I think the disinterest in history is much broader that the US. Along the same line I have a slightly different observation--those who are interested in history are interested in stories and biography rather than constructing a sweeping pictures our past as the ancestor to our present. 

Either way, I don't think disinterest in history is a big part of American lack of perspective. I think more of the sense of being #1, the center of the universe. 

Perfect example: the relative lack of criticism in major media of Trump supporting Sunni Saudi Arabia and putting down Shia Iran, and thinking of this as a push to unite Islam against ISIS. Sure reminds me of the invasion of Iraq without a plan post conquest; and then the relatively blindness to Shia/Sunni sensitivities during reconstruction.