I seriously think we are seeing the beginning of America seperating into two or three countries.

[SnohoDem]

307. 100 - 150 years is a very long time.

Thinking shorter term, say 10 -25 years, I really don't see it happening without some huge resource issues being the biggest deciding factor - something like some region is doing so much better than the rest of the country that the citizens of that area put aside other political differences and band together to protect themselves from the 'outsiders'.

Demographics will take care of some of it. The country is slowly growing more diverse, not less. We live all over and have family all over and regional identities are probably less strong than they were in the mid 1800s.

As has been pointed out, although we see regional divides, they're not as definitive as they look at first glance.

Given the pervasiveness of the surveillance and security state of America, some region being able to plan and execute an armed rebellion looks almost impossible.

I do see the likelihood of very serious civil unrest over the next 10 -25 years if we don't make some major changes. If enough people fall out of the middle class, and become desperate enough, we could see some real trouble. Think French Revolution more than American Civil War. Global warming, if it continues to worsen as fast as it looks like it might, would put additional pressure on the population as crops fail and certain areas become dustbowls and people move from those areas to others, looking for work and food.

Thanks for the OP. It prompted me to re-read 'Ecotopia' for the first time in about 35 years.