That's exactly the thoughts that I had. The map looked like it was logically partitioned by geography with the map maker unfamiliar with the local cultures in those states. I can't see Arizona siding with California over Texas (or any of the other western states except maybe Oregon and Washington). The same goes for traditionally southern states of South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia all opting to join the EU?

I can see an economic collapse and the fall of the USA as the most dominant super-power, but I don't see the country fracturing along the lines given in this article. One does not necessarily lead to the other.