As November 5 approaches, our reporters in the US are answering your questions about the election.

Do you think the election result has the potential to spark unrest, or has the United States learned its lesson?

Gary, Kilmarnock

US correspondent Mark Stone says…

You hear the term ‘civil war’ a lot these days in America.

As disturbing as this is, we are not there. That’s the good news.

But we are now in a space in modern America where what was once considered impossible is now considered impossible. Tensions and anxieties run deep in America right now.

The nation is divided. There is also an urban-rural divide. There’s nothing much new there. But now it goes deeper.

The nation was also silenced. The different parties do not trust each other; They don’t listen to each other’s points of view.

Perhaps due to the quiet nature of the country, it is easy to overlook this deep social rift. I only notice this deep confusion as an outsider, living here, looking inward, and having a wide range of conversations.

In America, the highly partisanized mainstream media is not trusted. “I get my news online” is a phrase I hear all the time. This is not healthy.

The institutions that served as stabilizing guardrails are creaking, some say compromised.

One of the two candidates in this election is constantly undermining the electoral process and the judicial process, creating suspicion among his followers. All of this was dangerous even before Donald Trump pushed himself within a centimeter of the White House again.

During Mr. Trump’s last presidency, institutions that served as barriers to democracy, such as the courts, the military and state-level officials, remained in place.

The danger this time is that the victorious Donald Trump will only hire officials who are completely loyal to him. He made this clear. Remember, too, that the power of the American presidency under a president who does not care about the law is enormous.

Some experts argue that America has entered a zone where it is no longer a full-fledged democracy. It is not an autocracy, but they call it ‘anocracy’ because of the erosion of some of the basic pillars in the central region.

This is the important context in which the question of ‘civil war’ must be considered.

This outcome of this election will almost certainly be very close. Narratives and allegations of fraud (combined with distrust on Trump’s part) are very likely.

A narrow victory for Harris would likely lead to accusations of fraud by Trump.

These will be reviewed by the courts he has already weakened and perhaps elevated to the highest court, the Supreme Court, which he appointed with his own partisan judges in his last term.

We all remember the January 6 nightmare on Capitol Hill. Dress rehearsal? Let’s hope not. But the possibility of unrest at state Capitol buildings in several states where pro-Trump politicians hold key positions is real.

Another scenario: Maybe Trump wins comfortably. The danger, then, is protests—which could turn violent—from the left who might react to Mr. Trump’s policies, which they would see as a slide toward authoritarianism.

So, do I think the election result has the potential to create unrest? Yes. Has the USA learned its lesson? NO.