Do Quakers unfairly target the US?

In an article on anti-Americanism around the world, the BBC correspondent Justin Webb remembers attending Quaker peace rallies with his mother. He asks, however, whether the Quakers are fair in condemning US failings in areas such as arms control and world peace, while largely staying silent on worse offenses by others (BBC).

Personally, I think that British Quakers condemn the US more than others over violations of peace and human rights for two reasons:

(a) The US if a long-time friend and ally of Britain's, and the two countries have many cultural similarities, not least of which is their shared language. As a result, British Quakers (and other British protesters against American actions around the world) may feel a certain right to criticise the US more than other countries.

(b) The US sets out very high standards of freedom, justice, democracy and equality for itself and its citizens. Thus, it might sometimes be easier to criticise the US for failing to adhere to its own standards when dealing with foreigners (or even groups of its own citizens) than it would be to condemn other countries (or their leaderships) for failing to observe standards they don't even fully accept.

Quakers pioneered abolitionist movement

It has been forgotten by many that some of the earliest non-black anti-slavery campaigners were Quakers, or members of the Society of Friends, as they call themselves. While pioneering the abolitionist movement in the 18th century, the Quakers also popularised political pressure tactics that are still with us today, such as petitions and consumer boycotts. Members of this ultra-egalitarian Christian sect were also some of the first to use logos as a promotional tool, spreading the image of a black slave in chains asking "Am I not a man and a brother"?

The abolitionist movement achieved success when opposition to slavery spread from Quakers to radical Anglicans, and eventually to much of the rest of British society (BBC).