To be frank, I consider formulations like "states are not moral entities" as a bit of nationalistic hand-waving. Of course states are moral entities. Why would we exclude any organization or form thereof from the imposition of a human moral framework, when that organization is merely a collective representation of human will and labor? To judge any organization otherwise is to allow a sort of laundering of morality - which to be equally frank, I think may be the whole intention about "states are not moral entities".
Aside from that... I'm not sure the US views the rest of the globe as a hinterland, so much as outside the jurisdiction of certain legal frameworks that trump their mission. Which is also not to engage in apologism for that outlook, just to highlight its distinctness from a sort of imperial provincialism.
But in general I think the main point I want to talk about is why we would ever exclude states from any degree of verbalized evaluation on a moral basis.
Even if we exclude the cold war time period entirely, the picture in terms of bombs dropped by US vs. China looks equally bleak
The US is frankly a pretty warlike country.
