The United States may be on the verge of a civil war which many in the country believe is inevitable or even necessary. So says Mark Fisher, senior editor of The Washington Post, in a column published in the Sunday print edition.
The United States may be on the brink of a civil war that many in the country believe is inevitable or even necessary. This was the opinion of Mark Fisher, senior editor of The Washington Post, in a column published in the Sunday print edition.
The journalist discussed the issue with a number of experts. In his view, “it is easy and logical to conclude that the United States is as close to starting a civil war today as it has been since 1861” (The US Civil War between the North and the South took place between 1861 and 1865).
“A wide diversity of opinion – including politicians from the Democratic and Republican parties, scholars who study civil wars, and extremists on both sides – now agree on the idea that a civil war is either inevitable or necessary,” Fisher noted.
Among the reasons, he continued, “they point to evidence that may seem compelling: a wave of threats against FBI agents, judges, elected officials … camps where well-armed radicals train to confront their own government; polls showing that many Americans expect violent conflict.”
The continued rise of extremism and provocative rhetoric from political opponents, according to the journalist, indicate that the country is unlikely to avoid conflict. The statements by right-wing extremists, “alarming alerts in the mainstream media, a wave of threats and attacks” following the FBI search of former US President Donald Trump’s Florida estate – “all are nothing more than a frightening prospect of civil war”, says the publication’s editor. Fischer also draws attention to the “loss of trust in authorities, a sense of community and hope” among American citizens, who have recently started buying more firearms.
He cites a number of experts who believe that the current situation confirms “the inevitability of a hot civil war – with bombings, assassinations, attacks on federal institutions and officials.” Other analysts believe that there will be no civil war, but that the number of attacks on government officials by individual radicals and small extremist groups will increase. But everybody agrees that “the likelihood of an organised, armed assault on the government or of local or state authorities picking up weapons and going against their federal counterparts is low.”
Nevertheless, Fischer notes, “there is still sharp disagreement over whether a growing series of … attacks could lead to a military conflict that would destabilise the country”. At the same time, he himself believes that it is now “difficult to imagine a civil war emerging out of the current confusion”, but admits its possibility.