66. The United States Retains the Title, Adrift

The United States Retains the Title

America’s myriad challenges and weaknesses shouldn’t be allowed to obscure its continued dominance as the globe’s preeminent power. American enterprises account for the majority of the world’s largest 100 companies, which in turn supports the unrivaled scale of the U.S. stock markets. Our national research and development spending amounts to 30% of the world’s total, with American startups accounting for 50% of the world’s unicorns. The U.S. has more billionaires than any nation. We’ve also won more Olympic medals than any other country, and have a bigger defense budget than the next ten countries combined. American goods and services account for almost a quarter of the world’s GDP. These numbers are impressive, but the wheel of American supremacy is held together by a few linchpins. Without them, the wheels would come off . . . quickly.