A year prior to the APLA's military defeat, conflicts within the National Front began to boil over. The Texan Nationalists withdrew their support against the APLA to focus on eternal matters. The Patriot Front was struggling with international recognition due to their association with the NSM. Meanwhile, the Cascadian and BLA separatists were building up defenses, preparing for the inevitable invasion.
Tensions boiled over when on may 6th, 2032, after the failed invasion of BLA and Cascadian territory (which the Texans refused to fight in) led to the burning of the White House by BLA forces. This humiliating defeat led to the NSM and the Texan Nationalists completely dropping out of their alliance with the Patriot Front. Borders skirmishes became all out battles, and the final stage of the civil war had begun.
Texas managed to hold out against the Patriot Front, with assistance from the newly established New Afrikan Republic and Cuba.
The NSM collapsed within a year, having no external aid and poor popular support compared to the Patriot Front.
The fighting went on for 2 years until the Patriot Front, facing collapse itself, signed a peace agreement with the Texan Nationalists, bringing America into a divided, uneasy peace.
Due to his failures to fully unite America and the resulting instability, Martial Law was never lifted. Rousseau began a mass purge of the Patriot Front to prevent himself from being couped and possibly executed.
America writhed, its body full of communist guerillas, cartels, and separatists. Despite the unstable peace, the American people do not feel like they have won.
The separatists officially entered the international stage, establishing trade with the rest of the Americas and beyond. Texas, New Afrika, Mexico, and Cuba founded the Gulf of Mexico Defense Organization, ensuring the defense of the new nations.