UKC

Hi All,

I've decided with all the recent developments in the past couple of years (Russia, Greece, ISIS etc.) it's time I learned a bit more about what's going on in the world, whats happened in the past and where everyone fits. I'm thinking things like key/ongoing conflicts, who does what, who likes who etc.

I'm already reading things like The Times and The i, but i suppose I'm looking for some historical context for more recent events.

I'd be really grateful if anyone could point me in the direction of some easy to understand, summary type rescources for leaning this.

Thanks in advance,

Dervey

In reply to Dervey:

For a history of the latter part of the 20th century up to and including the dissolution of the Soviet Union, I'd recommend Tony Judt's "Post War".

In reply to planetmarshall:

Thanks very much, I shall look into it.

In reply to Dervey:

I have an MA in International Relations, which I studied partly because of an interest in the subject.

To get an overview of recent history I would thoroughly recommend the following:

In Europe - brilliantly accessible history of 20th century Europe (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Europe-Travels-Through-Twentieth-Century/dp/0099516...

Andrew Marr's A History of Modern Britain - Marr is a good writer and this gives a good precis of C20 UK politics (http://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Modern-Britain-Andrew-Marr/dp/0330511475/re...

The Right Nation - Why America is Different - Interesting analysis of why the US has become increasingly conservative, about 10 years old now, and slightly less relevant after some of the progressive policies forced through by the Obama administration but, come 2016, we might have another Bush in the White House... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Right-Nation-Why-America-Different/dp/0141015365/re...

The Globalization of World Politics - actually a textbook but a well written one that gives a good overview, you can get an older edition for about £5 second hand. (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Globalization-World-Politics-Introduction-Internati...

(if you can't face the textbook above, the little 'Brief Introduction' books are pretty good)

Then, depending on where your interest lies, I'd recommend the following:

US politics: US Foreign Policy - another text book but another good one (http://www.amazon.co.uk/US-Foreign-Policy-Michael-Cox/dp/0199585814/ref=sr_...

Aid and development: War Games - pretty harrowing take on the value and application of aid (http://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Games-Story-Modern-Times/dp/0670919772/ref=sr_1...

Pakistan, Afghanistan etc - Pakistan on the Brink, or anything by Rashid (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1846145856?psc=1&redirect=true&r...

And of course, anything by Noam Chomsky, though he can be a bit dry...

Hope that's of some use.

In reply to Dervey:

I'm currently reading The Establishment, Owen Jones which gives an interesting left wing recent overview.

In reply to Edradour:

Wow, thanks for such a detailed reply! I'll certainly get a couple of the book you mention.

In reply to philipivan:

Cheers. A other one to add to the list.

In reply to Dervey:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0300205228?keywords=russia&qid=14362...

This is a good book about Russia - it just needs updating...

In reply to Dervey:

No one recommending political philosophy as a start?

Before hitting the history, I'd get think about a look at (even in condensed versions, perhaps especially in condensed versions) some Hobbes, Marx, Locke, Rousseau and Machiavelli and even Khaldun for a less European view.

Once you can then begin to understand different views on what the state is, the relationship between the governed and the governing, why the whole state-thing exists and then how states can coexist, then you can start learning how they've managed to ignore most of the good ideas and just get on with it (ie history).

Good luck!

And for contemporary stuff, do nothing without the Economist. Screw newspaper, go for deeper analysis over weeks and months rather than hours.

In reply to Dervey:



I generally rely on TobyA to put me right.

In reply to Dervey:
Someone mentioned the Baylis Smith and Owens textbook Globalization of World Politics. That's useful but I prefer Edkins and Zehfuss Globel Politics
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Global-Politics-A-New-Introduction/dp/041543131X
It focuses on the questions people ask rather than providing overviews of theories and issues. It's not a super-easy intro though so may be pitched beyond what you are looking for. (I'm a Prof and have taught world politics for many years)

In reply to Edradour:


I find a gin or two helps, moisten Chomsky

In reply to Dervey:


That's a big ask. 'easy to understand' and 'summary' will nearly always contain a huge amount of bias and assumption, which won't be at all clear to you if you take that approach because you won't gain any in-depth understanding of what's involved.

If you want a Western European take on these things that does try to be as objective as is possible within the parameters of our own civilisation, then I'm not aware of anything recent that equals the work of Arnold Toynbee:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Study_of_History

https://archive.org/details/studyofhistory5018264mbp

In reply to Dave Garnett:


You sweety. Come September I'm going to be teaching Religious Studies (but it seems of the A level syllabus it's mainly just Philosophy I'm teaching) and Sociology so I'm swotting up on them this summer and some international relations stuff will slide as a result, but for Dervey, I think Andrews suggestion of the Economist is a good - I don't read the finance and business sections, just the news but it really covers places that rarely get mentioned elsewhere. If you can afford to buy it weekly (I now just have the E-versions as reading it on my phone is actually much easier than carrying the paper version around with you, which I did for years.

My top tip would be start listening to podcasts - you can get on with all of life's boring tasks whilst doing some "background reading" (ok, so listening really). World Service obviously has a more international perspective than domestic BBC radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02nq0lx/episodes/downloads although there are plenty of good Radio 4 programmes to podcast - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qjlq Another really good one from the ABC in Australia is http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/rearvision/ It's a bit random what they focus on, but in a good way. Then they really focus on that issue and give time for real experts to explain the background, nuance etc. I'm interested in American politics so listen to quite a lot of podcasts from the US. They tend to be rather US focused of course, but that's fine as that's international news to me! This one is quite fun http://www.slate.com/articles/podcasts/gabfest.html (but I've listened for a decade or so now I guess, so its a bit like listening to old mates argue in the pub). This from NPR is good round up every friday of some decent journalists discussing the big US and then international news stories each week http://thedianerehmshow.org/topic/friday-news-roundup

I subscribe to all those show via itunes though, so it just downloads a new edition of each podcast whenever it comes available. It all starts of as a random jigsaw but as you understand more you suddenly start seeing how what is happening in one country is connected or impacting on what is happening in another.

Regardless of what you think of it, being British it is well worth reading some introductory stuff on the EU - why and how it started, how it actually works, what it does etc. The UK media really doesn't cover it very well but its really important to how Britain acts in the world more widely.

Good luck!

In reply to ericinbristol:


Oh, interesting! What areas do you focus on?

In reply to All:

Thanks for some really great rescources there guys, can't wait to get stuck in. Especially the podcasts which I can just stick on in the office.

In reply to TobyA:

Sorry, just spotted your post. Have worked on a wider range of international security issues: crisis behaviour, spread of military technology, economic sanctions, occupation of Iraq, propaganda and deception. Currently heavily focused on work related to promoting Somali-led development in Somalia/Somaliland

In reply to ericinbristol:


That's really interesting. I used to try and follow Somali politics during the period of the Ethiopian occupation and the rise of the Islamic Courts Union when I worked at a think tank in Helsinki. We used to sometime host Somali themed seminars and the like occasionally and getting people in from Somali community was always fascinating. Probably a bit like Kashmiri politics in places like Birmingham or Bradford in the 70s, what to white Finns tended to be this undifferentiated mass - "the Somalis" was amazingly fractured and politicised internally, at least with the actual immigrants (as opposed to their Finnish-born kids). You got the feeling sometimes that the politics of 80s that led up to the civil war are still being argued out in Helsinki, Leicester and Minneapolis, while what was happening in Mogadishu and Hargeisa at that time was less important. Although I guess that was the best part of a decade ago now and things are changing with so many diaspora returnees setting up businesses and the like.

Is the research making you optimistic for Somalia's (and maybe Somaliland's) future?

In reply to TobyA:

Your observations are spot on and well informed. Where I am coming from is that there great difficulties but also many opportunities to do good work with Somalis and far too much of the aid industry is exploitative and wasteful: I do research and impact activities to counter that.