preeminence

noun

Etymology: From Latin praeēminēntia.

1. The status of being preeminent, dominant or ascendant.
2. High importance; superiority.

   “In an era when political leaders promise deliverance from decline through America’s purported preeminence in scientific research, the news that science is in deep trouble in the United States has been as unwelcome as a diagnosis of leukemia following the loss of health insurance.”