Summary of Barbara F. Walter's How Civil Wars Start

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 Noor was a high school sophomore in Baghdad when U. S. forces invaded Iraq on March 19, 2003. She had seen her country’s leader, Saddam Hussein, condemn U. president George W. Bush on TV for threatening war, and she had heard her family talking around the dinner table about a possible American invasion. #2 When Saddam was captured, researchers did not celebrate. They knew that democratization, especially rapid democratization in a deeply divided country, could be highly destabilizing. #3 As Sunnis began to feel disenfranchised by the new democratic government, insurgent groups began to form. They aimed to reduce or eliminate support for the U. S. occupation and isolate the American military. #4 The world has experienced the greatest expansion of freedom and political rights in the history of mankind. Democracies are less likely to go to war against their fellow citizens and against citizens in other democracies.