Patterson School Summer Reading List 2011

[Cain]

Every year, the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce assign a number of books for professionals and academics in the sphere of global politics as "must reads", books which will keep them informed about the contemporary world.  The Patterson list has a twofold purpose. The first is to familiarize students with many of the most important issues in international affairs. The second is to ground students in the most important and relevant recent books on international politics. Thus, there is an effort to provide both objective and subjective expertise: what's happening in international affairs as well as what the most influential observers are saying about what's happening in international affairs. As would be expected, there can be some tension between these two objectives, as on the rare occasions when what the most influential people are saying makes little sense.   This summer's list was released a while ago, but I thought I'd post it here, since I've now read a few on the list and can say whether they're good or not.

This summer's list is:

C.J. Chivers' "The Gun"  - a history of the AK-47, from its humble origins to its near absolute dominance of the light machine gun market.  I personally rate this 4/5.  Chivers' reporting on the Libyan War in the NYT is well worth reading, as an aside.

Jason Stearns' "Dancing in the Glory of Monsters" - a history of the two Congo conflicts, from their starts in the Rwandan Genocide to the present day.  Absolutely brilliant, though it tails off a little towards the end.  4.5/5

Geoffrey Kemp's "The East Moves West" - pretty dry and boring.  In fact, reading Wikipedia is more fun that this discussion of Asian economic growth through the Central Asia/African "gap" into the West.

Javier Corrales and Michael Penfold's "Dragon in the Tropics" - haven't read, but apparently focuses on Latin America, a debate on economic development strategy and a discussion of energy security. 

Mahmoud A. El-Gamal and Amy Myers Jaffe's "Oil, Dollars, Debt and Crises" - also haven't read, but sounds very interesting, as it develops a theory I've been working on, that America and the world's growing dependence on oil has created a repeating pattern of banking, currency, and energy-price crises, and that the 2008 meltdown may have been linked to oil price inflation.

Paul Collier's "The Plundered Planet" - have not read, but want to.  It deals with the global mismanagement and exploitation of natural resources and how this impacts on a global level. 

Greg Mortenson's "Stones into Schools" - have read.  Mortenson is a fraud.  He was only officially caught out recently, but reading the book, it was obvious he did not know what he was talking about, as he totally misdescribes regions he apparently spent months travelling through. He somehow suckered the CIA and the COINdinista in the military, but then, that's not especially hard.  Nevertheless, it was left on the list for a good reason - to show how frauds can use international aid for their own benefit. 1/5

"The End of Influence," by Stephen Cohen and Brad Delong - I hate Brad Delong.  Cannot stand him.  Don't know why so many academics and Democrats in the US listen to him.  The thesis is uncontroversial and fairly obvious - America being broke means a loss of American influence abroad.  Quell surprise!

[LMNO]

*sigh*


Now I have even more books to read.


Was joke.  Thanks for the heads up, Cain!

[P3nT4gR4m]

I've completely given up reading books, now. I just read Cain!

Srsly, tho, I quite fancy a couple of these. Cheers for the heads-up

[Cain]

If you only read one, I would really recommend Dancing in the Glory of Monsters.  The Congo conflict was the largest war of the 1990s and the 2000s, and went on with almost no-one, outside of certain aid agencies and government departments, noticing at all.  And it shows how moralizing international politics is generally a bad idea - the Tutsi were shafted during the genocide, and I can totally understand their desire to go across into the DRC and string up the genocidaire Hutu, who were protected by Mobutu Sese Soko, the French and international aid agencies.  But it set in motion a chain of events which led to pretty much every country bordering the Congo (and it's a big country) invading, supporting rebel movements, carving the place up and getting rich off the spoils, while the average person in the street was subject to rape and murder on a scale not seen since WWII.

[Disco Pickle]

Mahmoud A. El-Gamal and Amy Myers Jaffe's "Oil, Dollars, Debt and Crises" - also haven't read, but sounds very interesting, as it develops a theory I've been working on, that America and the world's growing dependence on oil has created a repeating pattern of banking, currency, and energy-price crises, and that the 2008 meltdown may have been linked to oil price inflation.

That one sounds like the one that I'd be most interested in.  I have also thought that the 2008 crap out was closely linked to oil price but since most of what is out there blames it on banks it doesn't get much press or interest.

Thanks for the list.

[Freeky]

If you only read one, I would really recommend Dancing in the Glory of Monsters.  The Congo conflict was the largest war of the 1990s and the 2000s, and went on with almost no-one, outside of certain aid agencies and government departments, noticing at all.  And it shows how moralizing international politics is generally a bad idea - the Tutsi were shafted during the genocide, and I can totally understand their desire to go across into the DRC and string up the genocidaire Hutu, who were protected by Mobutu Sese Soko, the French and international aid agencies.  But it set in motion a chain of events which led to pretty much every country bordering the Congo (and it's a big country) invading, supporting rebel movements, carving the place up and getting rich off the spoils, while the average person in the street was subject to rape and murder on a scale not seen since WWII.

Jesus Hellfire Christ.

[Cain]

Those involved include:

Rwanda
DRC
Uganda
Burundi
Angola
Tanzania
Namibia
Chad
Zimbabwe
Central Africa Republic
Zambia

And at least two dozen different rebel movements including UNITA, AFDL, the Hutu Interahamwe and rebel Hutu military officers, the Mai-Mai, the RCD, MLC etc etc

They don't call it "Africa's World War" for nothing.

[Freeky]

People suck.


There's pretty much nothing else to say on the matter.

[Cain]

Mobutu was harbouring rebel movements that opposed many of those nations.  And was a raging dick.  Many of the above country's leaders, especially Tanzania and Uganda had good intentions - a new crop of African, democratic leaders were rising, and Mobutu was part of the old, corrupt system, and causing regional instability due to his support for the Rwandan and other rebels, and so had to go.

It just happened that, after they carved the country apart (mosty Rwanda, the first time around - and that is no mean feat given Rwanda is 1/90th the size of the Congo.  But then the Tutsi are Central African Spartans) they realized "hey, this place is pretty rich, you know".  And then came the sponsoring of pet rebel movements, the seizing of natural resources, the corruption of armies into enforcers for illegal trade in diamonds, colban, copper... and the violence that usually marks such gang warfare on an international scale.

[Juana]

Good lord. D: I think it's going on my wishlist anyway, because it sounds interesting.