If you compare average international incomes based on purchasing power parity, it is immediately apparent how far the United States has left everyone else behind. The difference to the old Europe is particularly shocking, where the income gap to the USA is likely to widen further in the coming years due to the recession. The geopolitical antagonists, China and Russia, are also being left in the dust by the USA. It can therefore be assumed that the USA will emerge from the impending recession in better shape than its rivals and allies alike. There will be no way around them when it comes to capital allocation, corporate investment or setting the international rules of the game in trade, no matter how strongly the BRICS countries join forces.