My Forthcoming Publius Review of Christopher Zurn, "Splitsville, USA: A Democratic Argument for Breaking Up the United States"

The book argues democracy can be preserved and improved by breaking up the United States into two or more new nations.

(Routledge)

My forthcoming review of Christopher Zurn's book, Splitsville, USA: A Democratic Argument for Breaking Up the United States is now available on SSRN. It will be published in Publius: The Journal of Federalism. Here is the abstract:

The US political system has been suffering from multiple serious problems, most notably severe polarization and weakening of crucial political norms underpinning democracy. In Splitsville USA, political philosopher Christopher Zurn advocates a radical solution: national divorce. He contends that Americans will be better off if the United States were divided up into two or more new nations. The book is a useful thought experiment and will surely help stimulate debate. But ultimately, Zurn's proposed remedy is unconvincing. The author overstates the feasibility and effectiveness of peaceful dissolution, while undervaluing those of some potential alternatives, most notably decentralization and limitation of government power. Splitsville also fails to convincingly address a number of potential negative effects of dissolution, particularly the threat to dissenting minorities within the new nations, and the impact on the international system.

As noted in the review, the fact this book was written by a serious scholar and is getting respectful attention is a notable sign of the times. A decade or two ago, calls for breaking up the United States were far more unthinkable than is the case today. It is also notable that, while arguments for breakup and secession are often associated with the political right, Zurn is a progressive.

In my own writings on these issues, I have argued that secession should be a more easily available option than is the case in most political systems today, but also that the flaws in American democracy are better addressed by other means, including by limiting and decentralizing government power, and otherwise empowering people to "vote with their feet."