Some Additional Suggestions

I was looking over some of the recommended books and was pleased to see the realist perspective strongly represented in those selections. I felt however that there are some other good books that should be considered as well, and I shall list them now.

1) The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China (including The Art of War) - Ralph D. Sawyer http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Seven-Military-Classics-of-China/Ralph-D-Sawyer/e/9780465003044/?itm=1
I would recommend this book for its insight into military science and Eastern strategic thought.

2) The Discourses - Niccolo Machiavelli
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Discourses/Niccolo-Machiavelli/e/9780140444285/?itm=1
While the Prince is the work that made Machiavelli famous, the Discourses is an important work to get a complete picture of Machiavelli's thought. Machiavelli provides a great deal of insight on a variety of issues ranging from religion, economics, diplomacy, the decision making process leading to war, as well as specific military strategies. The Discourses is an easy read, and since it is an analysis of Livy's history of Rome it should be read following a read of Livy's history (which its lengthy, but is extremely enlightening in its own right regarding history and politics) and can be insightful regarding the statecraft of a republican nation in the international arena.

3) Politics Among Nations - Hans J. Morgenthau
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?EAN=9780072895391&x=02012903
Although it is not the first work describing what some call "realpolitik", it is regard by many as the first to apply political realism to international relations in a comprehensive way. There are those that reject political realism, and have higher hopes for the prospects of humankind. However if you read books such as the two recommended above, along with others on the official list (History of the Peloponnesian War or The Prince being two) and agree with the messages of those works, you should definitely love Politics Among Nations.

4) Anticipating Surprise: Analysis for Strategic Warning - Cynthia M. Grabo
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Anticipating-Surprise/Cynthia-M-Grabo/e/9780761829522/?itm=1
This read is a little dryer than others as it was originally intended to be a training manual for intelligence analysts during the cold war. However, for the sake of studying geopolitical events, its a worth wild read because it introduces the system of indications analysis. Indications analysis, as its taught in this book, is important because to lays out a process by which one examines different events in a given country. One looks for meaning behind certain events, links different events together to paint a comprehensive picture, and then makes a prediction for the future based upon the preponderance of the various indicators. It would be difficult applying this system of analysis to non-state entities for the sake of the "War on Terror", however it will always be effective at studying the behavior of nation states for the purpose of rendering predictions.

5) Fighting The War On Terror: A Counterinsurgency Strategy - James S. Corum
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Fighting-the-War-on-Terror/James-S-Corum/e/9780760328682/?itm=1
This book I found to be extremely good for various reasons. Firstly, for the sake of American politics it is enlightening to know all of the problems the Department of Defense is having in recent times, and how this has been reflected in the botching of what should have been easy insurgencies to fight from the beginning in Iraq & Afghanistan. Secondly, the book is a great primer on the history and theory of insurgency. There are inherent differences between the nationalist and communist driven anti-western Insurgencies of the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s and the ethnic-nationalist and religious insurgencies that we see so commonly today in the developing World. I won't go into to much detail, but the book describes how there are different motivations for insurgencies will lead to different ways insurgent groups are structured, and subsequently how a given nation state must counteract the insurgency.

There are many other books I won't get into right now. The ones mentioned above are some of my favorites with Geopolitics in mind (in addition to those on the official list; Thucydides, On War, Prince....etc). I hope if someone reading this list does take the time to look into those works, which I have recommended, finds them as interesting as I have.

- Garinold