The U.S., Technology, and Dominance

I have been thinking recently about the idea that those who possess a technological advantage usually have dominance in the world. This is an interesting concept as the United States, which has long been at the helm of the world technologically and in other areas, now seems to be slipping. In relation to the current oil crisis, it seems one of the most blatant examples of the U.S.'s loss of dominance is in this arena. Many months ago, there was a lot of talk about Brazil's successful transfer to an energy system based on sugarcane instead of oil. The United States doesn't have this kind of technology. If Brazil is outdoing the U.S., there is a major slippage on the part of the U.S.