How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them

What are the differences between democracy, autocracy, and anocracy? Why are these differences significant? What would you do as a leader in an anocracy to avert civil conflict?

Walter returns repeatedly to the breakup of Yugoslavia as a case study. What are the major elements of factionalism that were present in Yugoslavia before civil war erupted? Are there similarities between the US today and the former Yugoslavia? Why or why not?

What are the four major risk factors that Walter argues predict where and when civil wars might break out? Is there a risk factor that you find particularly concerning for 21st-century societies? Why?

In Chapter 3, Walter notes, “[I]mmigration is often the flashpoint for conflict […] It is especially alarming, then, that the world is entering an unprecedented period of human migration, in large part due to climate change” (76). Given Walter’s concern, do you believe that she spends an adequate amount of time in her book covering the role of immigration and climate change in sparking civil wars and how we can mitigate these risk factors? Why or why not? How would you address these issues?

Walter asserts that social media has “turned out to be the perfect accelerant for the conditions that lead to civil war” (109). Do you agree with Walter’s assessment? Why or why not?

How does Walter depict Donald Trump and the Republican Party in How Civil Wars Start? What are the strengths and limitations, if any, of this depiction in convincing readers that the US is on the path toward civil war?

What are the different stages of ethnic cleansing? Do you believe there are warning signs for the possibility of ethnic cleansing in the US? Why or why not?

A key part of the book is supposed to be how to prevent a civil war, yet Walter only spends a chapter on this topic. What tactics do you find most and least convincing? Which tactics would you choose to employ, and why?