well you have to consider that when they grew up (30's, 40's, 50's) america was still extremely isolated. i mean, WW1 and WW2 served to make the US aware of the rest of the world but the reaction was more like "hey, these other kids keep getting into trouble and dragging us in. we shouldn't play with those kids." or "someone should really take on the job of keeping these kids in line." regardless, it was always us against them.

as time went by, the US economy became extremely tied to the global economy from sticking our wallets and noses into everyone's business. communications technology exploded and brought the world home to the US. (especially the televised coverage of vietnam, which made other parts of the world very real to the american populace.) the US was in it with the rest of the world whether they wanted to be or not.

we grew up in that time. add to that the fact that we (you, me, and all our friends) are the traveling/seeking sort and it sorta makes sense that we'd feel like we do.

I think that it means that those who view themselves as citizens of the world first should explore more fully the thought that what makes us "citizens" are the cultural affiliations that we choose (or which, by accident of birth, are chosen for us). A thousand or so generations of "civilization" are not enough to change the human animal from what millions of years of evolution designed us to be: tribal.

So, pick your tribe. But understand at the end of the day that your REAL affiliations are with those who share your tribal values. And those aren't, for everyone, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. For some, those are subjugation of women, the dream of dying a martyr's death while murdering innocents, and the belief that killing the infidel is a duty.

And here's where the rubber really meets the road: Whose local tribal values are the best for the global tribe? It is that point of disagreement, usually unresolvable by rational means, which leads to war. Always has, always will. Every tribe thinks that their values should be global values, and therefore, they can rationalize that the world, when it disagrees, is simply in error. And that what they want for the world is the best thing for the world. Doesn't make a damn bit of difference what the world thinks about that, however...

Round and round they go.

All that said, the only tribe whose values I believe are correct is the tribe of Western thought. The personal right to make a life, freedom of religion, and intellectual growth are the only defensible philosophical positions. Everything else is repression disguised as religion, Nazism, communism, and all the other excuses to maintain power. And while religion has been used as an excuse for murder for thousands of years, the ultimate difference I see is this: where religion is so used, it is an abuse. Where religion is synonymous with freedom, it reaches the philosophical and, well, religious peak of ethics.

So, make your personal values the focal point of your decision concerning your primary citizenship and allegiance.

My community is the world. My tribe is America.