Around 7 years ago....I spent a fair amount of time reading over the 1800 to 1860 period....to include the pioneer era....failed banks in the south....labor required for commerce....the Dem's versus Republicans, and the dividing points.
Today....the United States in 2026 is experiencing profound divisions, with some observers drawing parallels to pre-Civil War tensions or even suggesting the early stages of internal conflict.
The problem is....risks. You start risks....without correcting them....you start finding fewer solutions.
Listed below are 10 ways in which the U.S. appears to exhibit civil war-like dynamics, based on current analyses, polls, and events.
1. Political Polarization and Sectionalism: Divisions between "red" and "blue" states mirror the sectionalism of the 1850s, with various states clashing with federal authorities over policies such as immigration enforcement, leading to 'plays' that evoke historical North-South rifts.
(I should note here....50-percent of this Minnesota problem appears to be massive fraud...into the billions....which no state law official seems interested in).
2. Widespread Public Expectation of Conflict: Polls show that about half of Americans expect a second civil war in the coming years, fueled by disillusionment with institutions in DC 'fixing' the wrongs.
3. Escalating Political Violence and Assassinations: High-profile incidents, such as the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk....attempted shooting of Trump....have spiked discussions of "civil war" on social media, with targeted attacks on political figures and their supporters indicating a shift toward normalized violence.
4. Clashes Between Federal and State Forces: In Minnesota, the ICE, DoJ and FBI....are dragged into a mess....with unlawful violence as a daily problem.
Adding to this....National Guard deployments could possibly result in direct confrontations, resembling simulations of civil unrest where state and federal troops face off.
5. Threats of Extraordinary Presidential Powers: Discussions around invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy federal military against state resistance, as in potential Minnesota scenarios...sound 1850ish.
6. Social Media-Driven Cycles of Retaliation: Platforms supply the public a chance to hype with inflammatory rhetoric leading to sporadic attacks, such as shootings motivated by political grievances over immigration or ideology.
7. Disaffection Among Disenfranchised Groups: Young men and other demographics feeling alienated are increasingly involved in political violence, from synagogue shootings tied to anti-immigrant sentiments to plans targeting Democrats and journalists, signaling broader societal fractures.
8. Potential for Military Fractures: There are various scenarios which suggest the U.S. military could split along loyalty lines if ordered to intervene domestically, with soldiers refusing commands or creating internal conflicts, akin to civil war dynamics.
9. Creation of No-Go or Hyper-Partisan Zones: Discussions of areas becoming off-limits due to partisan control, similar to Northern Ireland's Troubles, where communities self-segregate and enforce ideological boundaries through informal militias or local resistance.
10. Finally....Rhetoric and Simulations Predicting Breakdown: Expert simulations and analyses, including those from universities, highlight risks of "green-on-green" violence (federal vs. state forces) and constitutional collapse, with current events like federal deployments in states amplifying fears of systemic failure.
