I think the first step is to not try to revert anything, but rather to recognize that there’s a massive difference between the average person and the government’s international actions. It’s convenient to talk about a country as if the name of the country is synonymous with the leader and the military and all of the businesses and the entire population, when those groups are definitely distinct.

Some years ago I visited a country in Central America where the United States government had done shady things in the seventies and eighties. Nobody that I met was upset with me because I was American. Why? Because they understood that I don’t control what my country does anymore than they control what their country does. We’re just normal people trying to live our lives.

I think that’s the important first step. Separate the average person from the government, and bring humanity back into the discussion. Depending on the circumstance, you may also want to talk about the agenda of big business, and how many of the things that show up in national newspapers are about companies battling for supremacy in their industry, using various governments to fight proxy wars.