In the book, Zakaria argues that, thanks to the actions of the United States in spreading liberal democracy across the world, other countries are now competing with the US in terms of economic, industrial, and cultural power.

At the time of publication author Fareed Zakaria was a 48-year-old married man living in New York City and working as an editor for Newsweek International.

Zakaria believes that international organizations are not adapting well to emerging challenges and that there is too much focus on problems arising from potential market failures or general crises (e.g. terrorism) at the expense of focus on problems stemming from success (e.g. development causing environmental degradation, or rising demand creating high commodity prices).

Power shifted to the West because it fostered trade with foreign peoples and developed superior labor productivity per capita.

Zakaria argues that the success of the US in promoting free market capitalism and globalization has led to power being dispersed to several other countries.

Contrasted to China, India has a bottom-up democratic political system constantly subject to social unrest with only a few politicians losing elections.

Zakaria defends the US from indicators that suggest American decline but warns that internal partisan politics, domestic ideological attack groups, special interest power, and a sensationalistic media are weakening the federal government's ability to adapt to new global realities.

[10] The review in American Conservative compared this book with Rudyard Kipling's poems "Recessional" and "The White Man's Burden", both written at the height of British power and warning against imperial hubris.

[11] The American Spectator review listed it as adding to similar themed books, comparing it to Oswald Spengler's The Decline of the West (1918), Arnold Toynbee's A Study of History, Paul Kennedy's The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers (1987), and Robert Kagan's The Return of History and the End of Dreams (2008).

[7] The Commentary review added the works of Samuel P. Huntington and Francis Fukuyama to the list of comparisons and suggested there is now a subgenre of books that consider the decline or demise of American hegemony.

A review in Publishers Weekly said that Zakaria's narration, with his light Indian accent and deliberate pacing, creates a sense of ease and allows for listeners to appreciate and understand the content.

[26][27][28][29][30] The review in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called it a "succinct, short and comprehensible volume...full of sharp, almost aphoristic, amusing observations".

[32] The reviewers in Policy and Economic Affairs identified Zakaria's strengths as being the breadth of evidence used to support the points and his use of personal accounts to summarize the research.

[33] The ability to communicate complex situations clearly in plain language made the book accessible to a wide range of readers.

In a review published in The Progressive, Johann Hari called Zakaria's assertions Thatcherist referring to the belief that there is no alternative to globalization and free market capitalism.

[43][44] Vlahos likened Zakaria to a courtier mirroring back the ruling narrative to meet the global elite's emotional needs.

[3] Errors concerning characterization of Buddhism as Indian religion and Buddha's birthplace as India rather than Lumbini resulted in Nepali politicians demanding an apology from Zakaria or a printed correction.