That's not controversial. The US uses its economic and (indirectly) its military power to persuade or coerce other nations into enacting laws similar to its own

That's not controversial. The US uses its economic and (indirectly) its military power to persuade or coerce other nations into enacting laws similar to its own. To some extent this is desirable: it makes life simpler in a global economy. Like everything government does, it gets taken too far. The ultimate example is drug policy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Commission_on_International_Trade_Law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Commission_on_In... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonisation_of_law http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonisation_of_law The US federal government does the same thing to the states: Under the Federal Aid Highway Act, a state with a minimum drinking age below 21 would be subjected to a ten percent decrease in its annual federal highway apportionment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Minimum_Drinking_Age_Act http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Minimum_Drinking_Age_A... Again, this really isn't controversial. It's the essence of international politics...