Books like The History of the Peloponnesian War — picked by fans

The book is a visionary meditation on the geopolitical and ethical dimensions of space infrastructure.

Published in the 1970s, the novel’s space elevator foreshadows today’s debates on lunar governance and orbital access. As I have long argued, if outer space becomes critically unsafe, it will not be selectively unsafe, but will be unsafe for all states and private corporations, without exception.

That is why Arthur C. Clarke’s story touches a nerve for me: it reminds us that access to space must be anchored in multi-sum security and sustainable governance. In an age when the Moon and low-Earth orbit are emerging theatres of strategic competition, this novel is a powerful reflection on the need for collective stewardship of our shared celestial environment. Transformational capabilities and disruptive technologies must be globally inclusive.

Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio dismantles the false divide between biology and culture.

He shows how emotions and the biological drive for balance are at the core of human behavior, values, and institutions. He helps us understand the hidden architecture of global affairs: beneath ideology and strategy lie emotional imperatives that shape cultures and geopolitics. 

Damasio affirms the centrality of human dignity as an evolved need rather than a political abstraction. His insights help illuminate why rational actors on the world stage often behave in ways that reflect fear, pride, or hope more than calculated interest.

His work also aligns with my belief that humans are Emotional Amoral Egoists: human behaviour is driven by emotional impulses, amoral actions, and egoism, in which individuals or states make decisions based on personal self-interest and power rather than ethical principles.

In this meticulously researched book, Farrell and Newman explore how the U.S. has reshaped the global economic system, using financial networks, supply chains, and digital infrastructure as instruments of geopolitical influence.

The book does a good job at highlighting the ways in which global systems are manipulated to serve strategic ends, often with profound implications for sovereignty and dignity.

I recommend this book because it provides a compelling look at how economic interdependence—a cornerstone of global cooperation—has become a subtle yet powerful mechanism for exerting influence and control. It echoes my long-held conviction that the complex web of global relationships is a dynamic arena for power struggles, where economic dependencies can be weaponised to serve political interests and strategic dominance.

As part of my English Literature studies, I was instantly taken by the desperation and reality of life for these very young men fighting in the trenches during WWI.

Even if poetry is not your preferred style, for anyone interested in military history, Owen’s poems describe the stark fear and appalling conditions for the soldiers and the clear incompetence of those in charge. 

They are hauntingly vivid in his descriptions of their existence and, of course, the inhumanity of war. It is particularly sad that he died as hostilities ended.

I recently reviewed this book for the nonfiction Author’s Association award. Presenting a different perspective on WWII in Europe, this is a factual story about the author’s father, Sam Hogan, as commander of a tank Task Force during the final stages of the war in Europe.

It is an interesting mix of details about the tactics and strategy of US tanks moving across France and Belgium to drive back the German front. It includes sobering reflections on the stifling conditions within the tanks, their vulnerability against a stronger, better-protected tank force, and the loss/ injuries of comrades as they continued to push forward against the odds.

I worked closely with David to edit the book for publication. It presents a different view of ‘Operation Safe Haven’ in Iraq during the first Gulf War. Intended to help protect Iraqi Kurds from being targeted by Saddam Hussain, it involved both military and volunteer personnel of different nationalities.  

It was written by one of the British volunteer engineers and, therefore, gives a different picture of how successful the project was. Much of the writing about Operation Safe Haven suggests it was a military success but neglects to mention the crucial role played by civilians who were seen by the Kurds as less of a threat than any military personnel.

They were able to get closer to individuals in the Kurdish community, so they played an invaluable role in keeping them safe. As with the other recommended books, it is good to see a different perspective on the reality of… show more.

I am sure many will remember seeing the news footage on TV showing the little boy standing next to Saddam Hussain during the first Gulf War. He was, of course, not there by choice, as he was actually one of the hostages being held at the time. It was an interesting propaganda exercise, especially as Saddam tried to encourage Stuart to get closer but he was clearly not having it! From a PR perspective, it was unsuccessful and was not accepted as a positive image by those in the West. 

This book is written by his mother and describes just how traumatic the experience was for all the family as well as all the other families held hostage at the time. As the final book in my selection, it completes the theme of the futility of war and its impact on the individuals closest to the action. 

I recommend A Philosopher Looks at Architecture by Paul Guyer because it illuminates how the built environment reflects the deeper forces that also shape international relations: identity, ethics, technological change, and our evolving understanding of human dignity.

Guyer’s exploration of architectural principles (good construction, utility, and beauty) reveals why societies design the spaces they do and how those choices mirror political power, cultural values, and collective aspirations. In an era when emerging technologies and new strategic domains are reshaping global order, understanding architecture as a philosophical and ethical practice becomes essential.

Guyer’s book reminds us that the structures we build, on Earth or beyond it, are expressions of what we prioritise and how we negotiate competing interests – making it a valuable lens on the forces driving world politics today.

Not a book about Thucydides, but a selection of the speeches – one of the most striking aspects of his approach to history is the way he includes set-piece debates, not so much as accurate transcripts of what was actually said as a means of exploring issues of war, peace, democratic deliberation and so forth. If you already own a copy of Thucydides, this may not be of much interest (unless you’re obsessive enough to compare Hanink’s translations with others), but if you’re new to the topic this may be a good place to start: the speeches are more accessible than the lengthy battle narratives, they’re the main basis for Thucydides’ reputation as a thinker about political issues, as well as the source of some memorable lines, and Hanink’s introduction does a good job of explaining all of this.

You have heard of the ‘Thucydides trap’ but have little or no idea what it is, or why it might be interesting or even important? I can think of no other acceptable substitute for reading the work of the man himself.

Thucydides was born into an elite Athenian family about 460 BCE (when Pericles was about 35). His firsthand contemporary history of the Peloponnesian War (431-404) is an all-time classic, a possession forever, drawn on heavily by both Roberts and Azoulay—and by me.

I happen to be able to read him in the original Athenian Greek (which I started learning at age 11), but most of us will need a translation. For us anglophones, I can’t recommend any other as highly as Dr Waterfield’s. Which is not only the most recent but also accurate, clear, and perfectly suited in tone and register to the gravity of the original, as well… show more.