Is America the Villain?

One thing that has been on my mind lately: Is America the villain?

When we watch movies and TV we often come across a story in which the big governing body is being a menace to other nations, like The Alliance in Serenity/Firefly, the Empire in Star Wars, and even in real history, Germany in WWII, and Britain during our fight for independence between the years 1776 and 1783.
Do other nations envision our soldiers as Storm Troopers?

Reasons for Past Conflicts

All one really needs to do in this case is look at what we have fought for in the past; WWII, to stop the spread of evil in Europe and (while also protecting our own interests) liberate nations conquered by the Nazi War Machine; Vietnam, to quell the spread of communism; Gulf War, to protect a small country while also protecting our oil interests; the War in Iraq, to liberate an oppressed people and to fight terror.

Occupations

One must remember also that occupations are often present after a war. This is to ensure that utter chaos does not ensue as a result of an overthrown government and the establishment of a replacement government. If, when Germany was defeated in WWII, we left them to fend for themselves, we would have done little to prevent the wrong person from coming to power in a time of chaos... this gets complicated.

Unfortunately, occupations can also yield some of the worst sides of people. Murder and vandalism often result after the conquering soldiers become more relaxed and less disciplined. They will drive tanks over cars and do other unspeakable things. One must remember that these are the actions of individuals who make bad choices, not the government itself.

The Good Side of America

Despite our more selfish (so to speak) reasons for becoming involved in some past wars, I find it hard to imagine the U.S. as a villain. We have liberated people and countries, we have helped to spread democracy and overthrow murderous dictatorships, and shielded other nations from falling into the hands of people such as Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein (let's be clear that these were bad people, killing innocent people for ethnic cleansing or for sport is bad. No matter where you are from, this is wrong). We are the most generous nation on the planet. We give more to foreign aid and relief efforts abroad than any other nation and that is a fact.

The Other Side of America

So why do some countries label us as the villain? Some things that come to mind are Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we dropped the atomic bomb on both of these cities in August, 1945. These were cities populated with non-combatants. In the mind of most of the world this was terrorism. Although this was not one of the proudest points in American history, many point to the idea that WWII would have lasted much longer and claimed many more lives if it did not happen. Slavery in America is another issue, although the nation was at one time completely divided over it, some nations still scoff at America for having practiced it. Is there slavery in America now? We have sad points in our history yes, but so do all nations.

My Conclusion

After contemplating various issues on the subject, I have decided that our Marines are not the equivalent of Nazis or Storm Troopers, and our leadership is not (not yet) the same as Hitler or Darth Vader. I think an unbiased look at the facts of history and where America currently stands will show, America is not the villain.

I think that pretty much covers it.