The International challenges we face are due to our status as empire. End the empire, focus on local culture and people. Secede.
The only value of Geographic scale is the military tax base. The USA is not a country it is an empire. End it. Devolve to Regions.
There is no advantage to territorial scale if different regions cannot pursue cultural and legal preferences that they seek.
The USA has two strategies to avoid civil war: exit California and leave the rest, or exit Texas and take heartland with it.
Without California and Quebec, both the USA and Canada would remain Nationalist, ‘Heartland’ nations.
California does the same damage to the rest of American that Quebec does to the rest of Canada. Not all compromises are beneficial.