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When Barbara F. Walter started researching her book, “

How Civil Wars Start, and How to Stop Them,

” in 2018, many wondered if it was an “exercise in fear-mongering.” The idea that the U.S. could find itself mired in a second civil war seemed incredulous, even irresponsible. 

In 2021, it doesn’t feel as implausible. 

Walter’s book examines how civil wars start and what they have in common. “Civil wars ignite and escalate in ways that are predictable; they follow a script,” Walter writes in her introduction

Walter joined host Kerri Miller to talk about the risk factors for a country imploding and why she is concerned about America right now. 

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A contemporary civil war in America wouldn’t much resemble the last one, says political scientist Barbara F. Walter in her new book. But it could happen again — and if you’re skeptical about that, she believes you suffer from a lack of imagination that puts the country at risk. 

When Barbara F. Walter started researching her book, “How Civil Wars Start, and How to Stop Them,” in 2018, many wondered if it was an “exercise in fear-mongering.” The idea that the U.S. could find itself mired in a second civil war seemed incredulous, even irresponsible. In 2021, it doesn’t feel as implausible. Walter’s book examines how civil wars start and what they have in common. “Civil wars ignite and escalate in ways that are predictable; they follow a script,” Walter writes in her introduction. She joined host Kerri Miller to talk about the risk factors for a country imploding and why she is concerned about America right now.

Guest:

Barbara F. Walter is a professor of international relations at the University of California-San Diego and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

How civil wars start and why it could happen again in America

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