US Foreign policy

>>8740836
>Any recommendations?
No. All I can think of:
Avoid journalists, search for historians.

>>8740839
Well then are there any historians you would recommend? Doesn't have to be that related

>>8740836
Henry Kissinger - World Order
Ahmed Rashid - Descent into Chaos: The United States & the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan & Central Asia

This list might be helpful
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/11730.American_Foreign_Policy#3024831
Some of it is 20st stuff but you shouldn't let that discourage you - Diplomacy is a long term game, so it'll be good to understand the policy changes of the last 30 years.

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>>8740836
The making of an Atlantic ruling class
https://libcom.org/library/making-atlantic-ruling-class-kees-van-der-pijl

The political economy of U.S. militarism
http://www.kritisches-netzwerk.de/sites/default/files/ismael_hossein-zadeh_the_political_economy_of_u.s._militarism_palgrave-macmillan_2006_303_pages.pdf

>>8740839
This is shit advice. If you're looking for modern foreign policy you aren't going to find anything by historians of note by virtue of the best historians staying away because of the incomplete nature modern history often has. Also because commenting on modern foreign policy isn't history but political science.

Journalist are the best introduction. They at least layout a skeleton of a framework that when coupled with the generals, policy makers, and individuals directly involved in modern policy making begins a complete foundation.

OP look for the insider books by individuals who worked in the Clinton, W Bush, and Obama administrations and couple them with journalist writing on the topic.

>>8740909
Well anything you would recommend?

>>8740836
It is economics focused but;
Killing the Host - Michael Hudson

>>8740909
>This is shit advice.
True, to be honest I wouldn't bother with both journalists or historians. Because the latter just makes post hoc explanations to fit a narrative.

And of course, you shouldn't avoid journalists, just journalists in general. But anyway, I feel I have no credentials to speak of this. Should probably just shut the fuck up.

>>8740922
Yeah I'm skeptical of journalists myself. All the things I mentioned in the op are journalists trademarks.

>>8740913
My experience is only with the Middle East but there are a few books I think you should read.

The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy by John Mearsheimer (Rather biased but easy to sort the fact from assumption)

The Dark Side by Jane Mayer and the Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture (CIA torture and its development and use.

Why We Lost by Daniel Bolder (A Generals inside take on Iraq and Afghanistan)

ISIS Inside the Army of Terror by Michael Weiss (I've heard Black Flag is actually better but this was what was assigned to me in Grad school)

Decision Points by George W. Bush (The guy who did it all telling you why he did it all and who was involved in the crafting of 21st century foreign policy)

>>8740932
Thanks senpai. The middle east is my main point of interest actually.

>>8740930
You should really hack the military and read what they say themselves.

>>8740939
Then also add

The Al Qaeda Reader: The Essential Texts of Osama Bin Laden's Terrorist Organization

to the list.

>>8740875
>posting direct PDF links

You're the real VIP anon

>>8740836
Noam Chomsky- Understanding Power

Doesn't do away with moral indignation, but otherwise it fits the bill.

>>8740932
>ISIS Inside the Army of Terror by Michael Weiss
Michael Weiss is a fucking hack.

Read: The Rise of Islamic State: ISIS and the New Sunni Revolution by Patrick Cockburn.

>>8740836
Chalmers Johnson - Blowback

>>8741100
Lol couldn't PDF the thing, been looking for it for a while

>>8741105
Just buy it on amazon and be on the government watch list.

>>8741300
Fuck that, they monitor dissenter's porn preferences. The world doesn't need to know about my albino asian midget fetish.

>>8740930
I'm not a fan of journalists either, I can't understand the love for people like Chris Hedges. However, even worse than this is the number of international affairs books by "consultants" who slip between jobs in banking/business, the media, and policy institutes: they usually tell personal anecdotes, describe conversations they have had with "game-changers", and then draw massive conclusions from these stories. These books are airport-tier garbage.

Kissinger is actually a good choice, and so is Chomsky, although the latter has had a little trouble keeping up with the world for the past 5-7 years.

>>8741436
would a book by Kissinger truly be more "reliable" than one by a journalist?

>>8741498
>le Kissinger is evil and unreliable meme

This thread is not for you.