Political violence could soon become norm in U.S., says Swiss newspaper

GENEVA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. politicians today are no longer in a position to work out pragmatic solutions and find a consensus, and constitutional crises and political violence could soon become the norm in the country, reported Switzerland's leading newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung (NZZ).

In the United States, the white rural population feels robbed of their homeland, while the cosmopolitan city dwellers feel bullied by the conservative minority, said the report.

"As mutual trust collapses, so do democratic institutions," it said, adding that although many factors are at play, it is the rapid demographic change that is fueling the hatred in the country.

In 1980, the population identified as white in the United States made up 80 percent of the total, and now it is 60 percent.

Just five years ago, the idea of a civil war in the United States would be considered as ridiculous without hesitation. However, at present the question of civil war has come up, Heidi Beirich, an expert on extremism, was quoted as saying.