Before I start writing about Russia, I feel the deed to explain one important detail. I think there is a strong misperception in America about what other counties think about the USA.

Have you ever wondered what people around the world think about America?

Here is how I think Americans see themselves:

–       a land of opportunity and freedom;

–       the defender of democracy and human rights;

–       a Christian nation;

–       a nation with the rule of law;

–       peaceful and peace promoting;

–       generous and hospitable.

Sounds about right?

I believe this is how the world used to see America up until 50 years ago, but not any more.

How does the world see America now? I venture to say that the majority of people in the world see America as arrogant, paternalistic, disrespectful, violent, morally flawed, and greedy.

Don’t believe me? Next time you meet a foreigner (from Mexico, Europe, Iraq, or anywhere else) ask them two questions:

1) How do people in your home county see America?

2) What impact, if any, has America had on your county in the last 50 years?

Then just listen. Don’t interrupt or argue with them, just hear them out.

How has America developed such a major public image problem?

I see two major reasons: #1 American music and entertainment industry, #2 American foreign policy.

#1. Think back to the movies and TV shows you recently watched and to the music you recently listened to. What kind of view would you have about America if those were your only sources of information about this country?

American movies, TV shows, and music are full of drugs, violence, and sex. The entertainment industry portrays American courts as easily manipulated by crafty lawyers; prostitution as rampant; racial minorities as both oppressive and oppressed; police and the government as corrupt and self-serving.

Now, you and I know that that’s not how things really are. Situations portrayed in those shows are exceptions, outliers, and made up stories… But to the rest of the world these movies, TV shows and music are the windows into American values and culture. Are you horrified? You should be.

#2. Image what Ukrainians must be feeling right now towards Putin and his intervention in Ukraine. That’s how the rest of the world is feeling toward America. What Putin is doing in Ukraine is very similar to what the US has been doing in many other counties around the world.

Ever since the end of WWII America assumed a new interventionistic approach to foreign policy. Consider the following fact. Since 1946 America had military interventions in the following counties: Yugoslavia, Uruguay, Greece, Germany, China, Philippines, Korea, Iran, Vietnam, Guatemala, Egypt, Lebanon, Panama, Cuba, Laos, Iraq, Indonesia, Dominican Republic, Cambodia, Oman, Chili, Angola, Libya, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Grenada, Honduras, Bolivia, Virgin Islands, Liberia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Somalia, Bosnia, Haiti, Congo, Albania, Sudan, Colombia, Afghanistan, Yemen, Macedonia, Pakistan, and Syria (you can find the complete list of US military intervention with years of intervention and reasons for intervention at http://academic.evergreen.edu/g/grossmaz/interventions.html ). That’s a total of 43 foreign nations and over 70(!) military interventions. More than seventy times in the last 50 years America has violated the sovereignty of other nations and sent there its troops.

Depending on a source, there are a total of 189 to 196 counties in the world. Therefore, America has had military interventions in roughly 20-23% of the world. That number does not include non-military interventions such as economic sanctions and some of the America-sponsored cues (remember Ben Affleck’s “Argo”?). Several of these military interventions are still going on.

How many counties during that same time period had military interventions on the territory of the United States? Can you think of any? Well, there was the 9/11 attack… Though this was an attack by terrorist and not by a foreign nation lets count it as one. Any other?

And how many counties since 1946 declared a war against the United States?…. 0.

But, you might argue, America has not been attacked BECAUSE it has been keeping everybody in line with its foreign policy. And you are right: America has been keeping everybody in line, in a very straight and orderly line… America has become the world’s policeman. With its military in one hand and a whip of economic sanction in the other, it whips everyone into submission.

Of course, American always has a good reason to attack, right? America defends the oppressed, promotes democracy, and fights for peace.

Consider for a minute American intervention in Iraq. The official reason for the intervention was that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Saddam could have used them to kill a lot of people. Did America invade Iraq? Yes. Did people die? Yes. Were the weapons of mass destruction found? No.  Well, at least the people of Iraq were freed from a terrible dictator and are now enjoying freedom and democracy, right? No, they are not. In fact, I recently spoke to an immigrant from Iraq and asked him if life in Iraq got better since Hussein was gone. His response: It has gotten much worse. There were peace and order under Hussein, now there is poverty, corruption, violence, and chaos. The only people in Iraq who have benefited from the new government are people working for American companies or on American contracts. And even these people live in fear because the rest of the country hates them.

If you put #1 and #2 together you will begin to get the picture of why the rest of the world does not like America very much. America intervenes with good intentions: to provide peace, democracy, free market economy, and defend human rights (I do realize there is a darker side to American interventionalism, but for the sake of the argument here, I am going to pretend that things are just as Washington says they are). However, the people around the world see America as deeply flawed and corrupt. It is easy to see then why American ‘help’ (financial, military, consulting, you name it) is often interpreted as a way to subdue and dominate other counties, and make them dependent on America.

Here is the message that the American people need to hear: Mind you own business. Stop playing a role of the ‘big brother’. Other people don’t necessarily share your values, and they see your many flaws. Deal with your own problems before you teach other how to run their lives.

Here is another thought: if America treated its own people the way it treats other counties there would have been a civil war. In fact, what we are seeing around the world right now is an insurrection against America and NATO and their influence around the world.

I think it is time for America to wake up and realize that a terrible, destructive influence its entertainment media and foreign policy has had on America’s image around the world.

American has so many fine qualities, such as generosity, tolerance, humility, justice, and peacefulness. Unfortunately, the world doesn’t get to see them.

If America doesn’t change its foreign policy and continues to engage in  “promotion of democracy” and “nation building” America will have to keep engaging in new wars costing more lives and money. This policy will continue to hurt American image around the world and antagonize more and more nations, creating the need for more and more interventions, driving American into financial bankruptcy. Is it what you really want, America?