Barbara F. Walter is an American

political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

who is the Rohr Professor of International affairs at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is t ...

. She is known for her work on bargaining theory and political violence, especially the outbreak and resolution of

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, and the logic of

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

violence. Since 2012, she has been a permanent member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Education

Walter earned her B.A. in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

and German from

Bucknell University Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering ...

, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in

, both from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

. She completed post-doctoral fellowships at the Olin Institute for Strategic Studies at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, and at the War and Peace Institute at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Career

Walter is the Rohr Professor of International affairs at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the

. She joined UCSD's faculty in 1996 and was the Associate Dean from 2012 to 2014 and 2017. In 2012, Walter co-founded (with

Erica Chenoweth Erica Chenoweth (born April 22, 1980) is an American political scientist, professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. They are known for their research work on non-violent civil resist ...

) the blog Political Violence @ a Glance, winner of the

International Studies Association The International Studies Association (ISA) is a US-based professional association for scholars and practitioners in the field of international studies. Founded in 1959, ISA has been headquartered at the University of Connecticut in Storrs sin ...

’s Most Promising Blog of the Year in 2013, Best Group Blog of the Year in 2014 and 2018, and Best Blog Post of the Year in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Walter is on the editorial boards of the

International Organization An international organization or international organisation (see spelling differences), also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is a stable set of norms and rules meant to govern the behavior of states a ...

and

Journal of Conflict Resolution The ''Journal of Conflict Resolution'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal covering research on international conflict and conflict resolution. It was established in 1957 and is published by Sage Publications. The editor-in-chief is Paul ...

. She is the recipient of awards and grants from the

Smith Richardson Foundation The Smith Richardson Foundation is a private foundation based in Westport, Connecticut that supports policy research in the realms of foreign and domestic public policy. According to the foundation's website, its mission is "to contribute to i ...

, Carnegie Corporation of New York,

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

, the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

, and The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation. In a March 2022 ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

'' interview, Walter drew parallels between historical civil wars and insurgencies with the present political environment in the United States. She asserted, "There are definitely lots of groups on the far right who want war. They are preparing for war. And not talking about it does not make us safer," adding that citizens of other countries who experienced civil wars "were surprised in part because they didn’t know what the warning signs were."

Awards

*National Peacemaker Award. National Conflict Resolution Center *New York Times Bestseller list.'' How Civil Wars Start and How To Stop Them'' *Susan Strange Award. *UC San Diego Faculty Research Award *Council on Foreign Relations, Life Member *UCSD Distinguished Teaching Award

Selected bibliography

* *Kahler, Miles, and Barbara Walter, editors
Territoriality and Conflict in an Era of Globalization
Cambridge University Press, 2006, Cambridge University Press * * *Walter, Barbara F. “Why Bad Governance Leads to Repeat Civil War.” The Journal of Conflict Resolution, vol. 59, no. 7, 2015, pp. 1242–72
JSTOR
* *Walter, Barbara F. “The Critical Barrier to Civil War Settlement.” International Organization, vol. 51, no. 3, 1997, pp. 335–364., *

References

External links

Dr. Walter's Blog, Political Violence @ a Glance

Dr. Walter on the Citation of Women in Political Science

Dr. Walter on the Gender Gap in Scholarship

Dr. Walter in The Nation on Syria

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walter, Barbara F. 21st-century American women American political scientists American women political scientists Bucknell University alumni Living people People from Bronxville, New York University of California, San Diego faculty University of Chicago alumni Writers from New York (state) Year of birth missing (living people)