690.“And the Americans want to be liked.”

Reader86

Ah, looking past older political books, the idea of comparing nations by whether they want to be respected, admired, feared, or liked is a famous geopolitical framework often attributed to international relations observations or Middle Eastern/diplomatic studies (frequently quoted via professors like Columbia's Middle Eastern studies figures):

“The British want to be respected;”

“The French want to be admired;”

“The Russians want to be feared;”

“And the Americans want to be liked.”

Ah, that points directly to the 1957 book Why We Behave Like Americans by Bradford Smith.   
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In exploring the unique contours of the American national character and social habits, the book captures that exact sentiment with the line:

“Americans do not want respect, they want to be liked.”   
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It touches on the cultural emphasis placed on warmth, friendliness, and peer acceptance over formal hierarchy or traditional prestige.

This formulation has floated around widely in modern political commentary, essays on American foreign policy, and books analyzing national soft power and cultural diplomacy (such as critiques on how U.S. administrations handle global public relations).

Does this framework ring closer to what you had in mind, or were you thinking of a specific contemporary book or author discussing American culture or foreign policy?