The United States publicly supported national liberation struggles but nevertheless intervened when it saw an opportunity to weaken the hold of Britain and France; its interests did not (and do not) lie in supporting democratic movements on their own terms. In fact, secular nationalists who failed to comply with American interests were reviled.

XREF: Connects to Cold War realpolitik literature and critiques of US foreign policy as instrumental rather than principled.

Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politi…, loc. 207