Articles:
February 2021
Christian Nationalism and the New Civil War
Jim Lafferty, LA Progresive - February 22
The insurrection of January 6th and the growing number of smaller yet still violent uprisings around America make clear that a new civil war is brewing and that Christian nationalism is leading the charge. As Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry write in their book, "Taking America Back for God," Christian nationalism contends that America has been and should always be distinctly “Christian” from top to bottom—in its...
America's cold civl war weakens its posture in the new cold war with China
Mark Gongloff, Bloomberg - February 22
The cold civil war perpetuated by the GOP's refusal to break with Trump after his insurrection on January 6th places the US in a critically weak position with regard to China in our new cold war. Republicans must break with Trump, and Democrats can help, but it will require more hustle than they are currently displaying.
The GOP is a monster out of control
Jeff Taylor, Street Sense Media - February 26
We did not reach the boiling point of a second civil war on January 6th by Trump alone. The seeds were planted years ago by racists in the Nixon and Reagan eras. When the nation elected its first black president, Republicans on talk radio, FOX News, and major donors all contributed to the toxicity the GOP has created in the country. Long-time donors like Charles Koch are now regretting involvement with the GOP...
America Is Not As Divided As The Parties Want You To Think
Shawn Griffiths, IVN Network - February 19
The national narrative would have us believe that America is on the brink, but this is a perception forced on the population in the zero-sum contest between the Republican and Democratic Parties. The truth is, America is not as divided as the parties would have you think.
Seeing Red and Feeling Blue: America’s Rotten National Mood
Lance Morrow, Wall Street Journal - February 20
Injury can bring a country together. But this is a compound fracture to the national psyche.
A worried world wonders if America's days are over
Joseph R. Detrani, The Hill - February 18
Our adversaries are gleeful, and our allies and partners are despondent. The media in China, Russia and Iran talk of a second civil war in the U.S. and of the chaos of democracy compared to the strength of a one-party state. We must regain a sense of unity domestically so we can present a united front to our enemies abroad.
A Second Civil War?
Winslow Myers, LA Progressive - February 14
Americans are divided on so many issues right now. But are they worth the agony and futility of a second Civil War? Are we wholly defined merely by our opinions? Can't we all just come together?
Bernstein: Trump "Most Evil Force In The White House We Have Ever Seen"
Ian Schwartz, RealClearPolitics - February 11
In a recent interview with CNN, journalist Carl Bernstein called former President Trump worse than Richard Nixon. Bernstein also spoke of an ongoing "Cold Civil War" in the United States and that Trump poured gasoline and stoked a fire. "Look, we have been in a Cold Civil Warr for a good long time in this country," Bernstein said. "Donald Trump poured the flames on that Cold Civil War and ignited it. And now the Republicans ...
The Problem Isn’t Just One Insurrection. It’s Mass Radicalization.
Zack Stanton, Politico - February 11
The Capitol riot was likely just the tip of an iceberg; nobody knows how many Americans – tens of thousands? more? – would have willingly joined them if they’d been in Washington that day. It’s a new challenge for America, and a serious one. At times and places when large groups of people have been inspired to embrace violence, it often leads to long-term unrest, if not outright civil war. And right now, experts think...
No more hiding in plain sight for domestic extremists and white supremacists
Charles Marino, The Hill - February 10
Over the last four years, it has become more apparent than ever that the United States is at war with itself. Certain extreme Right-wing groups espousing white supremacy have been allowed to exist and recruit openly. The consequences of this license was on full display on January 6th. Unless we want to see these group grow to the point where they throw the whole country into civil war, we must act now ...
#StopTheSteal: Timeline of Social Media and Extremist Activities Leading to 1/6 Insurrection
Atlantic Council's DFRLab, Just Security - February 10
The assault that unfolded as Congress convened a joint session to certify the victory of Joe Biden in the 2020 election was the direct result of a months-long effort rooted in disinformation; promoted by President Donald Trump; coordinated by some of his most fervent, conspiratorial supporters; and incorporating a wide range of supporting groups. Here is the evidence.
Impeachment Could Bring About A Second Civil War
Amanda Terkel, Huffington Post - February 9
David Schoen, one of lawyers defending Donald Trump against impeachment charges, warned senators on Tuesday that convicting the former president could bring about a second civil war. Schoen’s comments are a chilling warning to senators ― and they’re right out of the Trump playbook.
Americans Shouldn't Be Treated Like ISIS Insurgents
J. D. Tuccille, Reason - February 5
Members of the political class are buying into burgeoning fantasies about a second civil war, indulging visions about sparring with parts of their own subject populations. Adopting "counterinsurgency" tactics for use against wide swaths of Americans can only make the situation worse. Officialdom seems dead set on fanning the sparks of existing political strife into something resembling a national house fire.
Make the United States Plural Again
J. B. Shurk, American Thinker - February 4
The only way to prevent our cold civil war from turning hot is to adopt the understanding that America is a collection of 50 states, not a single nation. Before the Civil War, most Americans understand the American union in this way, and ever since, Washington D.C. has become a centralizing monster, hubristically trying to force a single understanding of government on nearly an entire continent.
Fault Line of the New American Civil War
Sandro Moiso, The Brooklyn Rail - February 1
The Left should seek to understand the nature of the division in the U.S. in materialist terms. This perspective reveals that, although a cursory glimpse would make a Leftist think that Progressive sympathies should lie with the industrial working class that is now supporting Trump, a deeper look shows that the new proletariat are those in the class and races connected to the digital economy who largely support Biden.
Americans’ Lack Of Trust In Each Other Is Getting Dangerous
Mike Gonzalez, The Heritage Foundation - February 2
One of the flashing insights the country should have was that the centripetal forces that used to keep America united lie exhausted or are no longer existent. This makes our current “regime politics”—our deep existential disagreement about how the country should be constituted—dangerously unstable.
Can Biden’s ‘Unity’ Really Save Us from Civil War?
Stephen Marche and Andrew Keen, Literary Hub - February 1
Andrew is joined by Stephen Marche, author of ”America’s Next Civil War,” to discuss President Biden’s potential to bring peace to America and what major obstacles to diplomacy exist in the country today. In the wake of Biden’s inauguration, is another civil war impending?
Is Another Civil War Likely? Historian at Heritage Panel Says ‘No,’ but We Should Be Concerned
Jarrett Stepman, The Daily Signal - February 1
Historian and Civil War expert Allen Guelzo, a visiting scholar at The Heritage Foundation, spoke on a virtual Heritage panel discussion, “Another Civil War? The Struggle Over the Meaning of America,” on Tuesday about what a civil war would mean in modern America, and offered his assessment of how likely one is in the next few years. Guelzo said that civil war is not a topic to take lightly, explaining that another civil war would be...
Paul Gosar Allegedly Met With Oath Keepers and Said the U.S. is in a Civil War
Josh Kelety, Phoenix New Times - February 1
A member of the Yavapai County chapter of the Oath Keepers, an extremist right-wing militia group that was involved in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, claimed in a recent YouTube video that Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar met with them and said that the U.S. is in a civil war.
When Trump started his speech before the Capitol riot, talk on Parler turned to civil war
Aleszu Bajak, Jessica Guynn, and Mitchell Thorson, USA Today - February 1
Text analysis shows calls for civil war intensified on the right-leaning social media app Parler as Trump urged his followers to march on the Capitol.