Like socialism, there are many variations of capitalism, but put simply, capitalism's objective is to pursue capital, and I agree with you. I can't speak for the author, but I interpret this sentence as a reference to the era when the US had a more mixed capitalism-socialism economy and government regulation. Obviously, this was pre-Friedman and the free market hell.

Neocolonialism began immediately after the US gained independence, and many believe capitalism lifted millions out of poverty and other positives. Unpacking these statements takes a lot of explaining. Ideally, we could state, foreign countries didn't ask the US to overthrow their governments and take ownership of their resources, but baby steps might lead to bigger outcomes.

I don't know. That's how I see it. Americans are so ignorant about the US let alone its foreign policy. Personally, I think capitalism always leads to exploitation. We've tried regulation, and it works for a little while, but we will always end up with the mess we're in now.