List of Books articles
Books
The latest reviews and excerpts for global readers.
‘On the Edge’ Puts Its Bets in the Wrong Places
Nate Silver offers a disjointed paean to gambling and venture capitalists.
Silicon Valley Hasn’t Revolutionized Warfare—Yet
The Pentagon is warming up to commercial technologies, but it has a long way to go.
The Novels We’re Reading in September
From Sicilian psychodrama to Qaddafi’s Libya.
When a Love Triangle Meets Economics
Beneath the sex, a madcap novel about an art heist lays bare the realities of globalization.
Peter Hessler’s ‘Rivers’ Have Been Damned by the Chinese Government
A sequel to the acclaimed “River Town” can’t quite find its course.
The Art of Punishing Putin
A new book offers a masterful glimpse into the world of economic warfare.
The Return of Paul Nitze—and His Dangers
For better and worse, one of America’s important grand strategists was singularly focused on military strength.
How to Get Kim Jong Un’s Email
A South Korean presidential memoir reflects on tough diplomatic choices.
The Many Faces of Abiy Ahmed
Ethiopia’s leader is both messianic and Machiavellian—and his reputation as a Nobel-winning peacemaker has been tainted by the brutal Tigray war.
Roosevelt, Yalta, and the Origins of the Cold War
How a terminally ill U.S. president negotiated the deal that cemented Soviet control over half of Europe.
The World Bank Is Failing and Needs a Restart
Global poverty and income divergence are set to rise again—a brutal indictment of the institution’s work.
Salman Rushdie’s Next Act
In his life-affirming memoir “Knife,” the writer shows how society must respond to untrammeled hatred.
The Anti-Authoritarian Handbook
Today’s autocrats have formed a global network. Those fighting them will have to do the same.
The Novel That Explains Britain’s Far-Right Riots
The politics of xenophobic violence is fueled by a psychology of racialized fear.
The Stubborn Legend of a Western ‘Coup’ in Ukraine
Ten years on, there is still confusion over what, exactly, transpired on the last days of the Maidan.
The 1960s Novella That Got AI (Mostly) Right
An Italian sci-fi book buzzes with many issues that society still grapples with today.
The Rise and Fall of the Economic Pivot to Asia
Washington has switched from economic offense to defense.
Modi’s Long Game
New restraints on the prime minister’s mandate can’t undo his transformation of India.
The Olympics Have a Dirty History—Literally
But a green sports movement is pushing for change, eager to see if Paris will be different.
The Hidden History of China’s Post Office
What the making of a national mail system reveals about the country’s push for modernization.
America’s Democracy Was Never That Healthy
Since its founding, the country has been in a perpetual state of division.
Foreign Policy’s Summer Reading List
Our columnists and reporters’ top picks, from a history of China’s tattooed soldiers to an ambitious modern epic.
In ‘Caledonian Road,’ the U.K. Is Living on Thin Ice
A sweeping state-of-the-nation novel fails to convince the reader.
The Contradictions of America’s Communist Party
Its members were the country’s original illiberal democrats—before imploding into irrelevance.
What We Can Learn From America’s First Diplomat
Benjamin Franklin leveraged a soft touch—and humor—to further U.S. goals.
Revisiting Chinese Empire
A new book explores parallel lives spent on its periphery.
Modi Still Has Great-Power Ambitions for India
A new book traces the evolution of New Delhi’s quest for elusive global status.
Will Taiwan’s Future Be Settled in Washington?
‘The Boiling Moat’ is more interested in American arguments than the country itself.
Germany’s Far-Right Surge Isn’t New
The country’s failure to confront deadly extremists in the early 2000s should be a warning.
The British Countryside’s Forgotten History of Slavery
Britons tend to downplay the empire’s slave-trading history. But its links to Virginia tobacco are all over the landscape.
Are We Really Toiling in Amazon’s Fields?
A critique of “technofeudalism” loses the plot.
Are Putin’s Nuclear Threats Working?
A new book examines the past and present of Russian thinking on deterrence.
The U.S. Needs a New Purpose in the Middle East
It’s time to ditch both romantic ideals of remaking the region and the policy of retrenchment.
Why Did America Stumble Into a Trap in Iraq?
A new history offers a sharp but limited critique.
No, It’s Not Too Late to Save the Planet
Doomism robs people of the agency and incentive to participate in a solution to the climate crisis.
Is Britain All That Special?
British politics may be bad, but they’re not unusual.
Immediacy Ruined Our Politics
How our economy and culture became ever less mediated—and corroded our collective life.
What Produced the China Miracle?
A powerful new book challenges conventional wisdom about the role of the state in Beijing’s rise.
Putting the Cold War on the Couch
A new psychological analysis of Soviet leaders fundamentally alters 20th-century global history.
China and the U.S. Are Numb to the Real Risk of War
The pair are dangerously close to the edge of nuclear war over Taiwan—again.
‘Fat Leonard’ Was a Crook U.S. Admirals Called Bro
In the Navy, you can do as you please.
The Divine Marketplace Is Pretty Crowded
Religions aren’t just spiritual communities. They’re also businesses.
Duke Ellington, the Jazz Legend Who Became a Diplomat
The band leader broke new ground in U.S. cultural diplomacy even as he faced racism at home.
The Opioid High of Empire
Two new books turn a spotlight on how the colonial past lives on in unacknowledged ways.
How Globalization Rose and Fell With Nord Stream
The pipeline bringing Russian gas to Europe was once seen as a triumph for borderless business—but Putin’s invasion of Ukraine put an end to that fantasy.
Where Global Governance Went Wrong—and How to Fix It
International agreements have not balanced our freedoms in the way that they should.
Democracy Has Run Out of Future
The underlying reason for the West’s democratic crisis may be a lost sense of open-ended time.
Can Wind and Solar Solve Climate Change?
A new book unwittingly makes the case that they can’t.
The New Empires of the Internet Age
Cyberspace has upended the old world order.
4 Books to Understand Modern India
Is the world’s most populous country booming or broken?
The World Still Loves (Yesterday’s) America
What the bestselling novels of Amor Towles reveal about global nostalgia—and American anxieties.
Is This a Revolution? Or Are People Just Very Ticked Off?
In a new book, Fareed Zakaria explores how much the times are a-changin’. At risk, he says, is the entire global system.
How ‘Made in China’ Became American Gospel
The canny marketing of imports from vodka to basketballs transformed the U.S.-China trade relationship.
Can Ukraine Escape the Curse of Nonexistence?
A landmark translation of a Ukrainian novel explores a nation caught between the jaws of empire.
The Civil Servants Who Shaped Indian Diplomacy
A new book provides a detailed account of the colonial bureaucrats who made up the first generation of the Indian Foreign Service.
The Labour Party Is Never Ready for an Election
Britain’s center-left is descending into recriminations ahead of this year’s election—just like it always has.
The Big Lesson From the West’s Last Invasion of Russia
What the Allied intervention in the Russian civil war teaches us about Ukraine today.
Chinese Exceptionalism Just Won’t Die
The idea of a special Chinese model rings increasingly hollow.
The Real Reason Britain Can’t Change
A new book accidentally puts forward a provocative thesis on the country’s entropy.
A Tale of Haunted Love Captures Wartime Ukraine
“Daybreak” is a nightmarish romance about the horrors of war.
How Haiti Became an Aid State
A new political history reveals the dark side of foreign assistance.
Ukraine Isn’t Putin’s War—It’s Russia’s War
Jade McGlynn’s books paint an unsettling picture of ordinary Russians’ support for the invasion and occupation of Ukraine.
China’s Secret to Controlling the Internet
The CCP uses manpower, not just technology, to limit speech.
The Crypto Con Years Aren’t Over Yet
Three books explore the failures of regulators—and sometimes journalists.
When Economics and Great-Power Foreign Policy Collide
Dale C. Copeland’s new history of commerce is magisterial—and prescient.
Why Some Revolutions Fail to Make History
Europe’s tumultuous year of 1848 is often forgotten, but a new book argues that it could teach us a lot about politics today.
What the World Got Wrong About Frantz Fanon
Fanon is a global anti-colonial icon, but he could never truly embody the revolution he supported.
Why Middle Powers Can’t Pursue Grand Strategy
The U.S.-South Korea alliance perfectly illustrates the limits of independent action in an unstable world.
Socialism Doesn’t Win American Elections
There’s no magic fix for Democrats at the ballot box.
What It’s Actually Like Being a Woman in the CIA
Ex-spy Valerie Plame on the “secret history” of women in the agency.
The Most Anticipated Books of 2024
The biggest releases in foreign affairs, history, and economics.
A Cold War Killing That Still Haunts Congo
As Congolese citizens go to the polls, Stuart Reid’s ‘Lumumba Plot’ reminds the world of a crime that reshaped the country’s future.
The Original Authoritarian
A new book looks at how Julius Caesar’s legacy informs the strongmen of today.
The Man Who Conned the World
How one of the greatest scam artists of all time used Ghana’s colonial past to get rich.
Does Democracy Really Die in Darkness?
A provocative history questions the relationship between the state, its secrets, and the people.
The Song and Dance of American Secrecy
Espionage law hasn’t changed much since William Howard Taft—yet recent presidents have wielded it as a cudgel more than ever before.
The Untold Story of Vienna’s Global Influence
A new book argues the Austrian capital produced the intellectual basis of much of the modern West—for better and sometimes for worse.
Foreign Policy’s Holiday Book List
Our columnists and staff writers recommend their top reads for the end of the year.
Why Did America’s Elite Keep Falling for Crypto Frauds?
Even experienced journalists got suckered by Sam Bankman-Fried.
Living in a Material World
One of the defining features of modern supply chains is a distinct lack of human beings.
Elon Musk Is the Messy Hero of Our Messy Age
For better and worse, he represents how change happens in our current society.
How the European Project Fell Apart
Timothy Garton Ash’s latest book traces what went wrong—and holds some lessons for the continent’s future.
A Grand Plan for a Much Poorer World
Billionaire Mathias Döpfner’s plan to fight autocracy is a dead end.
The Best Books for Understanding the Israel-Hamas War
Ten reads that offer insight into the origins of today’s conflict—and what may come next.
Kim Yo Jong Is the World’s Most Dangerous Woman
A new book profiles the possible future leader of North Korea.
The Fabulous Mythmaking of Imelda Marcos
A new novel claws back history from a family that would otherwise have it disappear.
A Tale of Two Germanies
Thirty-three years after reunification, the country’s wounds are rawer than many would like to admit.
The Great Turn Inward
A new book argues countries are de-globalizing yet again. But was there ever such a thing as globalism to begin with?
How to Get Chinese Elites to Support Democracy
It may be in their own self-interest.
Can the U.S. and China Cooperate on Green Technology Again?
A recent book makes the case for collaboration in an increasingly competitive industry.
Why U.S. Presidents Really Go to War
As a new book shows, it’s not always about strategy.
Timothy Garton Ash Misunderstands Liberalism
The British writer aimed to be the liberal intellectual of his generation—and ended up a victim of his own repressed dogmas.
How China Trolls Flooded Twitter
Beijing has learned to use Russian-style disinformation.
Britain’s Racism Isn’t America’s
The United Kingdom needs to examine its own bigotries.
What Kind of Prime Minister Will Keir Starmer Be?
Oliver Eagleton’s book on the Labour leader blends leftist critique with biography, presenting a comprehensive account of a deeply ambiguous figure.
An Epic History of the Soviet Everyday
Karl Schlögel re-creates a lost world of long lines and shared spaces.
How Dictators Make Money—and Money Makes Dictators
A new history of Russia’s ruble highlights the reciprocal relationship between autocracy and monetary policy.