List of Books articles
Books
The latest reviews and excerpts for global readers.

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.

The British Experiment in Self-Government Continues
“Follow the Money” traces an economy in crisis.

The Definitive Summer Reading Guide for National Security Nerds
Your vacation (hopefully) awaits. And here are the best books to pair with it.

‘The Return of the Taliban’ Makes Sense of Afghanistan’s Misery
The West needs to engage with the rulers of Kabul—and disillusion them.

Trump Trade War Mastermind Is Back With a Dangerous New Plan
Robert Lighthizer wants total decoupling from China—without thinking through the consequences.

Foreign Policy’s Summer Reading List
Our columnists and reporters’ top picks, from a 16th-century treatise to a ’90s fantasy novel.

The Great Fight Over India’s Myths
Modi’s party is intent on demonizing Nehru, the country’s first prime minister. A new book adds nuance to the debate.

‘Calling Ukraine’ Captures a World the War Destroyed
A joyful and tragicomic novel has been given extra weight by Russia’s invasion.

Do Democracies Always Deliver?
As authoritarian capitalism gains credibility, free societies must overcome their internal weaknesses.

Lessons for the Next Arab Spring
Ten years after Egypt’s coup, Washington has yet to learn that authoritarian stability is an illusion.

How China’s Panda Diplomacy Opened Hearts, Minds, and Borders
Beijing’s strategy isn’t always black and white—except when it is.

Will Disunity Drive the Tories Out of Downing Street?
A new book charts the troubled path of the U.K. Conservative Party in the wake of Brexit.

The Futility of Grand Strategy
Today’s brilliant strategist is tomorrow’s headstrong fool.

A Medley of Arguments and Stories Captures European Lives
‘This is Europe’ lets the continent’s residents tell their own tales.

China Is Rewriting the Law of the Sea
Washington missed the boat to shape the global maritime order. Beijing is stepping in.

The Bomb Was Horrifying. The Alternatives Would Have Been Worse.
Historical records show that dropping atomic bombs was the least bad option.

Cold War II Is All About Geopolitics
A new book overplays the domestic roots of Sino-U.S. confrontation and underestimates its geopolitical logic.

Gen Z Has Finally Found Its Karl Marx
The German philosopher’s “Grundrisse” is an indispensable guide to our current chaos—from AI to the rise of China.

Russia’s Frighteningly Fascist Youth
A new generation of Russians glorifies war, death, and Vladimir Putin.

Sugar as Modern Capitalism’s Original Sin
A new book shows its history as anything but sweet.

How the French Riviera Got Its Glitz
Long before the Cannes Film Festival, a new book shows, the Côte d’Azur built a brand on flaunting affluence.

For Russians, Reading Is the New Resistance
What bestselling books tell us about how Russians are processing the war.

Mao’s Legacy Is a Dangerous Topic in China
Discussing the Cultural Revolution has become increasingly risky.

How the Fed Became Everything (and Everything Became the Fed)
Two books peel back the curtain on the central bank—but miss why it misread the economy in the wake of the pandemic.

6 Books That Explain Turkey
FP contributors’ top titles to make sense of the country ahead of its most important election

What the Bush-Obama China Memos Reveal
Newly declassified documents contain important lessons for U.S. China policy.

Who Can Tell Native Stories?
A new book on Natives journeying across the Atlantic reaches the outer limits of what European-style academic research can accomplish.

How George Shultz Helped End the Cold War
The official biography of Ronald Reagan’s secretary of state reveals startling lessons for U.S. engagement today.

Italian Fascists Traded Their Black Shirts for Armani Suits
A new book shows how Mussolini’s political heirs have shaped the country’s identity.

How Modi and Bibi Built a Military Alliance
India and Israel have strengthened their defense ties in recent years—but a new book makes the relationship sound more sinister than it is.

‘Money Machine’ Is Missing the Juicy Details of Chinese Banking
Weijian Shan’s new book is notable mostly for what it leaves out.

How American Journalists Watched China’s COVID-19 Crisis Unfold
The pandemic’s outbreak brought rare reporting freedoms.

What the Marvel Cinematic Universe Can Teach Us About Geopolitics
One is a fantasy with roots in World War II. The other boasts Spider-Man.

Why Is Adam Smith Still So Popular?
The 18th-century Scottish economist has come to play a uniquely controversial role in U.S. political and economic life.

The Other Ukraine War
A new book examining Russia’s 2014 invasion of eastern Ukraine reveals some uncomfortable truths.

When the Same North Korea Policy Fails Over and Over Again
A veteran negotiator explains how Washington’s attempts at nonproliferation floundered.

How India’s Domestic Politics Impede Its Foreign Policy
A new book shows that New Delhi’s own obstacles could slow its ambitions on the global stage.

How Truman Sold Americans on Going Hungry
In 1947, the United States sacrificed for the sake of a starving Europe.

Is Cold War Inevitable?
A new biography of George Kennan, the father of containment, raises questions about whether the old Cold War—and the emerging one with China—could have been avoided.

Trysts With Sri Lanka’s Ghosts
In the Booker Prize-winning “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida,” the past haunts a country racked by unresolved death.

The Best Books We Read in 2022
FP columnists and contributors recommend their favorite books they read this year.

Why the India-Pakistan Rivalry Endures
A recent book emphasizes domestic politics in the conflict but doesn’t account for the depth of the impasse.

China Wants Your Attention, Please
Beijing’s massive expansion of state media hasn’t quite worked as planned. But watch out for Xinhua’s growing global deals.

American Horror Stories Aren’t Just Cinematic
A new history ties the genre to U.S. atrocities—not always convincingly.

No Justice. No Peace.
Post-apartheid South Africa remains steeped in the “rainbow nation” ideals of reconciliation and forgiveness—but it has never truly reckoned with accountability.

How the U.S.-Chinese Technology War Is Changing the World
Washington’s crackdown on technology access is creating a new kind of global conflict.

The Solution to Climate Change Isn’t Demilitarization
A new book argues that the Pentagon drives carbon emissions worldwide but ignores inconvenient realities.

Only an Absolute Bureaucracy Can Save Us
The West will only restore its stability when civil servants are again devoted to the public rather than themselves.

Is Longtermism Such a Big Deal?
William MacAskill’s “What We Owe the Future” was endorsed by Elon Musk and has fueled a movement, but is it all that revolutionary, really?

The Journalist and the Murderer
A new book investigates the death of veteran Mexican crime reporter Regina Martínez Pérez—with a surprising conclusion.

How Putin Came to Fear ‘Color Revolutions’
A new graphic novel reexamines the Russian leader’s biography—with lessons for the present.

Xi’s First Steps in Power Signaled His Political Turn
Elites were uncertain about the new leader’s growing power.

How ‘Screw Your Optics’ Became a Far-Right Rallying Cry
White supremacist terrorists have taken a page from the Islamic State’s playbook—discarding concerns about image and embracing shocking displays of public violence.

The 1980s Are Buried but Not Dead in China
A new history explores an intense period of hope, reform, and death.

Will Xi’s Paranoia Defeat Him?
The Chinese leader has taken security worries to a new level.