Start with high-confidence international relations books, then narrow by subgenre or adjacent topics.
The Arc of a Covenant
Walter Russell Mead
Chokepoints
Edward Fishman
Unthinkable Revolution in Iran
Charles Kurzman
Damned Nations
Samantha Nutt
Leaders and Their Followers in a Dangerous World
Jerrold M. Post, Alexander George
Clouds of Secrecy
Leonard A. Cole, Alan Cranston
Inside a U.s. Embassy
Shawn Dorman
Omnicide
Jason Bahbak Mohaghegh
Fidel Castro: My Life
Ignacio Ramonet, Fidel Castro
Far and Away
Andrew Solomon, Simon & Schuster Audio
The Middle East Water Question
Tony Allan
Rebel Island
Jonathan Clements
