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Politics thread recommended book list?

andyandy

anthropomorphic ape
andyandy
Joined
Apr 30, 2006
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We have a permanent sticky thread in the science section for book recommendations, how about a similar idea being used in the politics section?

I've just finished "Descent into Chaos" by Ahmed Rashid which documents the various agents involved in the war on terror in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia. For an understanding of the complexities of the situation in Pakistan,it is exceptionally informative. There is plenty of discussion on ISI (the Pakistan intelligence agency) complicity in supporting the Taliban as a counterweight to Indian influence in Afghanistan and use of terrorist training camps to provide the next generation of Kashmiri separatist fighters. Discussion on the relationship between the US administration and President Musharaf, on the role of the CIA and extraordinary rendition, on the invasion of Afghanistan and failures of policy, the flight of Al Qaeda into the tribal regions of Pakistan, and the Taliban insurgency of the past couple of years. I would definitely recommend this to anyone with an interest in the region.

I'm also part way through "Terror and Consent" by Philip Bobbitt, which is a brilliant analysis of terrorism in the 21st century. I might write more when I have finished it, but suffice to say so far it is excellent. :)

If you think that a politics booklist is a good idea, please petition your local moderator to let them know your support ;)
 
Probably stetching it to call that politics--I only have a tag of "political science" though. You would find that book in the sociology section really. I don't think I rated it that highly anyway.
 
Well, I thought I would write up my review of "terror and consent"

I wrote this for Amazon but it seemed to get lost in the system. The book presents a compelling argument for how the global nature of terrorism is in itself the product of our shift to globalisation. Where the terrorists create a virtual state through the internet which plays the role of virtual community, propaganda disseminator, fund raiser, recruiter, and knowledge circulator. Where terrorists employ the same outsourcing techniques as big business in providing a franchise model, where supporters can use the Al Qaeda "brand" anywhere in the world and however they see fit after having received centrally provided training.

There is in-depth discussion of the Iraq war, Al Qaeda's justification for targeting civilians, Al Qaeda's pursuit of chemical/biological/nuclear weapons and potential impacts on society, and an examination of how society might change in response to a prolonged and heightened risk of terrorist attack.

It is a very intelligently written discussion, with literally hundreds of footnotes, citations, and references to expert analysis. It is also very readable and a fascinating examination of how globalised terrorism will affect 21st century politics.

Edited to add: whilst it has no reviews on the UK Amazon site, it has quite a few on the American site. Mostly very positive (except from the writer of a rival book on terrorism, maybe touting his own wares ;) )
 
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None dare call it Treason.

Printed in the 50's.

Given the current vitriol in American politics, it will fit right in.

DR
 
I have just read The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Kleine, and I thought it was an excellent read. She documents the damage that wholesale deregulation/privatisation/free market reforms can have when pressed upon a country against democratic will and at an extremely accelerated pace. Chile, Argentina, Russia, and more recently Iraq provide more than enough evidence of the massive societal shock, western profiteering and widening of the social divisions that such policies result in.

I only read the book as a result of it being recommended on this forum, what I had previously read about the book/author (quite a lot negative) I found to be largely inaccurate. It was nice therefore to find it a thought provoking and intelligent read..... the most interesting aspect of the book is how it deals with the changing face of war, where Army functions are outsourced to private contractors in ever greater numbers. This creation of a massive private industry with tens of thousands of employees, state-of-the-art military hardware and multibillion-dollar turnovers certainly does raise questions about how future wars will be fought, and in whose interest they will be entered into. I would definitely recommend it to anyone with an interest in politics, regardless of political persuasion.
 
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If you want a single book that will tell you why the Middle East is such a mess, I recommend "The Peace To End All Peace" by David Fromkin. It is a history of the last years of the Ottoman empire and the Rise of the modern Mideast in it's wake.
 
I wonder if a kindly moderator could make this into a sticky? I have already added a couple of new books to my Amazon basket.......:)
 
Darth Rotor said:
None dare call it Treason.

Printed in the 50's.

Given the current vitriol in American politics, it will fit right in.

DR
Click to expand...

Isn’t that a John Birch Society book? I’m surprise you would recommend it.
 
Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes is a must read. It pretty much sets up the core assumptions in Western political philosophy.
 
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