As long as the United States does not shoot itself in the foot, engage in civil war, or collapse, its leading advantage will almost never be truly surpassed.

There are only three reasons, all based on solid logic:

1. Its inherent advantages are "physically locked in," and other countries can never catch up later.

2. The US dollar, technology, military, and culture form a closed-loop hegemony.

3. As long as the US does not suffer severe division or encounter a major black swan event, it will not lose.

The enemy of hegemony has never been external; it is itself.