Hypothetically, what if the west coast decided to secede from the Union?
Let’s realistically reflect on what would actually be in the event, why it would happen, and how the US would react.
The states have been in unrest for months now as the West Coast are considered blue, or liberal, states. Trump’s actions have made the citizens unhappy, and they feel neglected. None of the new actions ahve actually really profited the states.
So, they would naturally leave, right?
Right off the bat, the US would be furious. There isn’t any legal way to secede the union, so the US would immediately declare war on the newly fledged country to bring the runaway states back. Let’s call them Cascadia.
Our Cascadia wouldn’t receive much help from other countries, due to fear that the US would turn their sights on them. Since the USA is a global superpower, getting on their bad side by allying with runaway territory is a one-way ticket to declaring war.
While the GPA of the west coast is strong, due to California alone being 7th in the world (if it was an independent country) and being the #1 leading force in active-duty military personnel in the States, with more than 200,000 last reported in 2022, it wouldn’t stand much of a chance alone.
Washington ranks 6th with more than 50,000 active military members in the state, not including the 6 active-duty military installations and amazing naval capabilities. WA used to be a center for innovation, but now also focuses on tourism, gaining a 72-billion-dollar budget in recent years.
Oregon is… Oregon.
I’m just kidding. While Oregon lacks in the military or GDP business, it attracts tourists with it’s foggy shoreline and natural beauty. It has 14.3 billion dollar tourist revenue every year and could contribute as fodder and resource generation.
Cascadian terrain is mixed. The mountains create a well-fortified wall to block the rest of the states, and the eastern side is hotter and drier, much more flat than it’s west counterpart. It could easily sustain itself, considering most of the states thrive on clean power and grow their own crops in orchards. Not to mention the overabundance of wine.
Our little micronation is strong, but not strong enough to fend off the USA without military aid. Other countries that have had bad blood with the USA might be inclined to help, such as Russia or China, but even those other countries know it isn’t a good idea.
You may be asking: “Why doesn’t the USA let Cascadia go willingly?”
Well, we previously mentioned it’s illegal to secede. Washington and California are donor states, which means that they give more money than they get. The US government needs them for money, and states seceding is a sign of weakness and gives the other unrestful states a reason to say: “Why can’t we do that?”
You can imagine how that isn’t helpful to our nation’s image.
While there has been a hum of west coast states leaving the union in real life, it’s probably not going to be acted in such a fashion as what we’ve conversed here. A popular idea was to split the coast for Mexico and Canada, but leaving the union is a plan only for the dreamers.
