How Civil Wars Start by Barbara F. Walter

HOW CIVIL WARS START by Barbara F. Walter has received quite a bit of attention lately, especially in the light of the January 6 anniversary. Walter has spent over 20 years studying civil wars, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a Professor at the University of California, San Diego. She divides her book between explaining the forces that prompt civil wars and, as the subtitle says, “How to Stop Them.” The recent review in The Economist argues that the first part is a “well-argued one about what caused past civil conflicts around the world,” while it views the second part, especially about the likelihood of civil war in America, with more skepticism. Walter’s work is certainly engaging and thought-provoking and I know several students who will be curious to read this, although the geographic and temporal span (she draws examples from experiences in Syria, Yugoslavia, South Africa, revolutions in Russia and China, etc.) may make for a challenging read. Walter describes several risk factors (factionalism, democratic decay, abundance of guns, and the fear of losing status or power) that have appeared again and again. Shifting to present day, she points to issues with technology (particularly social media) and argues that Americans may also be hampered by too little imagination – that we tend to be limited by historical images of the American Civil War and the belief that political collapse happens elsewhere. Walter’s text could certainly prompt discussion in our Civics classes, just as it has in these recent editorials: “Are We Really Facing a Second Civil War?” and “Let’s Not Invent a Civil War.”