Need book advise (non-fictional, politics mostly)...!

[Ecthy]

Hi

Hopefully this thread doesn't get deleted, too

Interested in recent history and politics, I've been reading some stuff lately. It's easy to get recommendations on lefty literature, but that's always the same, and it doesn't help building a picture of the whole thing (talking most recent and current developments, mostly). So I thought I might have a look into some (mostly American) stuff that'd be considered more to the right or at least less anti-US then the crap you're advised to read in Europe. Following a list of books that I've put on a list, some of them might not fit in at all. Which of those, do you think, are most essential for a recent politics newbie?

Keep in mind I'm just a graduate student, so my budget is limited.

.
Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire
Chalmers A. Johnson (EUR 13,64)

Dreaming War
Gore Vidal (EUR 10,87)

The End of the American Era: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Geopolitics of the Twenty-First Century
Charles Kupchan (EUR 25,41)

Diplomacy.
Henry A. Kissinger (EUR 20,01)

The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers
Paul Kennedy (EUR 15,46)

- this one doesn't seem too recent in field of discourse, though, might be interesting, though...

Does America Need a Foreign Policy? Towards a New Diplomacy for the 21st Century.
Henry Kissinger (EUR 13,41)

The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives
Zbigniew K. Brzezinski (EUR 15,91)

- even Mr Todd recommended this one

Paradise and Power: America Versus Europe in the Twenty-first Century
Robert Kagan (EUR 14,92)

It basically adds up to who is the best right winger

Total sum of the above; €129+, slightly above what I have in mind for an average amazon purchase

[JohnT]

Those are your definition of right wing books?

[Ecthy]

As I have said, those are the guys that are more US-centered and less lefty than the ones you're recommended in Europe. And yes, Mr Brzezinski would be considered right wing on the ol' continent.

We all know that in order to be considered a right winger in America you have to be the devil himself

[Boris Godunov]

A great general overview of 20th Century history is J.M. Roberts' obtusely-titled A History of the 20th Century.

[Ecthy]

back in the Reagan days there was like a joke with latin Americans being asked what they think of Poles.

their reply: Poles are strange, and there are only 2 different types of Poles. Some are very good people, in fact the best people on Earth. The others are evil hellish scum.

Asked how they had come to that conclusion they answered they had deduced it from the only Poles they knew, Pope John Paul II and Zbigniew Brzezinski.

[Ecthy]

What's the author's general political leaning, Boris?

[JohnT]

I don't read "recent political" books, so I can't really give you a good recommendation here.

OTOH, if you want a good "right wing" history of the US, you can do far, far worse than Britisher Paul Johnson's A History of the American People.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Ecthelion
What's the author's general political leaning, Boris?

Fairly neutral, but being an Oxford don, I'd say he's rather conservative-leaning.

[Ecthy]

BTW, even right wingers should use some logic in their argumentation. I won't bother reading religious pamphletes.

[JohnT]

Originally posted by Ecthelion
What's the author's general political leaning, Boris?

Mr. Roberts is a Leftist, but he does a pretty good job of hiding it in his writings. But, sometimes, he just can't help himself and has to throw in a demonstrably untrue "fact" as he did in his History of the World where he baldly stated "Only the rich got richer in Reagan's America."

(The shame isn't that he felt that way (though it is wrong), it is that he did such a great job of objectivity for the rest of the book that the comment was really glaring.)

One thing that has struck me in regards to "left wing" and "right wing" histories is that the righties are always more optimistic, while the lefties can't stop wringing their hands.

[Ecthy]

Anyone got a real income chart for the US during the 80s?

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by JohnT
Mr. Roberts is a Leftist, but he does a pretty good job of hiding it in his writings. But, sometimes, he just can't help himself and has to throw in a demonstrably untrue "fact" as he did in his History of the World where he baldly stated "Only the rich got richer in Reagan's America."

Cite? I have Roberts' book right here, and I don't see this phrase at all when discussing the Reagan years. On the contrary, he seems to praise Reagan's "remarkable leadership" at several points.

At any rate, it is true that the gap between rich and poor widened considerably during the Reagan years.

One thing that has struck me in regards to "left wing" and "right wing" histories is that the righties are always more optimistic, while the lefties can't stop wringing their hands.

Blatantly untrue generalization. Funny how you accuse Roberts of being a leftist, but his epilogue is anything but grim.

I've read plenty of left-learning histories and political books that were quite positive in their outlook and conclusions.

[Ecthy]

History of the World = History of the 20th Century?

If not, can you recommend both?

[Boris Godunov]

They aren't the same. History of the World is a fantastic work, covering all of human history since early hominids. It is quite general, but feels almost like a novel in its expanse and reads very easily. It gives you a real sense of a shape and direction of history.

It is, however, 1100 pages, so not for the faint of heart!

The 20th Century one is a far more detailed look at the past 100 years. Also very well-written and insightful.

[JohnT]

Well, according to the Census Bureau, real (2001 dollars) wage growth was like this during the Reagan Administration:

Lowest Second Third Fourth Highest Top 5
Year fifth fifth fifth fifth fifth percent
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2001 Dollars

1989 9,679 23,989 39,876 60,318 117,911 190,503
1988 9,352 23,461 39,239 59,316 113,241 178,598
1987 9,190 23,223 38,826 58,687 111,610 175,840
1986 9,159 23,054 38,491 57,973 108,390 165,565
1985 9,096 22,485 37,242 56,007 103,310 155,254
1984 9,089 22,106 36,557 55,036 99,955 146,944
1983 8,833 21,575 35,584 53,393 96,617 141,534
1982 8,786 21,492 35,465 52,730 95,119 138,638
1981 8,995 21,556 35,603 53,033 92,894 132,239

I see income gains across the board. Hope you can read the table... if not, then check the original at http://www.census.gov/hhes/income/histinc/h03.html