Ray Dalio Says the U.S. Is Headed Toward ‘Civil War’

Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio has joined a growing group of people who think the U.S. is headed for “some sort of civil war.”

Dalio, writing in a LinkedIn Post Thursday, said that financial problems like high taxes and high inflation combined with a “large wealth and values gap” can lead to “some sort of fighting for control (rather than compromising according to the rules).”

“Suffice it to say that we are seeing most of these things happening in degrees that we’ve never seen in our lifetimes before but have happened many times before that prior to civil wars,” he wrote.

In making the civil war argument, Dalio has joined two authors who have been making waves in the media with their books on the topic: political scientist Barbara Walter (How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them) and essayist Stephen Marche (The Next Civil War: Dispatches from the American Future). A number of political pundits have also opined on the topic following the violent insurrection by supporters of former president Donald Trump at the nation’s Capitol on January 6, 2021, and their continued refusal to respect the peaceful transfer of power following President Biden’s victory.

Dalio said he also covers the topic in his book, Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order, especially his chapter titled “The Big Cycle of Internal Order and Disorder.”

More than other writers on the topic, the hedge fund billionaire looks at the economic conditions that make the U.S. ripe for such an internal conflict. He said that he has looked at “cycles of rises and declines of different historical cases.”

“By most of the measures that I use, the current financial conditions and irreconcilable differences in desires and values are consistent with the ingredients leading to some form of civil war,” he said.

These conditions “are leading to much greater amounts of populism/extremism and conflicts between the right and the left, which is classic,” he added. Other writers on the topic, however, view civil conflict emanating from the right wing in the U.S., which is heavily armed. As Michelle Goldberg wrote recently in the New York Times, “It’s no secret that many on the right are both fantasizing about and planning civil war.”

By NC ScoutPublished On: February 7, 2022Categories: AP Staff, News and Links12 Comments

About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

12 Comments

Peter Franks February 7, 2022 at 14:19

The last time an argument about race could be made was the last slave revolt.

Its always been about class and will continue to be about class. The last thing the gov wants is red pilled blacks and whites united.

The media creates a race narrative but its still class.
no February 7, 2022 at 15:08

More narrative building about how “the right” is going to let loose so that when they unleash Waco 2.0, 3.0, and beyond they can say “See, told you so!”

The question that I have is who is paying attention to these lying f***s anymore. I don’t know a single person who watches TV news or reads newspappers. The few people I know who do try to keep track of what’s going on more than 50 miles from their home all do so via alternative means.
boss21 February 7, 2022 at 15:45

Ray Dalio has been shilling China and ‘America doomed’ since his son got the Michael Hastings treatment. All these fogies who made it big in the dying ponzi are suspect IMHO.
MissileFarmer February 7, 2022 at 16:15

As Michelle Goldberg wrote recently in the New York Times, “It’s no secret that many on the right are both fantasizing about and planning civil war.” – So we are supposed to believe that someone from the NYT actually “knows” people on the right who are fantasizing about and planning civil war? I’m not sure I buy that without it being sourced… and the people that I know who believe this is a possibility, are quietly going about their business… and not talking to NYT reporters.
- NC Scout February 7, 2022 at 17:40
  
  I’m fantasizing about a Nation without them. The irony is that they’re creating the conditions which will make it so.
  
  Fire up the rotors.
Damn Yankee Rebel February 7, 2022 at 18:29

Ya, I call BS on this civil war narrative, yet more fake news propaganda. Low intensity conflict yes, all out civil war WROL NFW. Expect pantifa and fifth column that will spark chaos going into and past 2022 midterms, neither side is going to accept the sElection and result, and add a dose of heavy handed gun control by ATF psychopaths… That’s when it’s going to get spicy.
- NC Scout February 7, 2022 at 18:40
  
  And what is low intensity conflict? What differentiates that from civil war?
  - Johnny Paratrooper February 7, 2022 at 21:44
    
    IIRC, a low intensity conflict is fought over control of the government. A civil conflict seeks to form a new one, or split away from said government.
    - NC Scout February 7, 2022 at 23:16
      
      OK, explain the difference.
Damn Yankee Rebel February 7, 2022 at 22:08

In my view CW2 is all out WROL, state and local gov’t and LE collapses and organized armed factions in open combat. Not seeing that scenario play out anytime soon, even behind blue enemy lines here. Low intensity (i.e. non-sustained) skirmishes i.e. pantifa/BLM riots, maybe pushing out into the suburbs, is likely first phase. Ready for that.
- NC Scout February 7, 2022 at 23:15
  
  You have no idea what you are talking about.
  
  This is why only civilians guided by trained cadre should speak, and discipline should be swift and severe.
  
  Your level of idiocy is outright dangerous.
  - Paul February 8, 2022 at 11:16
    
    Can we get an amen?!