Top 5 Books: December
Krisztina Csortea
‘International Affairs has the best book review section of any journal in the field. Many people subscribe to it for that reason alone.’
Professor Sir Michael Howard
Every issue of International Affairs features a comprehensive book review section which assesses the latest writing on all facets of international studies. In this, the latest in our Top 5 Books series, Book Reviews Editor Krisztina Csortea presents her picks from the November issue. Join the conversation and share your must-read new books on global politics and international relations in the response section below. Enjoy!
1) The future is history: how totalitarianism reclaimed Russia
Written by Masha Gessen. Published in London by Granta Books.
Krisztina says: Masha Gessen’s The future is history stands out among the numerous books published on Russia this year. She profiles seven Russians; four were born around the fall of the USSR and the other three are from an older generation, with memories of living under both communism and the Putin regime. Although her subjects are not meant to be representatives, their varied stories give readers a deeper understanding of Russian society and politics today.
Read the full International Affairs review here.
2) The corruption cure: how citizens and leaders can combat graft
Written by Robert I. Rotberg. Published in Princeton, New Jersey by Princeton University Press.
Krisztina says: Corruption is a disease afflicting every country in the world and Rotberg has a cure (multiple cures in fact). Even if you question whether this book indeed ‘shows exactly how to beat back the forces of sleaze and graft’, The corruption cure will be an invaluable read to anyone interested in the political process on any level.
Read the full International Affairs review here.
3) Libya in western foreign policies, 1911–2011
Written by Saskia van Genugten. Published in London by Palgrave Macmillan.
Krisztina says: Libya has been a regular focus of world news since the Western-led intervention against Gaddafi in 2011. Currently the country is politically fragmented, at war and experiencing widespread famine — while also being one of the key factors in the migration crisis. Saskia Van Genugten’s book should be highly recommended to anyone wanting to gain a deeper understanding of the role of western countries in shaping Libya’s history.
Read the full International Affairs review here.
4) Once within borders: territories of power, wealth and belonging
Written by Charles S. Maier. Published in Cambridge, Massachussetts by Harvard University Press.
Krisztina says: Charles Maier’s book is a timely reminder that borders go back much farther than debates about border walls and hard borders. (If you don’t think you need reminding, then you have spent much less time glued to the news in the last 12 months than I have; well done!) Maier shows how borders contributed to the creation of polities and our ideas about them, including sovereignty, in a sweeping review of the past 500 years of western history.
Read the full International Affairs review here.
5) The geopolitics of deep oceans
Written by John Hannigan. Published in Oxford by Polity Press.
Krisztina says: If you’ve been looking for a way satisfy your love of geopolitics and your craving for more episodes of Blue planet in one fell swoop, look no further. (If you don’t believe me, here’s a direct quote from the publisher’s website: ‘Long regarded as an empty and inhospitable environment, the deep ocean is rapidly emerging as an ecological hot spot with a remarkable diversity of biological life.’). In The geopolitics of deep oceans, Hannigan introduces readers to multiple ways of seeing the oceans: as a resource to be exploited, a shared commons, the source of political conflict, or a ‘canary-in-the-mineshaft for gauging the impact of global climate change’.
Read the full International Affairs review here.
