Diddy would have loved it.
Oooooof!
Your points are exactly why travel is so important. People in the US just don't travel aboard so much (definitely not nearly as much as Australians) because the US has so many incredible sites to visit, but also because Americans are constantly bombarded with "American #1" so why would you visit anywhere else? It's wild to think that America might be Number 1 because of all these outside influences... and that it could be so much better if the population was a lot more traveled and experienced.
You mentioned it briefly, but I'm concerned/curious to how climate change will affect resources of lands... could Northern Europe/Russia become more resourceful as the globe heats up and they get less snow? Or will there be other issues affecting crops? Who knows...