Will the U.S. end up becoming a cleft country?

[Anime Daisuki]

Debate: Will the U.S. become a cleft country in 50 years?

Please read the following article first before giving your opinion, from pages 125 to 130.

tinyurl.com/23nagd2

"Cleft Country" is a term coined by political scientist Dr. Samuel Huntington in his seminal work "The clash of civilizations and the remaking of world order". As the term implies, a "cleft country" is split culturally because they contain large groups of people identifying with separate civilizations. Examples include India ("cleft" between its Hindu majority and large Muslim minority), Ukraine ("cleft" between its Eastern Rite Catholic-dominated western section and its Orthodox-dominated east), France (cleft between Sub-Saharan African, in the case of French Guiana; and the West), Benin, Chad, Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan, etc.

(It is interesting to note that this has been discussed in Congress tinyurl.com/26nkxxz)

[Takaram]

I don't think so. This country has withstood more divisive eras (Civil War...). The current political unrest is actually a rather healthy thing. If men with guns start taking to the streets, I'll be worried. Right now, I see democracy in action.

[Anime Daisuki]

I don't think you read the article Tak... The Civil War, the red-blue states, all those are political divisions. Political divisions can heal over time, much like eastern-western Germany could unite. We are talking about the divisions along civilizational lines in the coming decades. Divisions along race/language and civilizational lines are permanent, like Ukraine's and Tibet/China's. They don't go away.

The US so far--- I say so far, because since its founding, has always been part of the western civilization. Even though it is made up of immigrants, these immigrants had always "melted" into the melting pot and adopted the native customs (such as thanks giving) and adopted English as their first language. But in the coming decades, the population make up of the US is going to undergo a dramatic change. The Hispanic population is going to grow 3 times its current size by 2050. Many whites will become a minority in the southern states for the first time in the nation's history. The question is, how are they/you going to handle it (I think the Tea Party phenomenon already gives a good indication of things to come) ... and if the US will "divide" along civilizational lines.

I am a minority myself, and I am a urban planner so this is something I find very interesting. Demographic change and how it affects politics and policies.

[Takaram]

Sorry, missed the article thing. I'm rather tired... as always.

EDIT: Anyway, after having read the article, I'm somewhat torn. On a personal level, my own heritage isn't that important to me. After I get past my grandparents, my own family history is an interesting bit of knowledge, not a source of pride. However, I know many people who find their own family heritage to be extremely important. While I would personally hope that we find a way to remain unified as a nation, it appears that things will not go quite in that direction at the moment.

[Walabamba]

I believe that given 40 to 50 years as the article states, the US will be almost "overcome" with diversity. The reason I say overcome is that I believe that the different nationalities/religions will collide in such a way that am sure will have an incredibly negative effect in the US. It seems to me that the US is not going to be able to accept that many new people being voted into politics whether as Senators or even presidents. Who knows,might even have a totally different effect, there will be a younger generation and who knows what they might decide to do with the country.