General FAO Reading List

I have a much broader FAO reading list broken down by location/themes here.

GENERAL

A Force More Powerful by Peter Ackerman and Jack Duvall.

A Prince of Our Disorder: The Life of T. E. Lawrence by John E. Mack

Arts of Power: Statecraft and Diplomacy (Cross-Cultural Negotiation Books) by Charles W. Freeman

Exporting security: International Engagement, Security Cooperation and the Changing Face of the U.S. Military by Derek S. Reveron

Force and Statecraft by Gordon A. Craig and Alexander L. George

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher

Guide for Participants in Peace, Stability and Relief Operations edited by Robert M. Perito

Guns, Germs and Steel by Diamond.  Posits the strong influence of geography on development.

How Wars End: Why We Always Fight the Last Battle by Gideon Rose

Making War and Building Peace: U.N. Peace Operations by Doyle and Sambanis, 2006.   Statistical analysis of trends leading to success and failure in Peace operations.

*Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes.  My review on Amazon is available here and my full FUUO review is available here.  My two sentence summary:  We spend a disproportionate amount of time studying the facts, tactics, techniques and history of wars. I add this novel to my "must read for FAOs" list because it adds something missing: CONTEXT and TEXTURE.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph by T. E. Lawrence

Stillwell and the American Experience in China by Barbara Tuchman.  Recommended by Hoyawolf:

Perhaps the consummate soldier/diplomat who went from Attaché to Theater Commander in WWII.

Strategy for Sustainability: A Business Manifesto by Adam Werbach

The Admiral: The Memoirs of Albert Gleaves, Admiral by Albert Gleaves

*The Diplomat’s Dictionary by Chas W. Freeman, Jr.

The Future of Power by Joseph Nye, 2011.  

The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything by Stephen R. Covey

*The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell

The Ugly American by William J. Lederer

*The Ultimate Weapon is No Weapon: Human Security and the New Rules of War and Peace by Shannon D. Beebe and Mark Kaldor

United States Protocol: The Guide to Official Diplomatic Etiquette by Mary French

On the Value of FAOs--A Report by IDA

On the Value of FAOs--A Report by IDA

A new report out on the Strategic Value of Foreign Area Officers.

President Obama's Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa

Yikes, I meant to post this at the beginning of the summer when it was released.

Obama's Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa

         This strategy was no doubt written influenced by former special assistant to the President and Senior Director for Africa on the National Security staff Michelle Gavin.  She paid her dues there and is currently the Ambassador to Botswana--famously described to me as England with elephants.  Her educational background is impressive, although I always wonder what African nations think when they get an ambassador who was a Rhodes Scholar.  As you may or may not know Cecil J. Rhodes was a notorious racist--perhaps educating future leaders (like Amb. Gavin) can begin to repair some of the damage done by Rhodes, although I acknowledge that there is no way to ever do this totally but building relationships is a good place to start.

Summary below from a colleague:
On 14 Jun 12, the Obama Administration released a U.S. Strategy toward Sub-Saharan Africa (see attached). The strategy details four pillars

1. Strengthen democratic institutions
2. Spur economic growth, trade, and investment
3. Advance peace and security
4. Promote opportunity and development

These priorities are quite similar to the ones President Obama listed in his July 2009 speech to the Ghanaian parliament and that were articulated in more in-depth by other members of his Administration such as Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Johnnie Carson:

1. Strengthen democratic institutions and protect the democratic gains made in recent years in many African countries
2. Promote and advance sustained economic development and growth
3. Strengthen public health*
4. Work with African states and the international community to prevent, mitigate, and resolve conflicts and disputes*
5. Deepen cooperation with African states to address both old and new transnational challenges*

* Priority #3: “Strengthen public health” is now included under ”Promote opportunity and development,” and Priorities #4 and #5 are now included under “Advance peace and security.”