Yo !! No offense, but to admit to being an American is akin to committing suicide. The local LE aren't going to go out of their way to protect you, nor are the locals. As an American, you are considered fair game. Those other than Americans, care not one wit what we've done for theirs or anybody else's people!!

Try to reason with them and if you're lucky, they'll reply with: "Don't confuse the issue with facts"!

It was that way, in my experiences, throughout the Med area, including Eastern Europe and North Africa. I also came across that attitude in some of the Carribean Sea.