Barbara F. Walter | |
|---|---|
 Barbara F. Walter speaking at a gala event | |
| Born | Bronxville, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Bucknell University (BA) University of Chicago (MA,PhD) |
| Employer(s) | University of California, San Diego Columbia University Harvard University |
Barbara F. Walter is apolitical scientist and one of the world’s foremost experts on civil wars—why they start, how they escalate, and, critically, how they can be prevented. She is the Rohr Professor of International Affairs at theUniversity of California, San Diego and the author of the New York Times bestsellerHow Civil Wars Start and How to Stop Them (2022).[1]
Walter’s research centers on the structural conditions that make societies vulnerable to internal conflict, with a particular focus on anocracy—the fragile, transitional space between autocracy and democracy where political instability is most acute.[2] Her work, grounded in rigorous empirical methods, has shaped global conversations about political risk, early warning systems, and democratic resilience. In addition to her academic contributions, she has briefed U.S. government agencies, spoken atTED2023,[3] and advised international organizations on conflict prevention.
She is an elected member of theNational Academy of Sciences[4] and theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences[5], and serves on theCouncil on Foreign Relations. Her contributions to the field have been recognized with theSusan Strange Award from theInternational Studies Association[6] and the Peacemaker of the Year Award from the National Conflict Resolution Center[7].[7] In 2012, she co-foundedPolitical Violence @ a Glance, a widely read blog that translates cutting-edge political science research for a broader public audience.[8]
Walter was born in Bronxville, New York, and raised in Yonkers. Her parents—immigrants from Switzerland and Germany—encouraged an early interest in politics and history. She earned a B.A. in Political Science and German from Bucknell University, followed by an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Chicago. She later held prestigious postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard University’s Olin Institute for Strategic Studies and Columbia University’s War and Peace Institute.[9]
Walter joined the faculty at UC San Diego in 1996.[10] Her early work explored how civil wars end and the challenges of sustaining peace. Her bookCommitting to Peace: The Successful Settlement of Civil Wars (2002) was a pioneering empirical study on the durability of peace agreements.[11]
She deepened this focus inReputation and Civil War: Why Separatist Conflicts Are So Violent (2009), which examined why secessionist movements are especially prone to protracted violence.[12] Her most recent work,How Civil Wars Start (2022), draws on decades of scholarship to illuminate the early warning signs of political breakdown and internal conflict.[13]
Walter’s research spans the micro-foundations of political violence to the macro-trends that destabilize democracies. A unifying theme runs throughout: democracies are far more fragile than commonly assumed, and their decline is often visible before it becomes irreversible.
Walter is an influential public voice on the risks of democratic erosion and political violence. She has briefed the U.S. intelligence community and senior officials in the Departments of Defense and State, and has served as an advisor to multilateral organizations focused on peacebuilding and governance.[14]
Her writing has appeared inThe New York Times,The Washington Post,The Wall Street Journal,The New Yorker,Foreign Affairs,Time, andThe New Republic. She is a frequent commentator onCNN,MSNBC,NPR, andPBS NewsHour. Her 2023 TED Talk,Is the U.S. Headed Toward Another Civil War?, has been viewed by millions and sparked international dialogue.
