended to exploit other nations ruthlessly for both raw materials and manufactured goods to feed the world's first Industrial Revolution. In return, we tried to fashion the colonies into replicas of the British system of governance. Sixty-odd years on, it seems that the legacy is mixed; although it is possible to argue that most former colonial citizens live in established, stable democracies (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India) there are some nations who are still struggling to come to terms with an identity other than an oppressed colony (much of Africa). Some lessons have been learned; it would be difficult to classify the foreign policy Britain of today as Imperialist. That phase of our history is well and truly over, and hopefully will never be repeated.

My original point was to show how the language and attitude adopted by powerful groups in the US is colouring the view of the rest of the world towards America; I don't believe this is fair or reasonable, especially as so few Americans were involved in electing the current administration. I repeat; I sincerely hope that the Constitution and a fair electoral process comes to the rescue of America, and that America regains its standing as a tremendous agent of good in the world. At the moment I believe that standing is in the balance.
Tim