Is America’s obsession with outcompeting China destroying democracy from within? In The Rivalry Peril, Van Jackson and Michael Brenes argue that great power competition is a dangerous choice fueling domestic division and economic inequality. By debunking Cold War myths, the authors expose how a permanent war economy empowers demagogues while threatening global stability. This provocative book offers a vital warning: the quest for global dominance may ultimately destroy the very freedom we claim to defend.