Political analysts on both sides, Democrats and Republicans, agree that America is at a dangerous crossroads.

They attribute this to the fact that two factions of ‘true believers’ have been created that are not guided by events, but by how they would like things to be.

These ‘true believers’ are not interested in the truth, so it is impossible to convince them that they are wrong.

Thursday, marks one year since a mob, instigated by then-President Donald Trump and his close associates, stormed the Capitol to overthrow the election results by preventing Congress from ratifying Joe Biden’s election.

We all saw those scenes on TV. We also saw the country’s Vice President being a step ahead of the mob.

And despite Trump’s desperate efforts, no evidence has been found, nor are there any legal rulings that show, out of the nearly 70 courts that have been called upon to rule, that there has been election fraud.

And yet, according to a poll by the Wall Street Journal, 57% of Republicans believe that the Democrats stole the election from Trump.

Meanwhile, three retired U.S. generals wrote in an article in the Washington Post: “We are chilled to our bones at the thought of a coup succeeding next time.”

Indicative of the prevailing climate is the publication of a book that has attracted public attention titled How Civil Wars Start – And How to Stop Them by Barbara F. Walter.

The question of how the country has reached this point will occupy historians for years.

What is clear at the moment is that the spiritual and material euphoria that followed World War II has been pulverized by the propagation of ideological myths, conditions that crush hope, and the creation of a world of enormous inequalities – which new technologies made visible to everyone.

This mix in the hands of a capable demagogue like Trump prompts the masses to find new leaders in a tired and frustrated world that look for scapegoats like immigrants to vent their anger.

How far can this go? For the sake of social cohesion, democracy and peace, let no one underestimate this dynamic – as the relatively recent past teaches us.