Our interviews covering the best books on war and conflict. On general themes, Michael Howard chooses his best books on war, while Jeremy Black focuses on the history of war. Rose McDermott, Professor of International Relations at Brown, talks about the psychology of war and military expert Antulio Echevarria II talks about military strategy. Journalist Martin Bell discusses reportage and war; Kate McLoughlin, Professor of English at Oxford, the best war writing; Gayle Lemmon, women and war.
We have a lot on the global conflicts of the early 20th century. Andreas Wesemann chooses his best books on the European civil war 1914-1945, historian James Holland discusses perspectives of World War II and Anna Reid talks about the siege of Leningrad. Historian Simon Ball chooses his best books on El Alamein and Paul Preston, biographer of Franco, looks at the Spanish Civil War. Author and historian Keith Lowe looks at the aftermath of World War II.
We also have a rich batch of interviews around current geopolitical conflicts. Professor Audrey Kurth Cronin looks at terrorism and Malise Ruthven looks at Islamism. Jason Burke chooses his best books on Islamic militancy and Patrick Cockburn his best on the Iraq war. Peter Beinart discusses post-9/11 America and Marc Lynch looks at the origins of the Arab uprising. Professor Hugh Gusterson chooses his best books on drone warfare.
On settling conflict without fighting, or dealing with the aftermath of conflict, Professor Colleen Murphy looks at transitional justice. Journalist and author John Gittings chooses his best books on peace. Michael Palliser chooses his best books on diplomacy and David Cortwright chooses his on non-military solutions to political conflict. Patrick Kingsley talks about refugees, as does David Miliband. Shahram Khosravi chooses his best books on the refugee experience.
The best books on Veterans, recommended by Phil Klay
While many of us in the West commemorate the contribution of war veterans and the soldiers who lost their lives on our behalf, there’s also a tendency to see war as something distant and unconnected with our daily lives. Here Phil Klay, veteran of the US Marine Corps and award-winning novelist, recommends books that help bridge that gap—and capture the complicated relationship between soldiers and the societies on whose behalf they fight.
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1
The Cold War: A World History
by Odd Arne Westad -
2
For the Soul of Mankind: The United States, the Soviet Union, and the Cold War
by Melvyn P Leffler -
3
Russia and the Idea of the West
by Robert English -
4
The Enigma of 1989: The USSR and the Liberation of Eastern Europe
Jacques Lévesque (trans. Keith Martin) -
5
Reagan and Gorbachev
by Jack Matlock
The best books on The Cold War, recommended by Archie Brown
The best books on The Cold War, recommended by Archie Brown
American military and economic superiority cannot explain why the Cold War came to an end in the late 1980s and early 1990s. According to the historian Archie Brown, you need to accept the primacy of politics and human agency both in the USSR and the West. He chooses five books to understand the Cold War and offers some broader reflections on the qualities of good political leadership—then and now.
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1
Auschwitz and After
by Charlotte Delbo -
2
Man's Search for Meaning
by Viktor Frankl -
3
The Search: The Birkenau Boys
by Gerhard Durlacher -
4
The Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial, 1963-1965: Genocide, History and the Limits of the Law
by Devin O Pendas -
5
Underground in Berlin: A Young Woman's Extraordinary Tale of Survival in the Heart of Nazi Germany
by Marie Jalowicz-Simon
The best books on Auschwitz, recommended by Mary Fulbrook
The best books on Auschwitz, recommended by Mary Fulbrook
Why were so few of the Nazis involved in running Auschwitz brought to justice? Why did some Germans during the Holocaust risk death to hide Jewish people from Nazi persecution, while others were passive bystanders? Historian Mary Fulbrook—author of Reckonings, which won the 2019 Wolfson History Prize—recommends essential reading for understanding Auschwitz and its aftermath.
The best books on Popular Uprisings, recommended by Robert Poole
Under what conditions do popular uprisings end in massacres? What's the best way for someone protesting against a government to get what they want? Robert Poole, Professor of History at the University of Central Lancashire and author of Peterloo: The English Uprising, recommends the best books on uprisings.
The best books on War, recommended by Cécile Fabre
If killing is wrong, how can going to war be justified? Is it always wrong to kill civilians? If a Nazi soldier were billeted in your home, should you respond when he greets you? Philosopher Cécile Fabre chooses Five Books that help explore the profound ethical dilemmas of war.
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Transitional Justice
by Ruti G Teitel -
2
A Human Being Died That Night
by Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela -
3
Atrocity, Punishment, and International Law
by Mark A Drumbl -
4
Imperfect Justice: An East-West Diary
by Inga Markovits -
5
Brothers of the Gun: A Memoir of the Syrian Civil War
by Marwan Hisham and Molly Crabapple
The best books on Transitional Justice, recommended by Colleen Murphy
The best books on Transitional Justice, recommended by Colleen Murphy
When a period of war or oppression draws to a close, how should a country face up to past wrongdoing while creating a future free of conflict? Colleen Murphy—professor of law, philosophy and political science at the University of Illinois—discusses five books that examine the issues at the heart of ‘transitional justice.’
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How Statesmen Think: The Psychology of International Politics
by Robert Jervis -
2
Demonic Males: Apes and the Origins of Human Violence
by Dale Peterson & Richard Wrangham -
3
Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging
by Sebastian Junger -
4
Sex and World Peace
by Bonnie Ballif-Spanvill, Chad Emmett, Mary Caprioli & Valerie Hudson -
5
Thinking, Fast and Slow
by Daniel Kahneman
The best books on The Psychology of War, recommended by Rose McDermott
The best books on The Psychology of War, recommended by Rose McDermott
Traditionally, the study of international relations has been about institutions, not individuals and the psychology that motivates them. But that is changing. Rose McDermott, professor of international relations at Brown University, introduces the work of Robert Jarvis and others pioneering the field of ‘political psychology.’
The best books on Military Strategy, recommended by Antulio Echevarria II
Texts about military strategy take us back into the mists of time but what it is, and what the nature of war is, remains hotly debated. Antulio Echevarria II of the US Army War College talks us through key books, both old and new, on military strategy.
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Pendulum Of War: Three Battles at El Alamein
by Niall Barr -
2
The Desert War: The Classic Trilogy on the North African Campaign 1940-43
by Alan Moorehead -
3
Rommel
by Desmond Young -
4
Montgomery and the Eighth Army
by Bernard Montgomery and Stephen Brooks (ed) -
5
The Most Dangerous Enemy: A History of the Battle of Britain
by Stephen Bungay
The best books on El Alamein, recommended by Simon Ball
The best books on El Alamein, recommended by Simon Ball
Churchill hailed the Allied victory at the Battle of El Alamein as “the end of the beginning” for Hitler in World War II. But in that very same speech, he downplayed its significance. Historian Simon Ball separates clichés from facts and chooses the best of the vast number of books written about El Alamein, the Desert War and World War II in general.
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The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge
by David McCullough -
2
Wilderness At Dawn: The Settling of the North American Continent
by Ted Morgan -
3
The Story of American Freedom
by Eric Foner -
4
This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War
by Drew Gilpin Faust -
5
In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette
by Hampton Sides
The best books on American History, recommended by Brent Glass
The best books on American History, recommended by Brent Glass
Which are the best books on American history? Brent Glass, Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, the world’s largest museum devoted to telling the story of America, chooses five standout books in a crowded field.
The best books on Refugees, recommended by Patrick Kingsley
Having trouble getting your head around the refugee crisis? New York Times reporter Patrick Kingsley, formerly the Guardian’s migration correspondent, chooses the best books on refugees. He explains his choices to Ziad Ghandour, himself a refugee from Syria.
The best books on Drone Warfare, recommended by Hugh Gusterson
The introduction of drones “makes possible perpetual war without costs”, warns the anthropology professor and security expert Hugh Gusterson. Here he selects the best books that examine their ethical, psychological and political impact upon 21st century warfare.
P W Singer and August Cole choose the best books on World War III
What will the next global conflict look like? Two of America’s leading defence experts, P W Singer and August Cole, turned to science fiction to explore the prospect of a future war, and how existing technology might be used in one. Here, they choose five novels depicting a fictional World War Three that served as inspiration.
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Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948
by Madeleine Albright -
2
City of Thorns: Nine Lives in the World's Largest Refugee Camp
by Ben Rawlence -
3
The New Threat from Islamic Militancy
by Jason Burke -
4
Not in God's Name: Confronting Religious Violence
by Jonathan Sacks -
5
Little Bee: A Novel
by Chris Cleave
The best books on Refugees, recommended by David Miliband
The Best War Writing, recommended by Kate McLoughlin
War writing extends to all sorts of genres, including blogs and Twitter. Oxford University’s Professor Kate McLoughlin, author of Authoring War: The Literary Representation of War from the Iliad to Iraq recommends some of her favourite books of war writing.
The best books on The Russian Revolution, recommended by Roland Chambers
The Russian revolution was the beginning of the modern age, says award-winning author Roland Chambers. He tells us what Solzhenitsyn imagined Lenin was like, and about the children’s author who led a double life as a spy in Bolshevik Russia.
Books on the Aftermath of World War II, recommended by Keith Lowe
Postwar Europe was a scene of both physical and moral destruction. Keith Lowe, author of the award-winning Savage Continent, recommends essential reading for understanding the sheer scale of suffering, dislocation and fighting after the war was over.
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Russia at War
by Alexander Werth -
2
A Writer At War: Vasily Grossman with the Red Army 1941-1945
by Vasily Grossman, translated by Antony Beevor and Luba Vinogradova -
3
Reflections on the Russian Soul
by Dmitry Likhachov -
4
Less Than One
by Joseph Brodsky -
5
Conversations with Stalin
by Milovan Djilas
The best books on The Siege of Leningrad, recommended by Anna Reid
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The Internationalists: How a Radical Plan to Outlaw War Remade the World
by Oona Hathaway & Scott Shapiro -
2
Homicide
by Martin Daly and Margo Wilson -
3
Statistics of Deadly Quarrels
by Lewis F Richardson -
4
Violent Land
by David Courtwright -
5
The Remnants of War
by John Mueller -
6
Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty
by Roy Baumeister
The best books on The Decline of Violence, recommended by Steven Pinker
The best books on The Decline of Violence, recommended by Steven Pinker
Our TV screens may be full of news about war and crime, but this masks a fall in historical terms in the number of violent deaths that’s nothing short of astonishing, says Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker. He tells us how and why this happened. (This interview was updated 17 December, 2020, to include books that have come out since it was published in 2011)
Books on the Refugee Experience, recommended by Shahram Khosravi
To understand what makes integration fail or succeed we need to know why migrants moved in the first place, says Shahram Khosravi, Professor of Social Anthropology at Stockholm University and author of Young and Defiant in Tehran and ‘Illegal’ Traveller.
The best books on War, recommended by Michael Howard
Fear is a great examiner of one’s character, argues the World War II veteran and eminent historian of war, Sir Michael Howard. He recommends the best books on war, two on strategy and three on what it’s actually like for soldiers and commanding officers.
The best books on The Korean War, recommended by Bruce Cumings
Before Vietnam, America fought in the Korean War—but its role in that conflict has been far less examined. Award-winning historian Bruce Cumings talks about the misconceptions many people still hold, and how they distort our understanding of the current North Korean regime.
The best books on Non-Military Solutions to Political Conflict, recommended by David Cortright
David Cortright, Notre Dame peace studies expert, identifies and rejects one of the myths about non-violent action: that it only works in liberal democracies. He outlines that non-violent protests can achieve their aims, that terrorism can only cease through negotiation, and that wars rarely have winners.
The best books on Who Terrorists Are, recommended by Jessica Stern
International terror expert Jessica Stern takes a close look at the mind of the terrorist. She explores why people are drawn to extreme violence and how, in many cases, terrorists can build their identities around ideologies that they hold in an ultimately shallow way