Every country, and the US is no exception, has the right to defend itself from attack, whether it be military or commercial extortion. We do have every right to make treaty committments to other nations, and to honor them, to fight against tyranny, help our friends and punish bullies.

World War II was necessary and just. But we also had every right to fight the Reds in Korea. Vietnam was a mistake, but that really wasn't obvious at the time, Iraq was pure naked aggression. We also live in a democracy, if the people want to pick on some third world country because they figure it will mean more jobs and prosperity, or because we don't like the leader, fine, then we should do it. That's what happened to Athenian democracy in Sicily 2400 years ago, and it cost them their empire. After all, wars are judgement calls, there can be honest differences of opinions about whether or not to fight. That can only be settled by passing the decision on to the nation, as the founders spelled out precisely in the constitution. But we should all know up front what we are doing and why. We shouldn't go to war or topple governments because Mr Hearst wants to sell newspapers, or because United Fruit wants to corner the banana market, or because we want to take over BP's oil business in Iran, or because the democratically elected president of Chile is a Socialist.

From a strictly practical point of view, that kind of American exceptionalism just pisses people off. And sometime in the future, somebody might just decide it gives them the right, justifiably or not, to get even.