Summary Of How Civil Wars Start By Jennifer Szalai

The New York Times article, “How Civil Wars Start: A Warning About the State of the Union,” by Jennifer Szalai, thoroughly reviews the novel “How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them,” written by Barbara Walter, a political scientist. The author of the book has spent her career studying civil wars in general as well as the details regarding them worldwide. In the context of the United States, she makes the argument that America is experiencing a time of “extreme danger” due to external factors, similar to those previously seen in other countries in their past civil wars. Not only does she portray a wide variety of data that demonstrates the high risk of large-scale political violence, but she also elucidates how a potential civil war may be heading our way
Another prominent example is the uproar of dangerous speech and misinformation nowadays. The spread of inflammatory rhetoric and false information contributes to numerous problems and arguments between groups within society. Social media and certain news media outlets can amplify this effect, thus exacerbating divisions in the world. The concepts that Walter described to prove her points suggest that the United States may be at risk of experiencing an explosive and brutal outcome due to differing opinions, or even worse, a possible civil war if such issues are not addressed. Moreover, there is an emphasis on the significance of understanding and addressing these details in order to prevent further escalation and to maintain the stability of American democracy. Personally, I believe that the author’s stance makes sense, yet at the same time, I see some flaws in the argument she presented. The main thing I want to point out is that I feel she underestimates the resilience and power that American institutions