The British Empire, for centuries, raped and pillaged practically the entire world. They were oppressive and imperialistic like no one before or since. The only reason they still aren\'t is because they were so overextended that they couldn\'t keep control of their empire. Now they are back not far from where they started and without a hope of ever reclaiming the power they once had.
And not to single out Britain, this goes for all of Europe really. The only reason Europeans are so wishy-washy and sensitive now is because they no longer have the capacity to be the imperialist monsters they were for hundreds of years, thanks to those early 20th century rulers who wanted a jolly old war that ended up killing and destroying not quite enough to start another war a generation later that basically ended the continent\'s dominance. Now, after they almost blew themselves to hell too many times to do it again, the people there criticize America for an infinitely more benign form of expansion in the world than what they brought to the table in their heyday.