The Greatest Books of All Time on International Relations

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This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 759 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.

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Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
1750 The Making of the Atomic Bomb Richard Rhodes 1986 American English
2643 Perpetual Peace Immanuel Kant 1795 German German
4624 The Party Richard McGregor 2010 Unknown English
6165 Present at the Creation Dean Acheson 1969 American English
6224 Power Politics Martin Wright 1946 British Unknown
8094 Nixon And Mao Margaret MacMillan 2005 Canadian English
8636 The Dragon's Gift Deborah Brautigam 2009 Unknown English
8863 The Warrior's Honor Michael Ignatieff 1997 Canadian English
9548 Stilwell and the American Experience in China Barbara Wertheim Tuchman 1971 American English
9700 The Beautiful Country And The Middle Kingdom John Pomfret 2016 American English
9711 Common Security The Independent Commission on Disarmament and Security Issues 1982 Unknown English
10241 Putin's World Angela Stent 2019 American English
10367 The Life and Letters of Walter H. Page Burton J. Hendrick 1922 American English
10569 The Third Revolution Elizabeth C. Economy 2018 Unknown English
10748 The Frugal Superpower Michael Mandelbaum 2010 American English
10774 Not One Inch M. E. Sarotte 2021 American English
10921 The Economic Weapon Nicholas Mulder 2022 American English
11141 A Problem from Hell Samantha Power 2002 American English
11542 The Economic Consequences of the Peace John Maynard Keynes 1919 British English
11663 Thirteen Days In September Lawrence Wright 2014 American English
11663 Years Of Upheaval Henry A. Kissinger 1982 American English
11663 How War Came Donald Cameron Watt 1989 British English
11941 John Hay Tyler Dennett 1933 American English
11941 John Quincy Adams and the Foundations of American Foreign Policy Samuel Flagg Bemis 1949 American English
11941 Woodrow Wilson, American Prophet Arthur Walworth 1958 American English
11941 Memoirs George F. Kennan 1967 American English
11941 George F. Kennan John Lewis Gaddis 2011 American English
12326 Kissinger Walter Isaacson 1992 American English
12326 In Confidence Anatoly Dobrynin 1995 Russian English
12326 To End A War Richard Holbrooke 1998 American English
12897 The Mission Tim Weiner 2025 American English
12987 Chokepoints Fishman, Edward 2025 Unknown English
12989 The Hour Of The Predator Giuliano da Empoli 2025 Unknown English
13362 The Seersucker Whipsaw Ross Thomas 1967 American English
13524 Perception And Misperception In International Politics Robert Jervis 1976 American English
14458 The White Man’s Burden William Russell Easterly 2006 Unknown English
14544 The Great Illusion Norman Angell 1910 British English
14599 Interventions Kofi Annan 2012 Ghanaian English
14731 Destined For War Graham Allison 2017 American English
14985 Eon Greg Bear 1985 American English
17164 Munich Telford Taylor 1979 American English
17164 Pinckney's Treaty Samuel Flagg Bemis 1926 American English
17164 Between War and Peace Herbert Feis 1960 American English
17164 How Democracies Perish Jean François Revel 1983 French French
17164 Stuff Happens David Hare 2004 British English
17164 The Guardians Susan Pedersen 2015 Canadian English
17164 The Blood Telegram Gary J. Bass 2013 American English
17164 How The World Ran Out Of Everything Peter S. Goodman 2024 American English
17164 Never Ken Follett 2021 British English
17164 The Return Of Great Powers Jim Sciutto 2024 American English
17164 Diplomacy Henry A. Kissinger 1994 American English
17164 The Struggle For Taiwan Sulmaan Khan 2024 Unknown English
17164 Underground Empire Henry Farrell, Abraham Newman 2024 Unknown English
17164 Paper Soldiers Saleha Mohsin 2024 Unknown English
17164 The Lexus And The Olive Tree Thomas L. Friedman 1999 American English
17164 The Breaking Of Nations Robert Cooper 2003 British English
17164 Virtual War Michael Ignatieff 2000 Canadian English
17164 Appeasement Tim Bouverie 2019 British English
17164 Sea Power Admiral James Stavridis 2017 American English
17164 The Lumumba Plot Stuart A. Reid 2023 Unknown English
17164 Grand Delusion Steven Simon 2023 Unknown English
17164 The Lumumba Plot Stuart Reid 2023 Unknown English
17164 Colossus Niall Ferguson 2004 British English
17164 The Cellist Daniel Silva 2021 American English
17164 The Tragic Mind Robert D. Kaplan 2023 American English