How long is it appropriate for a country to be "on top"?

[PSOL]

Given our immense navy, I don’t see the decline happening until the US is unable to exert power projection any further from Hawaii or making it to engage in Europe. That won’t happen for a long time, and would require a costly naval war. I still think that we would still be top dogs in the America’s for even longer, as our neighbors have no ability to power project.

I really do believe that any sort of collapse in the United States would require domestic upheaval to weaken the United States. Unlike Great Britain we have a pretty stronger lock on our colonies and would require constant infighting to keep us distracted. The Romans were beaten by various ethnic and ideological conflicts pitting people against one another—plebians, Levantines and the ideas adopted across the empire, and Gallo-Germanics all tearing into each other and the establishment patrician class. We have rising swings of anger from the urban working class, small businessmen, Appalachians, migrant workers, Latinos, socialists, Nazis, and others all at each other’s necks and at the state.