One of the most heated debates focuses on the current state of United States hegemony and whether or not it is in decline. This begs the question: If the United States is truly losing status, will it still be an influential player or not? I argue that the United States is losing its prominent position as the world's hegemonic leader, but will still remain an influential player in global politics for decades to come. Its decline is the imminent result of domestic problems, violation of international laws and economic deficit, which have posed a grave and serious challenge to the United States. On the other hand, I propose that the United States remains a dominant force due to its innovation, worldwide cultural influences, and military prowess. In their articles, “How Americans Can Survive the rise of the Rest,” by Fareed Zakaria, and “America and Europe in the Asian Century,” by Kishore Mahbubani, they provide two distinctive and thought-provoking arguments from a declinist perspective. However, both articles are open to criticism and will be further examined to understand the leading role of the United States. Mahbubani argues that global dominance is shifting eastward primarily due to the incompetence (weakness) of the United States and the growing capability of Asian nations. He supports this thesis by strongly indicating that the West is inhibiting Asian progress. Mahbubani also points out that the West has lost its legitimacy due to the violation of international protocol. Mahbabani recommends a return to good internal governance and specifies that some Asian countries are now ready to join the West in becoming “responsible guardians” (pp. 4) of the global order. Similar to mine... half of the document. .....he got married to write the rules of the game, create well-established institutions that are respected by the majority around the world, and that have inspired other countries to follow in his footsteps in pursuit of their own version of the "American Dream". However, the decisions that generated America's prosperity were based on the idea that concessions, responsibility, and investments toward the future were crucial to its subsequent success. As seen in hindsight, somewhere throughout history, this message was heavily influenced by personal gains and short-term gratification. If the United States wants to continue to play a key role, it will have to solve its own internal problems which in turn will and will continue to influence the international community. Military dominance, cultural influence, and innovation cannot sustain themselves in an environment lacking stability and long-term planning.