Barbara F. Walter
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Barbara F. Walter is a
political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
who has researched and written about civil wars, including why they start, how they escalate, and how they can be prevented. She is the Rohr Professor of International Affairs at the
University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...
and the author of '' How Civil Wars Start and How to Stop Them (2022).'' Walter's research centers on the structural conditions that make societies vulnerable to internal conflict, with a particular focus on
anocracy Anocracy, or semi-democracy, is a form of government that is loosely defined as part democracy and part dictatorship, or as a "regime that mixes democratic with autocratic features". Another definition classifies anocracy as "a regime that permi ...
—the fragile, transitional space between autocracy and democracy where political instability is most acute. Her work has influenced discussions about political risk, early warning systems, and democratic resilience. She has briefed U.S. government agencies, spoken at TED2023, and advised international organizations on conflict prevention. She is an elected member of the
National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...
and the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...
, and serves on the
Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...
. She is the recipient of the Susan Strange Award from the
International Studies Association The International Studies Association (ISA) is a US-based professional association for scholars and practitioners in the field of International relations, international studies. Founded in 1959, ISA has been headquartered at the University of Con ...
and the Peacemaker of the Year Award from the National Conflict Resolution Center. In 2012, she co-founded ''Political Violence @ a Glance'', a blog about political science research aimed at a broad public audience.


Early life and education

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 Bucknell University is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal-arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts a ...
, followed by an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
. She later held postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard University's Olin Institute for Strategic Studies and Columbia University's War and Peace Institute.


Academic career

Walter joined the faculty at UC San Diego in 1996. Her early work explored how civil wars end and the challenges of sustaining peace. Her book ''Committing to Peace: The Successful Settlement of Civil Wars'' (2002) studied the durability of peace agreements. A subsequent book, ''Reputation and Civil War: Why Separatist Conflicts Are So Violent'' (2009), examined why secessionist movements are especially prone to protracted violence. Her most recent work, ''How Civil Wars Start'' (2022), explores the early warning signs of political breakdown and internal conflict.


Public scholarship and influence

Walter 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 peace-building and governance. Her writing has appeared in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'', ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'', ''
Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...
'', ''Time'', and ''
The New Republic ''The New Republic'' (often abbreviated as ''TNR'') is an American magazine focused on domestic politics, news, culture, and the arts from a left-wing perspective. It publishes ten print magazines a year and a daily online platform. ''The New Y ...
''. She is a frequent commentator on
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
,
MSNBC MSNBC is an American cable news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Launched on July 15, 1996, and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, the channel primarily broadcasts r ...
,
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
, and PBS NewsHour.


Honors and awards

*Member,
National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...
*Member,
American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...
*Member,
Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...
* Susan Strange Award, International Studies Association (2021) *Peacemaker of the Year Award, National Conflict Resolution Center (2022) *TED Speaker, TED2023 (Vancouver) *Speaker, Aspen Ideas Festival (2022)


Selected publications

*''How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them'' (2022) *''Reputation and Civil War: Why Separatist Conflicts Are So Violent'' (2009) *''Committing to Peace: The Successful Settlement of Civil Wars'' (2002)


References


External links

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