stand to lose

"Stand to lose" means "risk losing"

In other words, simply "what we would lose if..."

I hope that's clear. If not, come back.

The United States stands high (ranks high) in the list of powerful nations, partly because of the advances American scientists are making in their chosen fields.

We could lose this standing/ranking if we can't keep up in science.

Happy New Year, fansy.

You have already in many fields.

Contrex--

Unfortunately, you're right.

Still, we have the power to use our greed to set off a world-wide recession. Our gravity is still mighty.