College student seeks book recommendations (Saturday night vanity request)

"Intellectuals" by Paul Johnson.

Good choice!

However, I'm not sure if it specifically relates to foreign relations and diplomacy.

And don't you wish there were a second edition covering more modern "intellectuals"?

"So many books, so little time."

Ain't that always the truth!

Most of the books suggested so far appear to be largely books of political philosophy or broad historical records. If you are interested in good topical books on current issues in international affairs, you need look no further than the online bookstores of some of our DC Think Tanks. The books will generally reflect the political philosophy of their sponsoring instutitions, which will be a refreshing contrast to the books that your daughter's school is likely to have assigned. Here is a typical example as well as links to three of the major think tanks. You should encourage your daughter to explore these sites. (In addition to the great book selection, your daughter will also find thousands of topical articles, research papers and lecture notes reflecting non leftist perspectives.)

https://secure.heritage.org/bookstore/ProductDetail.cfm?id=10
Rethinking One China
John J. Tkacik, Jr.

"One China" poses a dilemma for American foreign policy. China says Taiwan is part of China; Taiwan says it is not. Meanwhile, the United States refuses to support either position. This American agnosticism is confusingly called the "One China Policy." The essays in this book look at the reality: that two separate countries now face each other across the Taiwan Strait. One is the emerging Chinese superpower on the Asian mainland, and the other is the young Taiwanese democracy in the island rim of the Western Pacific.

Rethinking One China
John J. Tkacik, Jr.

"One China" poses a dilemma for American foreign policy. China says Taiwan is part of China; Taiwan says it is not. Meanwhile, the United States refuses to support either position. This American agnosticism is confusingly called the "One China Policy." The essays in this book look at the reality: that two separate countries now face each other across the Taiwan Strait. One is the emerging Chinese superpower on the Asian mainland, and the other is the young Taiwanese democracy in the island rim of the Western Pacific.

http://heritage.org (conservative)

http://aei.org (neo-con)

http://cato.org (libertarian)

Here's another good one you might like. The Future of the United Nations Understanding the Past to Chart a Way Forward By Joshua Muravchik Posted: Friday, August 12, 2005 167 pages AEI Press (Washington) Publication Date: September 2005 Hardcover ISBN: 084477183X Price: $ 20.00 Add to Cart View the press release. Rocked by scandal and divided by the smoldering enmities unleashed by the Iraq war, the United Nations faces its most critical hour. The secretary general and other leaders have offered their recipes for reform; in The Future of the United Nations, Joshua Muravchik argues that only far more radical reforms can salvage the UN as a useful institution. The central cause of the UN’s failure, Muravchik says, is that it was structured as a proto world government, with the power to make “law” and enforce peace. Member states were asked to yield a measure of their independence in return for the protections that the UN would offer them. But Muravchik shows that this global “social contract” was a dead letter from the start, because the protections were illusory. Initially, this failure was traced to the Cold War. But in more than fifteen years since the end of the Cold War, the UN has functioned little better, proving that there is a deeper flaw in its architecture. If the world has been more peaceful since World War Two it is due to the farsighted international policies of the United States, not the peacekeeping of the UN. Today, fearful or jealous of America’s unique superpower status, some countries promote the UN as a counterweight to the United States. If they succeed, says Muravchik, the world will become a more dangerous place, especially for its most vulnerable citizens. Instead of elevating the discredited political functions of the UN, as most other reform proposals aim to do, Muravchik offers a completely different formula for change: Boost the humanitarian work of the UN, and reemphasize its role as a place where sovereign nations can exchange ideas and form coalitions in the face of common concerns, while stripping it of the pretensions of world government. Joshua Muravchik is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute studying the United Nations, neoconservatism, the history of socialism and communism, the Arab-Israeli conflict, global democracy, terrorism, and the Bush Doctrine.

I second "Reagan's War!"

You are correct - it doesn't exactly relate to foreign affairs, but its transcendent. People like Marx, who Johnson scathingly covered, ended up driving virtually all of the foreign policy of the 20th century.

And I completely agree, it would be nice to have a second edition that covers our modern "intellectuals". Interesting how we use that term to describe people that are basically ignorant and closed minded. Another one of life's ironies.

"Joshua Muravchik is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute studying the United Nations, neoconservatism, the history of socialism and communism, the Arab-Israeli conflict, global democracy, terrorism, and the Bush Doctrine."

OY! He's making me tired just reading about him ; )

Thanks for your great suggestions!

It might be a stretch but China, Inc by Ted Fishman is an interesting read about the economic impact of a single nation on the world scene.

I know others have mentioned this, but every American should be familiar with:
Witness by Whittaker Chambers
first published in 1952 but just as timely today.

For background, see the excellent:
Whittaker Chambers: A Biography by Sam Tanenhaus