For me, the key takeaway is that if we want to play a small nation that is no more than a secondary power or number 7 or 8 on the GP list, we have to be prepared for the bigger nations to be ahead of us in line for resources and for those nations to potentially clear the supply with their demand. Towards the second half of the game, there simply won't be enough stuff for everybody - hence the need to conquer those resources, whether through the Great Game in Africa and Asia, sphering nations here and there - and puppeting them if need be, or engaging in wars of aggrandizement on the European continent when all other methods have failed to provide sufficient inputs for your domestic markets.
A nation as resource-blessed as a full USA may not need to make those grabs, but it also tends to rise to the upper ranks of the GPs once immigration gets underway and those new arrivals head straight for the factories.
