How close is America to fracturing? Author of “How Civil Wars Start” explains

People identify very differently depending on which political party they vote for. Liberals are more likely to live in cities, to be agnostic or atheist, and to have non-white friends. Conservatives tends to be whiter, more religious and live in more rural areas.

We know these divisions and factions have caused divisiveness and gridlock in Congress, but how far does the division really go? We know that this country could break apart — it has before. But will it again? And if it did, how would we know? What are the warning signs?

“The white supremacists believe that the United States is a white, Christian nation. And they believe that it’s their right to fight to keep the United States a white, Christian nation. That’s going to be very difficult to do at the national level but in some states like Michigan they may be able to accomplish it.” — Barbara Walter, author of “How Civil Wars Start and How to Stop Them”

Listen: The possibility of civil war in America — and what it would look like.

Guest

Barbara Walter is a professor at the University of California-San Diego and an expert on civil wars and violent extremism. Her new book is “How Civil Wars Start and How to Stop Them.” She says initially things would change at the state level, particularly with state legislators moving further to the right than the general population, and local white supremacist militias popping up in rural areas.

“The white supremacists believe that the United States is a white, Christian nation,” says Walter. “And they believe that it’s their right to fight to keep the United States a white, Christian nation. That’s going to be very difficult to do at the national level but in some states like Michigan they may be able to accomplish it.”