The Next Civil War, Mark Carney's Davos Speech, & Canada's View of the US - Stephen Marche | RR #21

The Next Civil War, Mark Carney's Davos Speech, & Canada's View of the US - Stephen Marche | RR #21

From Urgent Futures with Jesse Damiani by Jesse Damiani

February 19, 2026 · 1h 31m

About this episode

Stephen Marche discusses his book 'The Next Civil War' and explores the implications of his research on American society.

My guest this week is Stephen Marche. Stephen is the author of The Next Civil War and On Writing and Failure . He frequently experiments with literary AI. Support the show by checking out: ProtonVPN (gold-standard VPN—fast and safe. Click the link to get 55% off VPN Plus: $4.49/mo). ZBiotics (Decrease impact of hangovers. Code: JESSEDAMIANI for 10% off), MUD\WTR (43% off starter kits), 1Password (simplify your life and increase digital safety), Mission Farms CBD (healthy, effective CBD for relief, sleep, and wellbeing—25% off with email). That modest bio doesn’t do justice to Stephen’s extensive writing and public intellectualism across culture, politics, and technology. We’ve been connected for a few years because of his early experiments with AI in writing—and as you’ll hear in the episode, he actually holds a number of historical firsts in this regard. In 2022, he published The Next Civil War , a book that is exactly what it sounds like: speculative scenarios rooted in rigorous research—including roughly 200 interviews with subject matter experts—about how the next American Civil War might transpire. It’s a bracing read, and unfortunately, much of what he put in that book is…

People in this episode

Host: Jesse Damiani

Guest: Stephen Marche

Topics covered

  • civil war
  • literary AI
  • Canada
  • US politics
  • speculative scenarios
  • cultural commentary

Keywords

  • civil war
  • Stephen Marche
  • literary AI
  • Canada
  • US politics
  • speculative scenarios
  • Jesse Damiani

Sponsors

ProtonVPN, ZBiotics, MUD, 1Password, Mission Farms CBD

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Next Civil War, On Writing and Failure

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