12 Best International Relations Books
We analyzed 5+ expert sources, curated book lists, and recommendations from successful people to find the 12 best international relations books according to the internet — not just one person's opinion. Each book on this list was mentioned by at least two independent sources, and the ranking is based on how frequently each title appears across all sources studied. This consensus-based approach ensures you get recommendations backed by multiple experts, not a single reviewer's bias.
Goal: Find the best International Relations books according to the internet (not just one person's opinion).
Method:
- Search for "best international relations books" and study the top 5+ pages.
- Add only the books mentioned 2+ times.
- Rank the results neatly here.
12 Best International Relations Books
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Prisoners of Geography
Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World
Also recommended by
1 person
Fareed Zakaria recommended this bookFareed Zakaria
"Explains the world starting with geography." - Fareed Zakaria
Fareed Zakaria's recommendation of this book
Guns, Germs, and Steel
The Fates of Human Societies
Also recommended by
12 people
Joe Rogan recommended this bookJoe Rogan
"An amazing book." - Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan's recommendation of this book 
Bill Gates recommended this bookBill Gates
"Fascinating.... Lays a foundation for understanding human history." - Bill Gates
Bill Gates's recommendation of this book 
Charlie Munger recommended this bookCharlie Munger
Charlie Munger recommended this book in the "Poor Charlie's Almanack" book.
Charlie Munger's recommendation of this book 
Simon Sinek recommended this bookSimon Sinek
"Offers us a new and remarkably simple way of looking at our world." - Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek's recommendation of this book 
Daniel Ek recommended this bookDaniel Ek
"A brilliant Pulitzer Prize-winning book about how the modern world was formed, analyzing how societies developed differently on different continents." - Daniel Ek
Daniel Ek's recommendation of this book 
Jesse Williams recommended this bookJesse Williams
"Helped rid me of the nagging incompleteness in my understood connection between the successes and failings of ancient and modern civilizations." - Jesse Williams
Jesse Williams's recommendation of this book +6
More recommendations
- Stewart Brand
"The main [book by this author]." - Stewart Brand
- Patrick Arnold
"Gave a big eye opening on why certain people of the world are more advanced than others and behave a certain way, as opposed to just genetics and this person is smarter because of this or that." - Patrick Arnold
- Jamie Dimon
On Jamie Dimon's list of favorite books.
- Margaret Atwood
"Also does pandemics." - Margaret Atwood
- Mark Manson
Mark Manson recommended this book on his website.
- James Clear
"[One of] the 10 best nonfiction books of all-time." - James Clear
- Stewart Brand
The Great Transformation
The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time
Also recommended by
3 people
Satya Nadella recommended this bookSatya Nadella
"My father recommended this book long ago." - Satya Nadella
Satya Nadella's recommendation of this book 
Noam Chomsky recommended this bookNoam Chomsky
On the "Top 100 Books Referenced by Noam Chomsky" list.
Noam Chomsky's recommendation of this book 
Brad Delong recommended this bookBrad Delong
Brad Delong recommended this book in his website.
Brad Delong's recommendation of this book
Seeing Like a State
How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed
Also recommended by
2 people
Balaji Srinivasan recommended this bookBalaji Srinivasan
"There’s a sense in which the term 'real name' is a misnomer. A better term is a state name — a name which makes you legible to the state." - Balaji Srinivasan
Balaji Srinivasan's recommendation of this book 
Rory Sutherland recommended this bookRory Sutherland
"A fabulous book." - Rory Sutherland
Rory Sutherland's recommendation of this book
Arms and Influence
Diplomacy
Man, the State, and War
A Theoretical Analysis
Nations and Nationalism
The Best and the Brightest
The Oxford Handbook of International Relations
The Tragedy of Great Power Politics
War on Peace
The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence
Sources
- 1
My “top ten” books every student of International Relations should read – Foreign Policy
foreignpolicy.com
- 2
100 Best International Relations Books of All Time (Updated for 2021)
shortform.com
- 3
Beyond the classics: A fresh international relations reading list for students | Brookings
brookings.edu
- 4
Oxford Global | Top 10 Books About International Relations
oxfordglobal.org
- 5
10 Best Books of International Relations - Ranking Books
rankingbooks.com
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.
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