Books on geopolitics
Looking for interesting books about geopolitics and macro
Going into the Oil industry soon and given the two are incredibly linked I was looking to find something cool
On my side I'd say The Prize is on the podium, but any other suggestion is appreciated
Mark Steyn has a few
A particular one that you'd personally recommend?
The Revenge of Geography!
Not sure how related to the oil industry these are, but the best geopolitics books I read during quarantine are:
The Ages of Globalization: Geography, Technology, and Institutions by Jeffrey Sachs
Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap? by Graham Allison
Do Morals Matter?: Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump by Joseph Nye
They seem to be interesting indeed! Thanks for sharing
Thucydides's History of the Pelopponesian War.
John Kemp is a Reuters UK Energy Analyst and his reading list on the topic is like a library catalogue. You are bound to find some gems in it. the link to his reading lists are on his Twitter feed. Highly recommend
Yep! Been reading Best in Energy for a while now... is great
Peter Zeihan's "Accidental Superpower" was interesting as @kuf135 noted.
Kissinger's books are good too, check "Diplomacy" for some history and "On China".
I liked "The King of Oil" about Marc Rich, more of a biography but there was a lot more related to geopolitics in it than I assumed there would be.
Ray Dalio's ongoing "The Changing World Order" that he releases a chapter of on LinkedIn every so often is great too for a historical perspective. However, I'm not sure how factual the analysis, wondering if anyone has thought about it more in depth.
A friend of mine is currently listening to "AI Super Powers: China, Silicon Valley and the New World Order" by Kai-Fu Lee, he likes it so far. He also recommended me to read George Friedman's "Flashpoints" which I haven't gotten around to yet.
Of course, it would also be very interesting to read "The Foundations of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia" by Aleksandr Dugin, though I'm not sure there are copies yet in English.
The Vandal’s Crown (includes some of George Soros’ story, and the “invisible hand” that topples government that try to fight the market ie prop their currency up).
For oil/gas producing countries, their natural resources might be the biggest thing going for them economically. You’ll learn about how system shocks affect domestic situations (political, social, etc) and how the global market reacts.
Peter Zeihan’s books - Accidental Superpower, Absent Superpower, Disunited Nations. Half the books are about energy markets, but from a geopolitical security standpoint not investment or business outlook perspective.
Not about current geopolitics but Will and Ariel Durants’ Lessons of History is only 120 pages and a classic on civilizations and human nature.
After over two decades in energy all I can say is keep reading! I’m always learning something new.
Below are some that I like:
Crude volatility by Robert McNally (This should be a must read for anyone involved in oil).
Thousand Barrels a Second. By Peter Tertzakian (nice history but crude volatility is a better use of your time)
Currency Wars by Jim Rickards (less oil more geopolitics)
Iran Rising by Amin Saikal (latest version) - this helps understand the Middle East. Iran is a key player and if all hells breaks out they will be involved.
Twilight in the Desert by Matt Simmons (he is a bit of a nutter and was wrong but understand what he was saying)
There was a recent report I read from a buyside shop... https://www.westernsouthern.com/fortwashington/insights/oil-is-down-but… Solid read kind of updates the peak oil supply model in a way that I’ve only seen a few people do. Out of consensus (for now). Also some commentary on geopolitics.
There is another group http://gorozen.com/ that I would check out their newsletters. Like the other link these aren’t deep dives on history and oil they are more of a red flag about today based on everything that has brought us here. If these guys are right, some form of super cycle is coming fast and COVID is a distraction.
Read IEA reports. It helps understand what “main stream” is thinking. However I find their analysis lacking and work highly politicized, much of it is garbage. However there are good pieces of historic information and data in their reports if you can access them. If not, aren’t missing much.
Great!! Many thanks
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