Richard Haass has spent four decades in Washington advising presidents, representing the U.S. abroad, and warning Congress about global threats. But these days, the veteran diplomat says the most dangerous crisis facing America isn’t coming from Russia, China, or the Middle East.

It’s coming from inside the country: the ugly, festering $38 trillion national debt he says is undermining U.S. strength.

“You feel a little bit like Paul Revere—except instead of the British coming, the crisis is coming,” Haass told Fortune in an exclusive interview. “It’s a slow-motion crisis. We’re already paying a significant price.”

Haass, the former president of the Council on Foreign Relations and a longtime national security official, is one of several experts contributing to a new series of debt-f

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