As the world's only superpower, America may look today as if global domination is an entitlement. But if you look back at the sweep of history, it's striking how fleeting supremacy is, particularly for individual cities.

Nicholas Kristof must have read Jared Diamond's "Collapse."

What lessons can New York learn from its predecessors?

One lesson is the importance of sustaining a technological edge and sound economic policies.

A second lesson is the danger of hubris.