What do you think Garlemald currently is?

[Hinoto-no-Ryuji]

snip

Nothing about a negative portrayal of Garlemald is arbitrary. Well, okay, calling them EVIL might be a bit much, but seeing them in shades of black certainly isn't, and I think the biggest issue with your argument is that you're attributing our conflict with them to something that it isn't.

It has nothing to do with science and industrialism - those are simply the tools they use and, as Theodric has pointed out, we use them as well. It has nothing to do with the Primals - that's simply the current phase of a larger campaign. And actually, considering it's one that aligns with our own desires and goals, why do you think we're not teaming up? It's not because Eorzea's leadership is daft, it's because the actual root of our conflict with Garlemald is what they'll do after the Primal problem is cleared up. This war did not start with the Primals. It started with them doing what Empires do. Which brings me to your other argument.

Empires are bad news. That is a moral conclusion that our society has come to, after spending a significant time flirting with the concept. Yes, many former empires are now flourishing nation states, but you'll notice they have completely dropped all the trappings and holdings of their imperial ages. Literature and history are not kind to the concept either, despite the formerly Imperial nations being the writers of that history. Nobody looks back fondly on the days of the European empires, and even the ancient empires are largely viewed as products of their time rather than models for a modern society. Empires-are-evil isn't just some common trope, it's a reflection of our historical experiences and struggles with Imperialism and the states that would employ it.

And even though I will concede that you can intellectually conceive of a benevolent Empire, Garlemald is not that. They conquer because they can, and when they do, they enslave, brutalize, draft, and rule over the conquered populations as second-class citizens. That is bad. They are demonstrably not a benevolent Empire. So no, the view of them as evil isn't arbitrary. It isn't a lazy mis-read of the text, or a lazy application of a common fantasy device. It's a deliberate use of a sort of government that is by its very nature aggressive and threatening to those around it.