Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich , who served in President Bill Clintons administration, on Wednesday explained why he believes the second American Civil War is already in progress.

Reich, in a lengthy essay for The Guardian , wrote that this clash between the states would be less of a war than a kind of benign separation analogous to unhappily married people who dont want to go through the trauma of a formal divorce.

The split between Democratic and Republican-voting states is accelerating, with each side increasingly operating under different laws, he noted. While red states are attempting to roll back abortion rights, blue states are attempting to codify them and even assist people who live in neighboring red states.

Reich didnt envision America splitting into two separate nations, though.

Instead, he predicted a lumbering, mutual decision to go separate ways on most things but remain connected on a few big things (such as national defense, monetary policy and civil and political rights).

America will still be America. But it is fast becoming two versions of America, he concluded. The open question is like the one faced by every couple that separates: how will the two find ways to be civil toward each other?

Read Reichs full column here.