You don't understand hegemonic power struggles unless you accept they're all dancing around the obvious existence of advanced nonhuman technologies that vastly outperform anything developed or deployed by any hegemonic power, and that this has been the case for as long as there have been hegemonic powers (with varying degrees of scientific awareness and accuracy). This information is viewed as best ignored by many people within hegemonic powers control or influence, and those people don't want to think about it but that's not the same as it not being true.