Pre-WW2, the answer was WASPs convinced of their own greatness. After WW2 it was because the US did a good thing and let it get to their heads. To this day, I’ll see Americans online see the US get criticized and pull out the old “if it wasn’t for us, you’d all be talking German” line. Like dude, you’re taking credit for something you didn’t do, probably wouldn’t do, and it doesn’t justify the shitty things that ARE happening.
And the rules based global order was a good idea that some Americans had but too many other Americans decided that the US got to have constant exceptions to the rules which makes the whole thing ultimately not work.
Pre-WW2, the answer was WASPs convinced of their own greatness. After WW2 it was because the US did a good thing and let it get to their heads. To this day, I’ll see Americans online see the US get criticized and pull out the old “if it wasn’t for us, you’d all be talking German” line. Like dude, you’re taking credit for something you didn’t do, probably wouldn’t do, and it doesn’t justify the shitty things that ARE happening.
And the rules based global order was a good idea that some Americans had but too many other Americans decided that the US got to have constant exceptions to the rules which makes the whole thing ultimately not work.