International Affairs - reading list for incoming grads

[botbot22]

Hey all,

 

Like a lot of the newcomers here at GradCafe over the last few months, I'm a recent applicant that will be enrolling in a program to get a Masters in International Affairs this fall. I've been out of Academia for about three years now, and am looking to get myself back up to speed so that I can hit the ground running when August rolls around.

 

I'd like to ask if anyone, either incoming grads, current students, or those already underway with their careers, have book recommendations to help everyone get back into the academic mindset for the coming year. I'll start with my recent reads I'd recommend:

 

Duty, by former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. An interesting look at the inner workings of the DoD, it's interplay with foreign policy decision making, as well as decision making processes of the outgoing Bush administration and early Obama administrations.

 

Hegemony Or Survival, by Noam Chomsky. A very Chomskyesque, highly critical treatise on modern American foreign policy. A good part of the book rehashes his views, with a smaller portion of the book feeling actually fresh. I wouldn't recommend it for someone who has already delved into Chomsky, but it's definitely a fresh and highly critical worldview for those who haven't experienced him

 

World Order, by Henry Kissinger. A very historical analysis of international order, with a fairly systematic explanation of the emergence of the modern nation state system. Kissinger is very forward looking with most of his analysis, laying down a good part of current international problems and laying down the terrain over these problems will be navigated.

 

The Quest, by Daniel Yergin. A very enlightening read about energy and energy security for those interested in the subject area. It's fairly cursory, and accessible for people who don't have a background in the area. Also highly entertaining and accessible.

 

Hope to hear some good recommendations!