Asia

Presidential adviser on Middle East and South Asian issues, former CIA officer and bestselling author chooses five books which explore the critical situation in Pakistan

Wendy Law-Yone says the same blend of megalomania and mysticism inherent in Burmese despots and witnessed in 17th-century Burma, that dynastic lunacy with delusions of divinity, is still in florid evidence today

Sean Turnell, a renowned expert on the Burmese economy, says Burma is more like Zimbabwe than Vietnam or China

The Pakistani author and professor describes the past and future of Pakistan, the influences of India, Britain, the US and Islam, via two seminal non-fiction works and three sweeping Pakistani works of fiction

Author and journalist Fatima Bhutto says that to understand Pakistan you must first fully appreciate the devastating impact of American foreign policy on the young nation.

The renowned sinologist and holder of the Legion D'Honneur reflects on Chinese attitudes towards life. Discusses the five books she feels gives the reader the best all-round appreciation of Chinese society

The author and Senior Conservator of the University of London's Senate House Library discusses books on Indian Journeys. Interesting selections that offer good insights into the authors themselves

The Bureau Chief for the Agence France Presse in Dhaka discusses South East Asian travel literature. Particularly interesting on Cambodia. Further recommended reading from Graham Greene and James Fenton

In 1968 Karl Marlantes was a 22-year old Rhodes scholar and did not have to go to Vietnam. He nonetheless joined the US Marine Corps, ending up with multiple medals but also lifelong PTSD. In this interview, he recommends the best Vietnam War books, exploring its moral ambiguities, the warrior mentality and the humanity of 'the enemy.'

The American writer has an obsession with recording Burma’s vanishing stories before the current regime's actions result in the rewriting of Burmese history. She chooses five books on the real Burma