Uploaded April 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Civil war might be the most likely escalation pathway towards disaster for our country. On the flip side, learning how to avoid civil conflict — and more ambitiously, repair our civic fabric — might have the greatest leverage for addressing the challenges we face.
Our guest Barbara F. Walter is one of the world's leading experts on civil wars, political violence, and terrorism. She’s the author of How Civil Wars Start: And How To Stop Them, which provides insight into the drivers of civil war, how social media fuels conflict, and how we might repair our broken democracies.
Together, we explore what makes for a healthy liberal democracy, why democracies worldwide are in decline, and the role of resentment and hope. Join us in an exploration of the generator functions for civil war in the digital age, and how we might prevent them.
RECOMMENDED MEDIA
How Civil Wars Start: And How To Stop Them (amazon.com/How-Civil-Wars-Start-Stop/dp/0593137787)
Barbara F. Walter’s latest book and the subject of our conversation, identifying the conditions that give rise to modern civil war in order to address them
Political Violence At A Glance (politicalviolenceataglance.org/)
An award-winning online magazine about the causes and consequences of violence and protest, co-authored by Barbara and other experts
The Center for Systemic Peace (systemicpeace.org/)
Publications, analysis, and other resources from the organizations that measures for democracies and anocracies on a 21-point scale
RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES
A Conversation with Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen: humanetech.com/podcast/42-a-conversation-with-facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen
The Courage to Connect. Guests: Ciaran O’Connor and John Wood, Jr.: humanetech.com/podcast/30-the-courage-to-connect
Mind the (Perception) Gap with Dan Vallone: humanetech.com/podcast/33-mind-the-perception-gap
Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology (humanetech.com/) . Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_ (twitter.com/humanetech_)
Civil war might be the most likely escalation pathway towards disaster for our country. On the flip side, learning how to avoid civil conflict — and more ambitiously, repair our civic fabric — might have the greatest leverage for addressing the challenges we face.
Our guest Barbara F. Walter is one of the world's leading experts on civil wars, political violence, and terrorism. She’s the author of How Civil Wars Start: And How To Stop Them, which provides insight into the drivers of civil war, how social media fuels conflict, and how we might repair our broken democracies.
Together, we explore what makes for a healthy liberal democracy, why democracies worldwide are in decline, and the role of resentment and hope. Join us in an exploration of the generator functions for civil war in the digital age, and how we might prevent them.
RECOMMENDED MEDIA
How Civil Wars Start: And How To Stop Them (amazon.com/How-Civil-Wars-Start-Stop/dp/0593137787)
Barbara F. Walter’s latest book and the subject of our conversation, identifying the conditions that give rise to modern civil war in order to address them
Political Violence At A Glance (politicalviolenceataglance.org/)
An award-winning online magazine about the causes and consequences of violence and protest, co-authored by Barbara and other experts
The Center for Systemic Peace (systemicpeace.org/)
Publications, analysis, and other resources from the organizations that measures for democracies and anocracies on a 21-point scale
RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES
A Conversation with Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen: humanetech.com/podcast/42-a-conversation-with-facebook-whistleblower-frances-haugen
The Courage to Connect. Guests: Ciaran O’Connor and John Wood, Jr.: humanetech.com/podcast/30-the-courage-to-connect
Mind the (Perception) Gap with Dan Vallone: humanetech.com/podcast/33-mind-the-perception-gap
Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology (humanetech.com/) . Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_ (twitter.com/humanetech_)
