Non-fiction
Money Beyond Borders
By Barry Eichengreen (Princeton University Press)
David Lubin says: ‘A very entertaining delve into the history of global currencies which correctly highlights the role that military power plays in determining which country gets to print the top currency. Bottom line: don’t hold your breath waiting for the end of dollar dominance, since credible alternatives to the greenback are few.‘
David is Michael Klein senior research fellow, Global Economy and Finance Programme
Empire of AI
By Karen Hao (Penguin)
Georgia Cole says: ‘Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand OpenAI and the forces shaping the AI industry. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and years of insider access, it is rigorously reported, compellingly written, and raises important questions about power, accountability and the human costs of the AI race.’
Georgia is a research associate, International Security Programme
The Coming Storm
By Odd Arne Westad (Penguin)
Andrew Payne says: ‘A pithy and eminently readable account of the lessons we might draw from the outbreak of the First World War to understand the current geopolitical moment and the threats of rising populism, nationalism and great power competition.’
Andrew is research director, Europe, Russia and the Americas Programmes
Thomas Aquinas on War and Peace
By Gregory Reichberg (Cambridge)
Marion Messmer says: ‘If, like me, you have recently been wondering what exactly Thomas Aquinas - the 13th-century theologian and philosopher - meant when he wrote about ‘just war’, Reichberg’s book provides a good contextualization of some of international relations’ fundamental theories and situates contemporary conflicts within Aquinas’s wider writings.’
Marion is director of the International Security Programme
Lula! The Man, the Myth and a Dream of Latin America
By Richard Lapper (Bloomsbury)
Christopher Sabatini says: ‘A readable and at times critical political biography of the centre-left president. The book traces the rise of the former union leader and founder of the Workers’ Party, his three terms (and counting) as president and his mixed legacy on Brazilian politics and its foreign policy.’
Christopher is director of the Latin America Programme
Without Prejudice: A Memoir
By Tidjane Thiam (Harper Collins)
Hubert Kinkoh says: ‘Thiam, now a prominent political figure in Côte d’Ivoire, charts an extraordinary journey from early personal and political upheavals to global finance. This memoir offers an inspiring lens on identity, leadership and belonging in today’s complex, transnational professional landscape.’
Hubert is Mo Ibrahim Foundation academy fellow with the Africa Programme
Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company
By Patrick McGee (Simon & Schuster)
James Kynge says: ‘Deeply researched, this book illuminates the bigger picture about how Apple became ‘captured’ by China, whose supply chain mobilizes a billion components a day to factories making the iPhone. Much of the geopolitical action in coming decades will be about how the West competes - or doesn’t - with China’s extraordinary industrial capacity.’
James is senior research fellow for China and the World with the Asia-Pacific Programme
The Elements of Power
By Nicolas Niarchos (Harper Collins)
Louise Kennedy says: ‘In this timely investigation into the global race for critical minerals, Niarchos traces the history of resource exploitation in the Congo to reveal the human, environmental and geopolitical cost of the green transition. Along with sharp analysis, the book offers personal insights from people living on the front lines of the mining industry.’
Louise is programme manager with the Environment and Society Centre
Ghost Nation: The Story of Taiwan and Its Struggle for Survival
By Chris Horton (Macmillan) Ben Bland says: ‘Taiwan is often framed as a bargaining chip between America and China, ignoring the island’s 23 million people and its contributions to the world as a de facto independent state. Horton’s in-depth reporting corrects this imbalance, telling Taiwan’s story from the perspective of its people and unique history, which have far less to do with China than Beijing would have us believe.
Ben is director of the Asia-Pacific Programme
The Future of Peace
By Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon (Canongate)
Yossi Mekelberg says: ‘Written by two activists and entrepreneurs - a Palestinian and an Israeli - brought together by the loss of loved ones in the conflict, this book documents their week-long journey across Israel and the West Bank exploring their histories, friendship and shared belief that peace is possible. It’s a breath of fresh air at a time when this seems more distant than ever.’
Yossi is a senior consulting fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Programme
The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley By Marietje Schaake (Princeton University Press)
Rowan Wilkinson says: ‘This book arrives at an important time in the story of unwieldy tech giants and their metamorphosis into political actors. With firsthand accounts, this former European Parliament member details her engagement with Meta, Starlink and other Silicon Valley players. It’s extremely digestible in illustrating the growing tensions between government, industry and individuals.’
Rowan is a research associate with the Digital Society Programme
Digging Deep: A History of Mining in South Africa By Jade Davenport (Jonathan Ball)
Christopher Vandome says: ‘This book traverses the formation of colonial institutions, ‘big man’ capital accumulation, extreme wealth development and the struggle against injustice and apartheid. Essential reading - not only for understanding the history of South Africa, but for our wider appreciation of the connection between resources, societies, money and power.’
Christopher is senior research fellow and lead on Chatham House’s Critical Minerals Initiative
Raising Hare By Chloe Dalton (Canongate)
Jessica Govier-Spiers says: ‘Dalton steps out of her life in the Foreign Office during the Covid pandemic to work from home in the English countryside, where she soon discovers an abandoned leveret. Her memoir takes you on her journey of discovering how to nurture this baby hare, deepening her connection to the nature around her.’
Jessica is projects manager, Africa Programme
Fiction
I am Pilgrim By Terry Hayes (Corgi Books)
Emma Ross says: ‘Though written more than a decade ago, this exhilarating and suspenseful spy thriller, which tells the story of one man’s race to save the world from Armageddon, still resonates today. Its core anxieties - biological threats, fragile and unprepared global systems, radicalization and moral grey zones in security policy - anticipate the post-pandemic and current geopolitical debates.’
Emma is director of the Global Health Programme
Jacaranda By Gaël Faye (Chatto & Windus)
Romane Dideberg says: ‘Spanning four generations of a Rwandan family, this novel explores the complexities of rebuilding one’s life after trauma and displacement. Different ways of dealing with collective memory confront each other in the quest to reinvent national cohesion after genocide, all against the vibrant backdrop of a modernizing Rwanda.’
Romane is a research assistant, Africa Programme
Life and Fate By Vasily Grossman (Vintage Classics)
Katja Bego says: ‘Though not the lightest read, Grossman’s magnus opus on how normal people can get caught in the maelstrom of history – the Second World War; Hitler and Stalin’s totalitarianism – is more relevant than ever.’
Katja is a senior research fellow, International Security Programme
My Cat Yugoslavia By Pajtim Statovci (Pushkin Press)
Meri Miettinen says: ‘The story of the Yugoslav wars is told from two perspectives: a Muslim bride in pre-war Kosovo and her son, a second-generation refugee in Finland who falls in love with a homophobic cat. It’s an intense, magical realist story about how war and displacement fracture identity across generations.’
Meri is programme coordinator, Europe, Russia and Americas Programmes
The Havoc of Choice By Wanjiru Koinange (Jacaranda Books)
Lisa Musumba says: ‘This novel follows the intertwined lives of a family as tensions are revealed against the backdrop of Kenya’s 2007 post-election violence. It spotlights how love, class divides, corruption and colonial legacies shape each character’s choices, and reveals how the country and its people try to hold together under pressure.’
Lisa is outreach and communications coordinator, Africa Programme
Pachinko By Min Jin Lee (Bloomsbury)
Chloe Sageman says: ‘First published nearly a decade ago, this epic saga spanning four generations begins in the early-1900s as Sunja, a young Korean woman, leaves her small fishing village with her child to build a new life in Osaka, Japan. Following her story through the Second World War and Japan’s rapid modernization, it powerfully explores the struggles, resilience and identity of ethnic Koreans living in 20th-century Japan.’
Chloe is senior programme manager, Asia-Pacific Programme
