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The United States and its democratic allies face serious, and possibly existential, challenges that appear in three manifestations: external, internal, and technological. First, the democracies collectively face a rising group of authoritarian nations loosely centered around China, which seek economic and technological supremacy in the coming century. Internally, the United States and others face lasting economic dissatisfaction and inequality, which has grown since the 2000s, creating a dangerous and widespread sense of polarization, resentment, and distrust. Everywhere there is anger rooted in resentment, the rocket fuel of contemporary politics. And lastly, and the hardest challenge to understand, is the rise of major technology platforms rivaling the power of nation-states, which seems to aid and abet the other challenges. The platforms, coupled with artificial intelligence abilities, seem unstoppable in their acquisition of information, attention, and other intangible assets. They have stoked new fears of humanity losing control over its future.