America’s Last Days
The Finale of Empire USA
Peter LauferA provocative examination of whether the United States can remain united
As the United States moves beyond its 250th anniversary, questions about national identity, political cohesion and the future of the republic have become increasingly urgent. America’s Last Days argues that the tensions present since the nation’s founding have deepened into a profound crisis of unity. Tracing the historical forces that shaped the United States, Peter Laufer examines contemporary divisions rooted in politics, economics, culture, immigration and regional identity. Drawing on primary sources and original reporting, this book considers secession movements, border realignment proposals and growing challenges to the idea of a shared American project. Provocative and wide-ranging, it asks whether the United States can endure in its current form, or whether a different political future may emerge from its longstanding divisions and radical contemporary schisms.
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A necessary read for anyone who wonders whether America can survive the turmoils that threaten to tear it apart.
'F. H. Buckley, author of American Secession: The Looming Threat of a National Breakup
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A fascinating journey through the history and present-day reality of the USA. Peter Laufer brings his international experience, storytelling ability, and vibrant writing skills to assess a ‘split and suspicious nation.’ He has travelled the country and interviewed people across the political, social, and geographical divides to describe the fragmentation of the national community. America’s Last Days is a wonderfully engaging description of a troubled nation and perhaps the end of the American Empire.
'John Rennie Short, author of Insurrection: What the January 6 Assault on the Capitol Reveals about America and Democracy
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Vivid writing brings alive Peter Laufer’s unconventional argument that America is imploding. He applies historic and little-known references to support his sobering look toward his country’s near future.
'Markos Kounalakis, author and scholar, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Introduction: What’s Next for These Supposedly United States?
Chapter One: The Failing Nation
Chapter Two: Media America
Chapter Three: Never Was United, the States
Chapter Four: Built with Dollars and Bullets
Chapter Five: God Salve America
Chapter Six: Americans on the Couch
Chapter Seven: Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover
Chapter Eight: Separatists from Coast to Coast
Chapter Nine: Alternative Nation Building
Chapter Ten: The Mediated Endgame
Chapter Eleven: Trump’s Call to Federal Arms Leads to Soft Secession
Chapter Twelve: Puerto Rico or Guam as the First Secession Dominos
Epilogue
References
Acknowledgments
Photo Acknowledgments
Index
Peter Laufer is a former award-winning correspondent for NBC News and holds the inaugural James Wallace Chair in Journalism at the University of Oregon. His books include Up Against the Wall (2020) and We Are All Americans (2026).