From global fights to control trade routes to technological dominance, history shows that the quest for power drives innovation. The one who had the best ships controlled the trade routes. European countries, in particular, were often at war amongst themselves to create the best ships—ones that could sail longer and safer. One major challenge was scurvy among sailors, a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C. It limited their ability to venture far from home.

The breakthrough came in 1747, when James Lind, a Scottish physician, discovered that citrus fruits could prevent scurvy. Once this discovery was implemented, longer voyages became possible. This innovation gave European naval powers, particularly the British, a significant edge, allowing them to establish dominance as first movers in global trade.

During World War I, the race for military innovations intensified. The Allied forces sought ways to detect German U-boats to protect their naval convoys. Meanwhile, the Germans pioneered the development of fighter planes equipped with synchronized machine guns that could fire through rotating propeller blades. This remarkable technological advancement provided the Germans with precision firepower, giving them dominance in the skies during the early stages of the war.

 

In World War II, the quest for power took a more destructive turn. The United States, as part of the Allied forces, initiated the Manhattan Project, led by J. Robert Oppenheimer, to develop the atomic bomb. This project culminated in the United States claiming unparalleled military power and altering the course of global geopolitics.

 

During the Cold War, the race shifted to space exploration and missile technology. The United States and the Soviet Union competed to build spaceships and long-range missiles, seeking to assert their dominance. The race to land a human on the moon, achieved by the United States in 1969, was symbolic of this pursuit.

 

In the early 21st century, technological supremacy became synonymous with building the most powerful computers. The development of advanced computational technologies became a hallmark of global influence.

 

Today, the race for dominance has moved to artificial intelligence (AI). Major corporations like Google, OpenAI, and Meta in the United States, along with DeepSeek in China, are at the forefront of this race. Their innovations are not just about corporate profits but also about establishing dominance for the countries backing them through policies and trade tariffs.

Throughout history, great innovations requiring large-scale cooperation have often been driven by the desire for power. Yet, I hope for a future where the race to solve pressing global issues, such as climate change or finding cures for cancer and AIDS, becomes the new path to claiming superpower status.

 

We caught a glimpse of this possibility during the COVID-19 pandemic, when countries competed to develop vaccines. However, apart from such widespread crises, there are few examples of this level of urgency and cooperation to address global challenges.

 

Historically, many medical breakthroughs were led by curious minds driven by a passion to alleviate human suffering. I hope one day the superpowers of the world will rush to lead races to solve global problems—without waiting for a pandemic or climate catastrophe. That is the only way the world will change for the better. I hope I will live to see that day.

 

Amen.