Is it inevitable that countries cannot stay on top forever?

It seems like wealth cycles through the world and certain countries/civilizations can hold on to it only so long. Is this because what makes a society successful is also what inevitably destroys it? Take the US for example--we rocked it from 1870 until about 1929, then a depression, WWII, then a huge boom from '47 until '71, then another recession, then a government spending boom under Reagan (with borrowed money), then another recession, then an internet boom (under false pretences), then the 2nd biggest crash in history. Overall, our best days seem to be behind us. How do we stop this cycle?