Political books I read; what about yours?

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Going through my bookshelf I noticed that most of my political books were in english. Thought it might be interesting to share them with you, and vice versa. I put it here because, by their very nature, the subject of these books will touch political subjects.

• Dying to Win - The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism by Robert A. Pape. Paperback, 368 pages; Random House Trade Paperbacks; Reprint edition (July 25, 2006); Price: $10.17
  
  Indispensable book. A dispassionate demographic study about the phenomenon, paid for by the the Pentagon.
  Fun fact: Pape observes en passante that till 2003 the majority of suicide terrosists were Buddhist.
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• Who Killed Daniel Pearl? by Bernard-Henri Levy. Paperback: 454 pages, Publisher: Melville House (October 28, 2004); Price: $10.36
  
  Book about that poor chap who was beheaded by Jihadis in Pakistan. The book was recommended to me by an informed American person who I asked where to find good background on the Taleban and Pakistan. He was right.
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• Islamist Networks - The Afghan-Pakistan Connection by Mariam Abou Zahab and Olivier Roy. Paperback: 88 pages, Publisher: Columbia University Press (December 30, 2006); Price: $17.00 (for some odd reason I got it for less, you got to look out for a good offer)
  
  A short book offering a serious insight. Great.
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• The End of Days - Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount by Gershom Gorenberg. Paperback: 288 pages; Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; New Ed edition (May 16, 2002); Price: $12.21
  
  I am half way through, and it is a great book, shedding light on the views of Christian, Jewish and Islamic fundamentalists on Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.
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• Rise and Decline of the State by Martin van Creveld. Paperback: 448 pages; Publisher: Cambridge University Press (August 28, 1999); Price: $29.99
  
  A key to understand the background behind what is today discussed as 4th generation warefare. Not sure about the fourth generation theory, but the book is worth reading anyway due to its observations on globalisation, liberalisation on the modern secular state. This book isn't cheap. I found it worth every cent.
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• Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam by Col. John A. Nagl. Paperback, 280 pages; Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; New Ed edition (September 15, 2005). Price: $11.56
  
  Written by a serving officer of the US Army as his PhD paper. Indispensable. Go read it.
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• Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire by Chalmers Johnson. Paperback: 288 pages, Publisher: Owl Books; Reissue edition (January 4, 2004); Price: $10.20
  
  Johnson, an authority on Japan and its economy, argues basically 'you reap what you saw, making the point that in the case of Foreign Policy American Citizens are often caught by surprise because they were unaware what was sown on their behalf. Focus of this book is on Asia. Recommended, as are his other books.
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• PS: The New American Militarism by Andrew J. Bacevich, Hardcover: 288 pages, Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (April 1, 2005); Price: $18.48 (There probably is a paperback out by now)
  
  How could I forget that one? Bacevich is a graduate of West Point, Vietnam veteran, conservative Catholic and a Professor of International Relations and Director of the Center for International Relations at Boston University. Bacevich offers a thought provoking, serious read. Go for it.
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• Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein; Paperback: 272 pages; Publisher: Ace (May 15, 1987); Price: $6.99
  
  A political book in its own right. Got to throw that in just to puzzle you. Except for the 'not serving part', it IMO it offers a glimpse into Cheney's mind. Creepy.

What are the political books you read?

[ December 09, 2006, 11:43: Message edited by: Ragusa ]

 

Is there a word limit implemented here? The list could get a bit long...

[ December 10, 2006, 23:35: Message edited by: Fabius Maximus ]

 

Do Steven Erikson books count as political? If not, then I don't read any political books.

 

Eh? ISTR that the whole 'service to be enfranchised' things was one of the major arguments of the book.

That and, um, that 'violence does solve things. Just ask the city fathers of Carthage or the priests of Hiroshima'; something along those lines, anyway.

Really, I don't think it does. Cheney's very much a 'violence as our first, last, and only resort' sorta policy person. The History & Moral Philosophy teacher in SST was not; he 'just' wanted to keep violence on the table as a morally acceptable option, one that is necessary.

And the corporal punishment wasn't for extracting info, which again isn't exactly Cheney.

 

AMaster,
one can also make the argument that, like a court-philosopher (or a socialism teacher), the SST teacher presented an argument aimed on justifying violence (or socialism) that doesn't reflect the real considerations made. Seeing the SST teacher Mr. Dubois as a propagandist in the first place, I don't think that he is neccessarily honest.

I see that in neo-conservatives. The make arguments that sell, but that rarely is what they think. It reminds me of an interview with neo-con godfather Irvin Krystol: 'There are different kinds of truths for different kinds of people ... There are truths appropriate for children; truths that are appropriate for students; truths that are appropriate for educated adults; and truths that are appropriate for highly educated adults, and the notion that there should be one set of truths available to everyone is a modern democratic fallacy. It doesn't work.'

I understand Wolfowitz': 'we settled on the one issue that everyone could agree on which was weapons of mass destruction as the core reason.' as such an argument. Cheney's and Bush's imperial presidency neccessiates a similar deception. Beyond having had other priorities Cheney and the neo-cons share yet another thing: In their speeches they preach virtues.

The neo-cons on their part are so Wise and so Virtuous that everything, including the most blatant lies, is not only justifiable, but necessary. In the essence, reality can and must be fundamentally distorted for the people's own good. I also apply that on Cheney.
They see virtues as a receipe to save American society, nothing less. But them who have seen the light are beyond the need for truth or virtues. So what might be the truth applicable to Johhnie, is not neccessarily the truth behind the considerations at the top.

 

I'm not reading anything political at the moment, except for a few documents on EU security. It's interesting to a degree - between NATO, national armies, and a half-hearted desire for a European international force something might emerge. Of course, that presumes consensus between the various EU countries, which is, er, rather hard to get.

 

I plan on reading Andrew Sullivan's "The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, and How To Get It Back" over the Christmas break. Other than that, I haven't read one in a long time. The last "political" book I read was Al Franken's "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A 'Fair & Balanced' Look at the Right." Which was great.

 

Marcuse, One Dimensional Man (full text available at link, no charge).

Basically, if you want to hate modern western society, especially American society, this is the book for you. Philosophy more than politics, but rather convincing--and it's not nearly as off-the-wall as my description makes it sound.

The World Is Flat, Thomas Friedman

Basically, Globalization is Good!

Globalization and its Discontents, Joseph E. Stiglitz

Basically, Globalization Should Be Good, but Is Bad Right Now. Fix or Do Somefink!

Inevitable Revolutions: The United States In Central America, The New Empire: An Interpretation of American Expansion, 1860-1898, and America, Russia, and the Cold War by Walter LaFeber

Arguably the most important works on American foreign policy. Certainly the most important leftist takes on it.

Market Forces, Richard K. Morgan

Essentially, a (literally) cutthroat exec moves up the ranks in a multinational corporation profiting from the worst form of globalization imaginable. Hey, Rags put in a skiffy novel, so I can too

 

Light and Liberty: Reflections on the Pursuit of Happiness - Thomas Jefferson (really not completely political, but an edited version of some of Jefferson's best quotes of which a good many are political in nature).

Common Sense - The Rights of Man - The Age of Reason - Tom Paine

The Complete Political Writings of John Adams

Later Writings and Letters - Ben Franklin

Writings - Alexander Hamilton

The Essential Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers

Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution - Jack Rakove

James Madison and The Creation of the American Republic - Jack Rakove

The Radicalism of the American Revolution - Gordon Wood

The Creation of the American Republic: 1776-1787 - Gordon Wood

 

Do "The Art of War" and "The Prince" count?

That's about it for me.

 

Hegemony or Survival : America's Quest for Global Dominance by Naom Chomsky

The Case Against Israel by Michael Neumann

And of course I read lots of political books based on Ireland, which most people here could care less about.

 

Gnarff, they both count. "The Art of War" can be used in political campaigning, and "The Prince" is an important part of political theory history.


Well, I guess I can post a selection the books I own or read.

The biography of Colin Powell: An insanely thick tome which I never managed to read completely.

Private Colours: Also never finished, because it's incredibly boring.

Jospeh Stiglitz: Globalization and it's Discontents
Naomi Klein: No Logo.
Well, Globalization literature.

Samuel Huntington: Clash of Cultures. Good analysis as far as it goes. Unfortunatly, it goes not very far, so it's a really shallow book, and the conlusions are rubbish.

Sebastian Haffner: Anmerkungen zu Hitler (Notations about Hitler)
A short but well written and informative work.

Sebastian Haffner: Geschichte eines Deutschen (History of a German)
An autobiographical book about Haffners life during the 1920th, based upon a recently discovered journal. It's a mixture of personal and politcal information, mostly about the rising of the Nazis.

Stephen Castles and Mark J. Miller: The Age of Migration.
A standard work on migration processes worldwide. It also covers integration of migrants into their new home societies. It doesn't go very deep, but offers an overview on almost every part of migration.


I also read numerous textbooks (or parts thereof) I needed for my studies, including several works on political philosophy and theory: Aristoteles, Solon, J.J. Rousseau, Kant, The Federalists, Max Weber, Karl W. Deutsch, Luhmann (blech!), Fraenkel, Arendt, Habermas, and so on.

 

Joe Klein: Politics Lost

A VERY good read, it's a study of how politics has been trivialized by consulting firms who try, seemingly, to seep the personality out of candidates in order to give them better mass appeal. I couldn't put it down.