A Few Book Recommendations
I have decided to periodically list books which I have found particularly useful and interesting. These recommendations are not in any particular order and will be fairly eclectic and thus not limited to any particular field or topic. So, for the first instalment:
1. Sovereignty in the 21st Century and the Crisis for Identity, Cultures, Nation-states and Civilizations by Gregory R. Copley. I mentioned Gregory Copley in the last post. As a highly active grand strategist, advisor and historian, his work is vital reading for those interested in understanding the geopolitical dynamics at play in the world and the wider national and international trends which will affect us all. One of the central themes here is the conflict between globalism and nationalism, a tension which the author sees at play throughout history. In the twenty-first century we are seeing the most significant structural change in society for many centuries, a major period of ‘cratometamorphosis’. Significantly, the pendulum appears to be swinging away from globalism, focussed in its power centres of large mega-cities, back towards nationalism and regional diffused power. Older forms of identity are returning. Thus the significant political milestones of recent times, from Brexit to Trump and the rise of nationalist parties across the world, take on wider historical meaning as nations seek to reassert their own sense of identity and sovereignty and thus, security. This one book is worth far more than most of the commentary on world affairs and trends that journalism has to offer.
2. Anabasis by Xenophon. Not just an important chronicle of classical Greek history, this is an excellent case study in leadership. The author, Xenophon (c.430 BC-355 BC), had quite a storied life and also wrote on a whole variety of subjects from history, philosophy, politics and military affairs to agriculture, hunting and horses. Here he details the Persian expedition, when ten thousand Greek mercenaries had been hired by Cyrus the Younger of Persia to help him seize the throne from his brother Artaxerxes II in 401 BC. When Cyrus was killed the Greek expeditionary force found themselves isolated deep within enemy territory. Xenophon was one of three leaders elected by the mercenaries to try and lead them back on the arduous journey home to Greece.
3. Sir Walter Raleigh by Philip Magnus. Again, a book I referred to in an earlier post, this is a highly engaging short biography of one of the most colourful personalities of a colourful period. Raleigh was a complex figure—a soldier, adventurer, explorer, poet, scientist and writer all rolled into one. Throughout his life he retained a boyish sense of adventure and a genuine thirst for knowledge and experience of life in all its variety. Magnus does well to capture the sheer charisma which carried Raleigh through much of his life as well as accepting those personal defects which contributed to his downfall. Elizabethan England was an intriguing place, standing on the edge of a closing era and on the cusp of another. As ‘an extraordinary flower of Elizabethan individualism’ Raleigh’s life offers a fascinating window into that world.
4. Hans-Adam II Prince of Liechtenstein by David Beattie. Readers will know Liechtenstein is a particular favourite topic of mine. By far the best overviews of the Principality in English are those written by the retired British Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, David Beattie. In 2004 he wrote a modern history of Liechtenstein and in 2020 he followed up with this excellent biography of its sovereign, Prince Hans-Adam II. This biography does very well to provide the essential national and family context before detailing the life of one of the most interesting heads of state of modern times. What makes Prince Hans-Adam so significant is his remarkable success in achieving his two main objectives: firstly to rebuild the family finances which had been devastated by the tumultuous events of the twentieth century and secondly to strengthen Liechtenstein’s position internationally and render it able to weather the fierce external storms and pressures of a rapidly changing world. A century ago Liechtenstein was a relatively poor agrarian country. Now it is one of the wealthiest countries in the world per capita and one of the most technologically developed. Prince Hans-Adam provides one of the best modern examples of how long-term strategic thinking can be applied practically and effectively. David Beattie knows his subject better than anyone and writes in a very engaging and informative way. General readers should find this very interesting. For the strategically-minded, however, I would say this book is essential.
5. The State in the Third Millennium by Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein. This is Prince Hans-Adam’s own contribution to political philosophy, in which he outlines his own vision as well as his expectations for the evolution of the state in the future. Modestly referred to by the author as ‘a cookbook of political recipes, gathered over centuries by my ancestors and over decades by myself’, the state in the third millennium is envisaged as a peaceful service provider, supplying those services which cannot be provided by private means. In his view, all states consist of monarchical, oligarchical and democratic elements. In modern times the oligarchical part (politicians etc.) has become too powerful so in order to properly counter-balance this it is necessary to strengthen the monarchical and democratic elements in the constitution. Hence the Liechtenstein reforms of 2003. Many libertarians and classical liberals admire the prince’s political views. Reading this it is not hard to see why.
6. Thrilling Cities by Ian Fleming. Everybody knows Ian Fleming as the creator and author of the James Bond stories. Thrilling Cities is a travelogue first published together in book form in 1963 and comprising a series of essays on a number of cities around the world which he visited on behalf of The Times during two trips, in 1959 and 1960. In order he visited Hong Kong, Macau, Tokyo, Honolulu, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Chicago, New York, Hamburg, Berlin, Vienna, Geneva, Naples and Monte Carlo. Each account details his personal experiences there, reflections on his observations as well as (sadly now dated) ‘intelligence’ on good restaurants and hotels. All the while we can see him absorbing the environment around him collecting the rich geographic source material which would provide the colourful backdrops to his fiction.