American foreign policy since the 2nd World War has been aimed at encouraging the development of autonomous democracies which act in the best interests of their citizens. America is especially harsh when dealing with despots and tyrants, and normally will only extend `most favoured trade status', or otherwise subsidise barbarous regimes, as a result of simple administrative error (e.g. confusing the spelling of China with that of Sweden, Indonesia with Eire, or Burma with Belgium) rather than as a result of deliberate policy aimed at perpetuating some form of global hegemony.