Why The US Map Could Look Radically Different In 15 Years

by Daniel Carter
The United States has been consistently gobbling up new territory for the last 241 years. Ever since the founders declared the 13 colonies independent from Britain, the US has acquired its 50 states through clever land deals and plunder. The current US map does not even include the 16 territories and hundreds of military bases spread throughout the world. With its extreme propensity for growth, the US has undoubtedly amassed the largest empire known to man. However, the US empire has hit its peak and is now unraveling quickly. For more detail on why this is the case, you can read an article I wrote here. The United States’ diminishing power will also diminish its ability to keep its impressive land mass intact.
Maps Are Constantly In Flux
Unbeknownst to many people around the world, maps are constantly being redrawn. Unless you have resided in a volatile region of the world, the chances of you experiencing this phenomenon would be slim. Although maps have been redrawn constantly throughout the history of civilization, the average human life is not long enough to witness it often, if at all. The rise and fall of societies is part of evolution, and evolution is an extremely slow process from the human perspective.
Here is a video showing how the world map has changed over the last 50 centuries:

The video puts into perspective just how drastic and consistent the redrawing of borders has been throughout the history of civilization. The last major change to the world map occurred during the World War II era. This was also the time the British Empire lost a great deal of power through war and economic turmoil. Once an empire loses power, it creates a power vacuum. Other nations rise up to take power, war and social upheaval occur, and borders are ultimately redrawn.
The British Empire was once comprised of 57 colonies, or 25% of the world’s land mass. Now it only consists of 14 small, scattered islands. Once the empire lost power, it was unable to keep control of its colonies. The same fate is very likely for the United States Empire.
Why The US Map Could Be Redrawn
World history has been a series of expanding and contracting societies. Once a society becomes too large and centralized, it eventually destabilizes and comes apart. The destabilization occurs for many reasons. With the US standing in the world declining, they are losing their ability to keep internal and external tensions from tearing the country apart.
The United States is a massive and culturally diverse country. Many Texans have considered themselves a separate entity from the US and have spoken of secession for a long time. The two states separated from the mainland – Alaska and Hawaii – have also spoken of secession for a while. More recently, in response to a fast-growing political divide in the US, California, Washington and Oregon have started secession movements as well.
With such a growing cultural divide in the US, I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one of these states breaks away from the rest of the US. Remember, this scenario would not be an unusual occurrence in the grand scheme of things.
Maps are usually redrawn after intense volatility and violence. Just look at how aggressive the Spanish government is toward the Catalan secession movement. You could also look at how hostile the EU is toward the UK for their Brexit movement. Last time territories tried to secede from the US, the largest war on US soil was fought (Civil War).
When The Map Could Be Redrawn
If civilization continues down the same path that it’s been on for the past 5000 years, we should expect the world map to change drastically this century. We are already beginning to see destabilizing cracks in Europe and the US. Economic historians, William Strauss and Neil Howe, have come up with a theory that may explain when this will occur. In their 1997 book, The Fourth Turning, they explain the four stages (High, Awakening, Unraveling, Crisis) of the historical cycle. The final stage of the cycle is known as a Crisis because it usually culminates in war and social upheaval.
Strauss and Howe conclude that we are currently in the Crisis period, which began with the 2008 financial meltdown. We are scheduled to complete the Crisis in 2029. But first, we will have to face the climax of the Crisis. The last Crisis climaxed with WWII. Strauss and Howe’s theory has been incredibly accurate so far. If the theory holds, we should expect extremely volatile times over the next 10 to 15 years.
Conclusion
Because we are headed down a very tumultuous path, we should not be surprised if the US map is soon redrawn. We should not take our peaceful society for granted. As the video above shows, societies are constantly expanding and contracting. With the extreme political divide in the US, it is looking more likely that the US may split apart. Stay alert on how the secession movements develop in the US. Unfortunately, they could create a very dangerous environment.