Civil war is a strong likelihood in the West over the next five years. Policymakers, senior military leaders, and the public should understand why this is the case and what form the coming civil turmoil is likely to take. Building on the civil wars literature and the 'feral cities' concept, this paper spells that out: low grade 'dirty war' will metastasise into large scale internal conflict via 'system disruption' attacks aimed at vulnerable urban infrastructure. It also outlines strategies, ...