Book Picks

The list below includes a mix of recently published books and some older classics, scholarly works and publications intended for a wider audience. It has been influenced by reviews and suggestions by specialised foreign policy periodicals, university presses, as well as mainstream media. Some of them may offer contrasting points of view or advance controversial theses. As long as these theses are well reasoned and fact based, they should be able to enrich the debate and help promote original thinking. Nevertheless, this reading list is not an endorsement of the books it contains. The selection is necessarily limited and subjective. The books have been chosen having in mind the defining social and economic challenges of our time and with the aim of achieving an understanding of the main power players in international politics. How is automation disrupting society and economic structures? How are social media and other online platforms altering the public conversation and even the perception of truth? Why do so many people not trust experts anymore? And why is the future of democracy in danger? What can we learn from the provocative suggestion that history is over, or that there is a clash of civilizations? On the geopolitical side, it is important to understand the main actors in the balance of power. China’s policies and its more assertive and repressive posture under Xi Jinping. Russia and its attempt to shore up what it sees as legitimate spheres of influence and the consequences of its authoritarianism at home. India’s rising Hindu nationalism under BJP rule and its complex relationship with China. The dysfunctional polarisation of US politics and the extreme consequences of the Republican party’s southern strategy. The question if this is the beginning of the decline for the almighty American superpower and the end of the Pax Americana. And still more on Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the global economy, and lessons learnt from previous crises. Over time, this reading list should expand and include book reviews as well as inspire opinion pieces about its different topics.