Most of us know that America is one of, if not the most influential country in the world today. We are also the richest and most powerful. But as the Roman and Greek empires showed us, these nations generally cannot remain in this position forever. So, assuming this is our destiny, when will it happen? When will we stop being “on top of the world”? Bob Herbert and Alan W. Dowd provide their own answers on the question. Bob Herbert, columnist and journalism professor, wrote about America's current situation in "A Fire in the Basement," an introduction to a collection of his editorials, Promises. Betrayed: Waking Up from the American Dream (2005). The “fire” he’s referring to is the idea that America is collapsing from within, and we’re not even aware of it. It suggests that our current state as a world power is in decline and that it is not terrorists we should be worried about. Rather, he provides examples showing that this decline will be the result of growing inequality, irrationality, and loss of hope within our nation. He says: “It's not that life in America was better in the 1960s. It wasn't. But it seemed to be going in a better direction” (396). In other words, we have lost a crucial part of what made us a great nation in the first place. If we do not regain this hope and spirit of determination soon, we may be headed for a supporting role on the world stage. In Alan W. Dowd's "The Decline and Fall of Declinism" in The American, he contradicts what Herbert says by asserting that the United States is in great shape. He coins the term "declinism" to describe similar theories about America's fall that have been heard in recent decades. "But the declinists were wrong yesterday," he concludes, "And so their middle of paper... America leads the global economy and influences countries in every corner of the world. However, it does not does not view the situation as realistically as it could. It does not mention the many unemployed people or the corruption that reigns among those in power. In summary, both articles make good points, even if they do not. tell only part of the story I think the United States should pay more attention to what's happening inside the country before trying to solve too many problems outside. time, we should not feel like the end of the world will soon be upon us. Even though America's days as a world power are numbered, our country will continue to exist. We can lead by example. old powers like Britain and Greece, see how they survived, and we can take comfort in the fact that, for now, our position on the face does not appear to be changing any time soon...