From Colombia to Zimbabwe, and Northern Ireland to Syria, Barbara F. Walter has closely studied the genesis of civil wars around the world. The conditions that foment conflict are often predictable, she says—and there are signs that those conditions are growing increasingly visible in the United States. What can citizens and institutions do to stave off violence? Walter joined FP Live to lay out lessons for the United States—and the world—in a crucial election year.
Video clips from this event
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Civil war expert Barbara F. Walter explains the two factors that are predictive of political instability and violence: anocracy (or partial democracy) and identity-based parties.
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Is the United States at risk of civil war? Walter walks FP’s Ravi Agrawal through the decline of American democracy over the past decade, which is a main indicator of potential political violence.
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What does a 21st-century civil war look like? Walter explains that naysayers are often imagining a 19th-century battlefield, instead of the terrorism, insurgencies, and guerrilla warfare that characterize modern political violence.
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Walter offers solutions to stave off civil war in the United States: strengthen and reform democratic institutions and have political parties reach across racial, ethnic, and religious lines.
