I don't know about a civil war - but I could see anarchy.
On my one and only trip to the states - I felt like it was a Nation of islands - racial and social islands.
It was only then that I realised why they have a National Guard - to protect them from themselves.
If they lose a lot of their police force and the rot begins to breakout - I doubt if the National Guard will be able to hold control.
They might have civil war, but I think there will be too many contesting groups to call it a war - it will probably be more like a Mad Max movie.
I saw enough on one trip - I never want to go back. I feel for them greatly. Personally I know a lot of nice yanks and I am dumbfounded how such a nation has so many wonderful things but just hasn't got it together. They are blinded by their own success - they can't even work out why people don't like them. All they would have to do is to enter their own country with a foreign passport and see how they are treated.
I am hopeful for america - but really I feel it will be touch and go at best - at worst, I don't really want to think about it - their individualism will make it a very very ugly story if it goes pear shaped. The power vacuum that will be left will put the world at great risk. We are probably experiencing that vacuum now, although it might be a little early to write them off yet. If the meltdown starts - the place to watch will not be America - it will be to watch what others are doing. We are living in history as always - but we might just be entering a stage in history that will rival some of the biggest stories of human history - and unfortunately, they have all come down to us with a great deal of pain.
Australia is a good place to be (so is NZ) - keep a bit of gold, plant a garden, build a solid network of friends and neighbours - and sit back and watch. And imo for god's sake don't buy any USA property that you can't bring back here.
