I'm not very bullish on the future of the United States, sad to say. Our leadership has failed us for decades now, not just due to petty arguments but due to a complacency that got used to "playing the short game."

That said, I am not sure who would step in. Right now the leading candidate is China. But there are deep-rooted resentments toward China coming from India, the EU, and even Russia. Brasil, Saudi, and South Africa might be more on board. But China's pole position as next global leader is far from certain.

One question is, can we have a world without a reserve currency.