Barbara F. Walter: How Civil Wars Start

Over the last two decades, the number of active civil wars around the world has almost doubled. Walter reveals the warning signs— where wars tend to start, who initiates them, what triggers them— and why some countries tip over into conflict while others remain stable. Drawing on the latest international research and lessons from over twenty countries, Walter identifies the crucial risk factors, from democratic backsliding to factionalization and the politics of resentment in her best-selling book, How Civil Wars Start.

Walter is the Rohr Professor of International Relations at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California, San Diego. A life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Walter helps to run the award-winning blog Political Violence at a Glance and has written for The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Reuters, and Foreign Affairs.