Just as great men are born out of great adversity so are great nations. Whichever way you look at it, all great nations were forged by steering the nation against adversity and coming out victorious. The American states were born out of a fight with the United Kingdom for freedom, then a civil war that nearly tore the nation in half, followed by two world wars. It is by exemplary leadership in times of crisis that the US rose to the super power it is. Never mind that at the time Argentina was many times richer than the US.