Originally Posted by
Medium9
I never thought about a split up USA. Could lead to some rather tense relationships on the continent itself, something the US hasn't really had to deal with a lot.
What I mean is: If the divide was made by political leaning, there will probably be an aggressor left. The part of the US that already is "pro-world-interventions" (also known as "give me your oil"). With such a player, the other states would need to employ military protection, and you could end up having a mini-cold-war, or at least a mexican standoff (pun intended) situation.
Thus while the citizens of each state after a break up would be more content with their own political landscape, the overall situation could be quite unstable. Also the economic issues. Sure, some very extensive trade treaties would surely be made in the process of breaking up, but I can already see states sanctioning each other, or at least place laws in unexpected corners the treaties didn't cover to fuck each other over, in an attempt to make the others more dependant, to ultimately gain the overall rulership again - be it only implicitly through power plays.
As a European, this could be very entertaining to watch. And it would probably lead to enough internal quarrels that the US would finally fade from the "world-police" duty it sees itself in. But for any American, I think such a "solution" would be a straight path to much darker times.
The US should rather fix its terrible education system and upgrade infrastructure in the more rural parts, and overall seek to be a leader of cutting edge technology they once were. Economic stability and an educated population are THE best two ways towards a peacefull nation.