Barbara F. Walter

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, followed by an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Chicago. 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 Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Foreign Affairs, Time, and The New Republic. She is a frequent commentator on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and PBS NewsHour. == Honors and awards ==

• Member, National Academy of Sciences • Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences • Member, Council on Foreign Relations • 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==