The role of the West has changed dramatically over the centuries. Our world domination is now in the balance and we must all decide whether to join the fight or flight. “America faces many challenges…but the enemy I fear most is complacency. We are about to be hit with the full force of global competition… We must now establish a sense of urgency.” There are two culprits that can be attributed to the US's complacent attitude and slow decline: China and India. These two countries are surpassing us in terms of economic success, global competitiveness and education. First, the United States is noticeably confused regarding real gross domestic product, which was demonstrated in our gross domestic product data for the third quarter of 2013. The economy grew 2.8% at a pace annualized in the third quarter, accelerating from the second quarter's 2.5% growth pace and coming in well above consensus estimates for 2.0%. This is where I have to agree with the educator above when he says, “Now we need to establish a sense of urgency.”1 Yes, we look at the numbers and the word acceleration jumps out. Everyone's sense of urgency immediately deflates a little because the numbers give them a warm feeling of reassurance. As a fellow American, I can understand that seeing those numbers and thinking we're okay, America will find a way back. This thought of being satisfied with the way things are and not trying to improve them is why we are left behind. At the bottom of the article it becomes apparent why so many see these numbers and feel a false sense of hope, only to discover the truth later. "This GDP report is expected to be more preliminary than usual due to the government shutdown and resulting delays in data... half of document... 2013. .Riley, Charles and Sophia Yan. "China GDP hits 7, 8% due to credit concerns." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, October 17, 2013. Web. November 15, 2013. "At 4.8%, Q4 GDP better than Q3; The road to recovery may be gradual." - Indian Express. ENS Economic Bureau, 01 June 2013. Web. 15 November 2013. .McCormick, John. "Child poverty remains high as US income stagnates." Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, September 18, 2013. Web. November 15, 2013. Kennedy, John F. BrainyQuote, nd Web. 2013. .