[rstuart4133]

Looking at long term, STEM supply drives these rapidly advancing markets. We have China training so many engineers of all stripes there is a chronic oversupply, cut throat competition between engineers, with the ones who don't make it working in noodle shops. We also have the USA, who has 1/3 the population, is seeing record low attendance at it's colleges and currently attacking it's own universities. Short of another Mao style political upheaval, it's difficult to see how the USA's crown in technological leadership won't be handed over to China in time, if it hasn't already.

That said, smaller countries do out-compete the bigger ones in their specialised areas of expertise despite being many times smaller. Finland builds great ice-breakers, Australia does mining and medical, New Zealand does food products. The same will hold for the USA. They will do perfectly fine once the crown passes, just like the other smaller fish do now. Well, assuming the current kerfuffle doesn't turn into a Mao sized disaster. Right now it does have the same anti-intellectual stench to it, but you will stomp on it before it gets completely out of hand. Surely?