Barbara F. Walter
@barbarafwalter.com
I explain what's happening to democracy and what comes next. NYT bestseller. UCSD Prof. NAS member. Seen on CNN, MSNBC, WaPo. NYTimes, NYorker. http://barbarafwalter.com
Why I'm Starting...The Tell.
Come join me and my dear friend Isiah as we talk politics and a bit of fashion each week. There will be wine.
Come join me and my dear friend Isiah as we talk politics and a bit of fashion each week. There will be wine.
Why I'm Starting...The Tell
For years, I’ve written about democratic decline and the political instability and violence that tends to follow.
open.substack.com
February 12, 2026 at 6:13 PM
Why I'm Starting...The Tell.
Come join me and my dear friend Isiah as we talk politics and a bit of fashion each week. There will be wine.
Come join me and my dear friend Isiah as we talk politics and a bit of fashion each week. There will be wine.
Pay attention to what the Republicans are trying to do here. This is a big, bad voter suppression bill.
The SAVE Act failed to pass last year because of nationwide public opposition. Now it’s back, and Congress should reject it again. Add your voice: bit.ly/4tmVIor
February 11, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Pay attention to what the Republicans are trying to do here. This is a big, bad voter suppression bill.
How to try to win elections when you don’t have the votes.
Why Trump Is Obsessed With the 2026 Midterms (And Why Your Vote Still Really Matters)
Donald Trump is obsessed with the 2026 midterm elections.
open.substack.com
February 11, 2026 at 6:09 PM
How to try to win elections when you don’t have the votes.
Why voters started mattering less and less after 2010.
Voters No Longer Run American Democracy
How Power Shifted to Money, Media, and Force
open.substack.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:19 PM
Why voters started mattering less and less after 2010.
This will only stop when we take our power back.
Power Is Never Given. Only Taken.
Why American Democracy Survives Only When Citizens Use Their Power Part 1 of a series on peaceful resistance and democratic survival
open.substack.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:56 PM
This will only stop when we take our power back.
Research has shown that the fastest way to radicalize a population is to use brutal force against innocent people. It's happening in real time in MN and never ends well for the government. I've written about it here:
The Strategies of Terrorism
Abstract. Terrorism is designed to change minds by destroying bodies; it is a form of costly signaling. Terrorists employ five primary strategies of costly signaling: attrition, intimidation, provocat...
direct.mit.edu
January 26, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Research has shown that the fastest way to radicalize a population is to use brutal force against innocent people. It's happening in real time in MN and never ends well for the government. I've written about it here:
This will only end when most of up stand up and say NO. Way to go MN.
Today, Minnesota is shutting down in solidarity.
It could be a model for what the nation as a whole does in coming months, to repudiate the Trump dictatorship. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/minnesotas-general-strike-and-americas
It could be a model for what the nation as a whole does in coming months, to repudiate the Trump dictatorship. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/minnesotas-general-strike-and-americas
January 23, 2026 at 7:11 PM
This will only end when most of up stand up and say NO. Way to go MN.
Ultimately, it will all depend on whether you and I will be willing to really protest.
It Will All Come Down to Us
Why Mass Resistance Will Decide Democracy's Fate
open.substack.com
January 21, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Ultimately, it will all depend on whether you and I will be willing to really protest.
This is how you defeat strongmen. Publicly expose just how brutal they are while you remain peaceful. Thank you MLK for showing us how it's done.
“In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. outlined a strategy to expose official brutality. Anti-ICE protesters are following it…”
@galbeckerman’s latest:
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...
@galbeckerman’s latest:
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...
Minnesota Had Its Birmingham Moment
In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. outlined a strategy to expose official brutality. Anti-ICE protesters are following it—and it’s working.
www.theatlantic.com
January 19, 2026 at 5:54 PM
This is how you defeat strongmen. Publicly expose just how brutal they are while you remain peaceful. Thank you MLK for showing us how it's done.
How Trump will try to Trump-proof his agenda before the midterms.
Stop Waiting for the Midterms to Save Us
Many Americans are holding their breath until November 2026.
open.substack.com
January 14, 2026 at 8:59 PM
How Trump will try to Trump-proof his agenda before the midterms.
I sat down with one of my favorite people, @jeffberman.bsky.social, to talk about the damage aspiring autocrats do to the economies they claim to protect.
Here’s why business leaders should pay attention.
Here’s why business leaders should pay attention.
A warning for business leaders: Aspiring autocrats tank economies
Podcast Episode · Masters of Scale · 12/06/2025 · 22m
podcasts.apple.com
December 9, 2025 at 2:24 PM
I sat down with one of my favorite people, @jeffberman.bsky.social, to talk about the damage aspiring autocrats do to the economies they claim to protect.
Here’s why business leaders should pay attention.
Here’s why business leaders should pay attention.
Big Blue was looking gorgeous this morning on my run.
November 23, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Big Blue was looking gorgeous this morning on my run.
This is what an American hero sounds like. Speak up America! Our country is not going to fix itself without us.
Rep. Eugene Vindman: " I want to start by condemning the president for calling for six Democratic members of Congress, all of whom are patriots who served our country to be hanged. It is the kind of thing we expect from a Saudi Crown Prince, not an American President."
November 21, 2025 at 5:50 PM
This is what an American hero sounds like. Speak up America! Our country is not going to fix itself without us.
Harvard pushed out Claudine Gay, yet Larry Summers still teaches. This despite his long history of being a terrible human being. Why does he get pass after pass after pass??? Please make him go away forever.
Larry Summers, ‘Ashamed’ Over Epstein Ties, Steps Back From Public Commitments
www.nytimes.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Harvard pushed out Claudine Gay, yet Larry Summers still teaches. This despite his long history of being a terrible human being. Why does he get pass after pass after pass??? Please make him go away forever.
Trump's new "war on drugs" has nothing to do with drugs.
What If…
What if the U.S. government isn’t fighting the cartels, it's shaking them down?
open.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Trump's new "war on drugs" has nothing to do with drugs.
Something happened in the Oval Office the last week of Oct. I don’t know what (doctors, advisors, reality???) but Trump’s tone changed. His fixation on a third term seems to have broken. Now it seems more about legacy: peace prizes, deals, image. What did he hear that made him shift?
November 10, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Something happened in the Oval Office the last week of Oct. I don’t know what (doctors, advisors, reality???) but Trump’s tone changed. His fixation on a third term seems to have broken. Now it seems more about legacy: peace prizes, deals, image. What did he hear that made him shift?
Trump is playing a psychological game with all of us and here's how it works:
What Trump’s Talk of a 3rd Term Really Tells Us
Hint: It’s Mostly a Loyalty Test
substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Trump is playing a psychological game with all of us and here's how it works:
Here's why we should all be paying attention to what Trump is manufacturing in Venezuela.
Watch Venezuela. Watch Trump.
The war before the election may already be taking shape.
substack.com
October 22, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Here's why we should all be paying attention to what Trump is manufacturing in Venezuela.
Keep this bookmarked. It's a valuable resource for all things related to protests in the U.S. today.
ash.harvard.edu/programs/cro...
ash.harvard.edu/programs/cro...
Crowd Counting Consortium – Ash Center
Publicly available data on political crowds in the United States, including marches, protests, demonstrations, riots, and other actions.
ash.harvard.edu
October 20, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Keep this bookmarked. It's a valuable resource for all things related to protests in the U.S. today.
ash.harvard.edu/programs/cro...
ash.harvard.edu/programs/cro...
Sean Illing always puts me at ease and our conversations are wide-ranging and fascinating. You can listen to it here:
substack.com/@barbarafwal...
substack.com/@barbarafwal...
October 16, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Sean Illing always puts me at ease and our conversations are wide-ranging and fascinating. You can listen to it here:
substack.com/@barbarafwal...
substack.com/@barbarafwal...
This could be the start of something big.
How Protests Work and Why Saturday Matters
This Saturday, Americans in all 50 states will gather for the No-Kings protests - a nationwide reminder that in our democracy power ultimately rests with the people not the President.
open.substack.com
October 15, 2025 at 8:50 PM
This could be the start of something big.
I just found out that my book is featured today by ebook daily and they’re offering it for $2.99. You can get it at this discounted rate below.
ebookdaily.com/bargain-kind...
ebookdaily.com/bargain-kind...
Featured on eBookDaily Bargains- $2.99
'How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them' by Barbara F. Walter is featured on eBookDaily's best Kindle book bargains
ebookdaily.com
October 8, 2025 at 11:52 PM
I just found out that my book is featured today by ebook daily and they’re offering it for $2.99. You can get it at this discounted rate below.
ebookdaily.com/bargain-kind...
ebookdaily.com/bargain-kind...
If you wonder what I do on Sunday mornings, I sometimes write emails to Tom Edsall.
Trump Is Not Afraid of Civil War. Neither Is Stephen Miller. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/o...
Trump Is Not Afraid of Civil War. Neither Is Stephen Miller. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/o...
Opinion | Trump Is Not Afraid of Civil War. Neither Is Stephen Miller.
www.nytimes.com
October 7, 2025 at 8:15 PM
If you wonder what I do on Sunday mornings, I sometimes write emails to Tom Edsall.
Trump Is Not Afraid of Civil War. Neither Is Stephen Miller. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/o...
Trump Is Not Afraid of Civil War. Neither Is Stephen Miller. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/o...
Monday morning magic: Jon Batiste. PLAY IT LOUD. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YHV...
Jon Batiste - FREEDOM
YouTube video by JonBatisteVEVO
www.youtube.com
October 6, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Monday morning magic: Jon Batiste. PLAY IT LOUD. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YHV...