Expert on Civil Wars around the World Says the Fight to Save Democracy Must Come from the Bottom Up

Mar 30, 2025 | Professor Barbara F. Walter, a renowned expert on civil wars around the world, warns that the United States meets key criteria for nations heading toward major political violence. We ignore the warning signs at our own peril, according to the author of “How Civil Wars Start and How to Stop Them.” American history shows that the fight to save democracy will have to come from the bottom up, Walter says. “Protest and peaceful resistance works,” she adds. “Don't voluntarily comply with orders that are illegal. Don't help Donald Trump implement his agenda–don’t preemptively comply.”