There is more resentment around the world towards America's actions than there is towards the actions of other nations. This can be explained in part because America's global power puts them into contact - and conflict - with more people than most nations. It's not the entire story, though: Americans' attitude towards their relationship with others is unlike what you will find in other nations.

In America Right Or Wrong: An Anatomy Of American Nationalism, Anatol Lieven quotes Herman Melville:

We Americans are the peculiar, chosen people — the Israel of our time; we bear the ark of the liberties of the world. God has predestined, mankind expects, great things from our race; and great things we feel in our souls. The rest of the nations must soon be in our rear. We are pioneers of the world; the advance-guard, sent on through the wilderness of untried things, to break a new path in the New World that is ours.

Not many nations have regarded themselves as having been “chosen” to lead the rest of the world, whether that means being chosen by God, by fate, or by some other means. Jews obviously believe themselves to be God’s chosen people and religious Zionists regard Israel as a nationalistic expression of this status. Few, however, have treated Israel as an ostensible leader for the rest of the world.

Since the Revolution, many French have regarded their nation as having an obligation to bring culture and liberty to other nations, an attitude not too dissimilar from what has existed in America. It’s likely that the tense relationship between America and France is partly due to their being similar in this respect. After all, there can be only one leader in this respect.

Every nation sees itself as special and perhaps in some ways better than others, but aside from these and a few other examples, nations rarely see themselves as chosen by God or history for leadership of the planet. Americans can have this attitude, however — and treating America as a new Israel is something that can be traced back to some of the earliest colonists. Even irreligious Americans haven’t shed this, treating America as having the responsibility for bringing democracy and civilization to other people.

Resentment is only to be expected when attitudes like this are adopted.

 

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