Pondering the Idea of American Balkanization

What happens if the national cookie crumbles is dicey at best

The idea of a future break-up of America into several separate nation-states has been a popular subject explored through multiple fictional depictions in novels and cinema. Whether a result of a catastrophic war, or irreconcilable political differences, the imagined outcomes give the audience a vision of this balkanized America in the comfort of a movie theater or their favorite reading chair.

The usual historical example is, of course, the American Civil war that briefly created two nations within the continental USA. What is interesting is that the separatist tendency is woven into the fabric of America throughout her history, even while the bonds of overall attachment remained. Looking at the makeup of the original 13 colonies that eventually turned into states and one can see the tangible marks of identity that created them. Books such as “American Nations” and “Albion’s Seed” nicely lay out the regional cultures and how they came about.

Aside from the American Civil War, a common theme for most ideas of reorganizing state lines have maintained the idea of still being part of a united country overall. America is, and has been self-sorting for a long time based on culture and ways of life. From where people decide to live, to the laws and policies enacted at the local level. In the modern era, this effort to mini-balkanize is alive and well when you look at examples of Oregon counties trying to join Idaho, or the over 200 proposals that have been put forth to divvy up California since 1850. And it must be mentioned the almost fierce pride many Texans have when they declare the state could be its own nation.

The 21^st century has brought the prospect of dissolving national ties and setting off on new paths and (separate) national destinies closer to a reality. Too many in the Right-wing sphere (and the Left as well) seem to relish the thought of a national schism, thinking this will be the “good” ending to the miasma that haunts the national psyche. This outcome gets described as the eventual result and treated like a silver-bullet solution the problems of 21^st century America divided by competing ideological visions, diversity, and corrupted beyond repair.

The most scientific method available, the X/Twitter poll believes it is in the realm of possibilities.

But what would the division actually look like? Questions of what happens after a national split regarding resources, economics, and the stark reality of just how fragile modern civilization is, are mostly papered over by the accelerationists’. The interdependency of systems becomes an afterthought.

The “Burn it all down” war cry may get clicks and clout online, but tracing the logical outcomes of a break-up leads to a number of disturbing results. A cataclysmic splitting of the nation into 2-3, or even more semi-autonomous nation-states is not the silver-bullet solution many think it would be.

It’s much easier for those who yearn for a breakup of the USA to skip the inconvenient details that get in the way to their idea of BasedWorld™️ or those with opposite versions of an imagined socialist utopia.

I discuss the question of a national divorce and more with The Wandering Panda in the link below. Leave a comment and tell me your predictions on the possibility and consequences of a fractured America.