BEIJING, Sept. 25 -- What we can conclude from most of the Hollywood movies is that the Americans have always wanted to play the role of the great savior of the world. However, they often seem to forget that such a mindset does not hold water in real life.

Almost 13 years have passed since the United States waged a full-swing war against the al-Qaida terrorist group in Afghanistan right after the 9/11 attacks, and 11 years have gone since it set foot on Iraq.

Yet, the two nations and the region as a whole are still struggling in the quagmire of wars and their people living in nightmares, while the great horror brought by sprawling extreme terrorism remains and deepens.

Now, with the al-Qaida offshoot Islamic State (IS) wrecking havoc in Iraq and neighboring Syria, Washington is apparently embarking an equally dangerous and futile path.

President Barack Obama, fully complacent of the U.S. international appeal and military prowess, has made a shortcut around the United Nations(UN) and began to rally international support to build a U.S.-led coalition aimed at destroying what he called "the network of death."

From Afghanistan to Iraq, U.S.-led military coalitions have emerged one after another, yet their ultimate goal of uprooting terrorism is still far from being achieved.

Instead, the fear and hatred those foreign meddlers have fueled in the Middle East has created a breeding ground for extreme terrorism. Newborn groups like the IS appear to be more atrocious and radical than their predecessors, posing even bigger security threats to the world.

China, on the other hand, is calling on the international community to come up with "new thinking and new steps" in its response to terrorism.

Addressing the UN Security Council, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the UN and its security body should play the leading role in the global fight against terrorism, and it is the only way to maintain unity, achieve effective coordination and take concerted actions.

Both the symptoms and root causes of terrorism must be addressed, he said, calling for an integrated approach that includes measures taken in political, security, economic, financial, intelligence and ideological fields.

In the meantime, the United States should not be a self-appointed leader in the global terrorism fight because it has long adopted double standards on this matter, laying bare its short-sightedness and murky intentions.

For one thing, Uncle Sam seems to have its own set of rules to define the act of terrorism and even use it as a lame excuse to interfere in other country's internal affairs.

For instance, the U.S. intervention into Syria's political crisis has created growing space for the IS, which Uncle Sam had first secretly connived until the situation spirals out of control.

In addition, anti-terrorism, which has become the common cause of the international community, should not be exploited by a single country as a political tool to serve its own national interests and exert ideological prejudice.

Apparently, the United States will be very selective when forging an anti-IS coalition, as those who doesn't comply to its rules and serve its interests, like Syria and Iran, will be excluded.

However, without cooperation from the two Middle East countries, which are in possession of the best capabilities in this region in countering IS threats, a U.S.-centered anti-terror coalition is doomed to fail and even backfire again.

It is highly advisable for Washington to cast away the fantasy of being a world savior in the global terrorism fight and truly commit to UN-led international cooperation.