If you’ve been into the Reading Room you probably noticed that I hold Barbara F. Walter in high esteem. If I can only send you out to get one book, let it be How Civil Wars Start. If you don’t have time to read, just have a listen. We are still “left of boom”, but I very much worry as that as temperatures rise here in 2025, we’re going to cross a point of no return. Once the tit for tat faucet is opened even a crack … well … look at what’s left of Syria, fourteen years into their experiment with communal violence.
I most ardently hope we can avoid this, but all the things I see indicate it’s not an “if”, it’s a “how soon”. Maybe you young folks that still keep a reservoir of hope can figure this out and make me eat my words …