The Debater’s Reading List

The CDI instructor team has compiled a list of foundational books and articles across the critical fields of International Relations, Economics, Law, and Philosophy. We hope these will benefit you in your journey as a debater, thinker, and scholar!

CDI Instructors Say: Our top three picks are 1. The Tragedy of Great Power Politics by John Mearsheimer, 2. Globalizing Capital by Barry Eichengreen, and 3. Global Political Philosophy by Mathias Risse. We hope you enjoy this reading list!

International Relations

CDI Instructors Say: You will find yourself in many debates about international relations and geopolitics, since they deal with some of the most important global issues. They also tend to touch on a variety of fields, including politics, economics, and ethics. These texts are great to give you a deeper foundation for these debates!

The Basics

  • The Tragedy of Great Power Politics by John Mearsheimer

  • Arms and Influence by Thomas Schelling

Advanced Theory

  • Man, the State, and War by Kenneth Waltz

  • Perception and Misperception in International Politics by Robert Jervis

Terrorism, Insurgency, and the Middle East

  • Leaderless Jihad by Marc Sageman

  • The Accidental Guerilla by David Kilcullen

  • What Makes a Terrorist by Allen Kreuger

  • The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright

Political Economy (IR Edition)

  • The Political Economy of International Relations by Robert Gilpin

  • The Choice for Europe by Andrew Moravcsik

Economics

CDI Instructors Say: Studying economics, especially through debate, really hones your critical thinking and helps you connect the underlying drivers between different issues. These texts can be challenging, especially those later in this list, but if you can take these on and understand them, you’ll be among the most well-read debaters.

The Basics

  • Globalizing Capital by Barry Eichengreen

  • Manias, Panics, and Crashes by Charles Kindleberger

  • The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson

Political Economy (Econ Edition)

  • States and the Reemergence of Global Finance by Eric Helleiner

  • States and Markets by Susan Strange

The International Monetary System 

  • The Dollar Trap by Eswar Prasad

  • Exorbitant Privilege by Barry Eichengreen

  • Capital Rules by Rawi Abdelal

  • International Monetary Cooperation Since Bretton Woods by Harold James

Finance 

  • House of Debt by Atif Mian and Amir Sufi

  • Fragile by Design by Charles Calomiris and Stephen Haber

  • The Shifts and the Shocks by Martin Wolf

 

Development Economics

  • Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson

  • The White Man's Burden by William Easterly

  • Poor Economics by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo

  • The Wealth and Poverty of Nations by David Landes

Law

CDI Instructors Say: There’s a reason many debaters eventually go to law school – debate topics often touch on the law! It’s tough not to when many issues require discussion of the role of government and the way society should be constructed. These texts are right in the debaters’ wheelhouse.

  • Democracy and Distrust: A Theory of Judicial Review by John Ely

  • Law's Empire by Ronald Dworkin 

  • The Concept of Law by HLA Hart

Philosophy

CDI Instructors Say: Philosophy underpins all debate topics; ultimately, they are at some level about what we, as humans, should do. It’s worth studying not just to help you win debates, but also to help you think more clearly about life – and to live a better one!

  • “Are we violating the human rights of the poor?” by Thomas Pogge

  • “Famine, Affluence, and Morality” by Peter Singer

  • Taking Rights Seriously by Ronald Dworkin 

  • The Marx-Engels Reader by (you guessed it...) Marx and Engels

  • Global Political Philosophy by Mathias Risse (good summary of major arguments you'll need in debate!)

  • Applied Ethics by Peter Singer 

  • Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault 

  • The History of Sexuality by Michael Foucault (Vol. 1)