Insights by Saturday Sanjeev Sanyal, a high-ranking economic advisor in India, have drawn comparisons between the current socio-political landscape in the United States and the palpable tensions that characterized the eve of the American Civil War on April 11, 1861. The latter was a deeply divisive historical event that had far-reaching ramifications, chiefly being the long-fought issue of human slavery. Sanyal voiced these profound remarks during his appearance on X, although he refrained from providing additional context to his statement.
Sanyal’s observations came in the wake of the shocking homicide of Charlie Kirk, a well-ascertained figure in the ultra-conservative circles with a reputation for his zealous endorsement of former US President Donald Trump and active participation in the American far-right movement. Kirk was also recognized for his role as the co-founder of Turning Point USA, an organization famously associated with aggressive conservative advocacy.
The assassination of Charlie Kirk is but a single act in an unsettling trend of growing civil unrest and violence that has gripped the United States. Kirk fell victim to an unidentified assailant’s deadly strike during an event organized by Turning Point USA. The tragic incident transpired while Kirk was in the midst of discussing gun violence, a topic he was prominently known to oppose strongly, on the premises of Utah Valley University.
Despite the ongoing investigation to pinpoint the perpetrator and their motives, former President Trump was swift to assign blame to what he termed as the ‘radical left’, expressing this sentiment on his social media feature, Truth Social. To honor Kirk’s memory, he declared that all flags at the White House would be lowered to half-mast. Ironically, Trump himself has previously been on the receiving end of a politically motivated assassination attempt, with the confirmed shooter found to be a registered supporter of the Republican party.
As an indefatigable advocate of Trump, Charlie Kirk was a key persona within the American far-right sphere. He was part of a generation of political influencers who actively and publicly espoused perspectives considered regressive by many, including anti-feminism, anti-immigration, anti-abortion rights, anti-LGBTQ rights, and opposition to racial civil rights movements.
These far-right actors gained prominence in the 2010s through savvy utilization of online platforms. Influencers such as Kirk and Stephen Crowder frequently made appearances on college campuses to engage and debate with students – interactions that were often meticulously planned to ensure their key talking points were addressed. These engagements were then disseminated on social media, often achieving widespread reach and influence amongst conservative audiences.
Kirk’s outspoken stance on US gun ownership was well-known. He was a vocal critic of gun control, a position that tragically connected to the circumstances surrounding his violent death. The incident also starkly highlights the persistent issue of political violence that is becoming all too familiar within the US.
Statistics from Reuters suggest that the occurrence of politically-associated violence in the US is at an alarming degree, with 300 reported instances between January 6, 2021, and the 2024 presidential election. These numbers represent a high watermark not witnessed since the tumultuous 1970s.
Elected public servants have also found themselves in the crosshairs. For instance, Democratic Minnesota state representatives Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman, alongside their spouses, were tragically murdered in their residences on June 14, 2025. The police subsequently discovered a hit-list in the culprit’s possession that targeted politicians supporting abortion rights.
Besides domestic unrest, the country is also grappling with escalations of federal-state conflicts, the epicenter of which features former President Trump in a tense standoff with the states of California, New York, and Washington. The most glaring illustration of this budding crisis was when Trump took the drastic step of deploying the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles, California, to suppress protest movements against his administration’s hostile immigration measures.
Such actions drew heavy criticism from high-ranking officials, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, who condemned it as a direct ‘assault on democracy’. As a testament to the gravity of the situation, a federal court deemed Trump’s move as an overstep of his legal authority, labeling it as ‘illegal’.
In a separate incident, Trump insinuated threats of withdrawing federal funding from New York. The threat seemed directed at Zohran Mamdani, a widely accepted candidate for the US mayoral elections. Trump appeared to be issuing a veiled warning to Mamdani, hinting at repercussions should he not ‘behave himself’ post-election.
The post Civil Unrest in America: Echoes of the Eve of Civil War appeared first on Real News Now.
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