" The foundation of any empire is not guns, something that Hitler and Stalin never grasped. It is money, and the envy that brings. But more important than money or guns is the technology that represents the future and the culture that speaks of being contemporary. All lasting empires are empires of the mind and soul, empires that cause others to crave to emulate them. "

― George Friedman , The Storm Before the Calm: America's Discord, the Coming Crisis of the 2020s, and the Triumph Beyond