Americans still think of themselves as the best in the world. If that is not manifest destiny, then what is it?
>Manifest destiny was a widely held belief in the 19th century United States that its settlers were destined to expand across North America.
The average American does not think that America should expand any further throughout the world, nor do they think that America has an irresistible duty to remake the world in its image. The theme of "the special virtues of the American people and their institutions" is only one part of the definition of manifest destiny.
Also, if you've ever read an HN thread on public mass transit, I think there is evidence against the claim that Americans think that all of their institutions are the best in the world.
You are trying to paint a portrait of Americans in general that is flagrantly false.
Much evidence points to the sentiment that the US behaves like a modern-day Rome and has attempted (or is attempting) to achieve “Pax Americana” globally. Again, not necessarily a bad concept as the world could always use more stability.
Many people explicitly hate this and want to see money diverted from that to stuff like education, etc.
Americans aren't one singular unit that agree on issues, especially things like foreign policy.
I'm not even saying the US overseas forces are bad. They've been misused, yes, but I don't want to argue about that - it's complicated. To disclaim America's outsize global ambitions, however - for whatever purpose - is just laughable.
In fact I hear more about Cascadia or Texas seceding than I do about the USA adding new states or territories.
(at least that's the feeling I get from reading the comments here, I could be wrong, just hoping to clarify)
At least in North American high schools we are taught pretty thoroughly that Nationalism was the root cause of both WW1 and WW2.
I’m Canadian and while we are proud to be Canadian, Nationalism is looked at very skeptically and Nationalism for its own sake would make me think the person preaching it is uneducated.