My reading of the Culture is that it is at best morally ambiguous. The Culture would extinguish entire civilizations that were no threat to it, simply because it was cheaper to do it before they'd developed further in a direction that could be a threat. If I was supposed to be cheering for the Culture I missed it.
Yes, biggest minds in the galaxy and their best idea is to run the George Bush playbook. What was the aftermath of destroying the governance of such an advanced civilization? Did millions die in civil wars and famine afterward or did they stick around for decades doing nation building and spreading freedom with autonomous attack drones?
