The World in Focus: Highlights from Foreign Affairs’ Best Books of 2025

Friday, 20. December 2025

Hamid Ali M.

As 2025 draws to a close, the literary landscape of international relations suggests a world largely preoccupied with its own history. The annual „Best of Books“ selection from Foreign Affairs, curated by the magazine’s editors and reviewers, offers more than just a reading list; it provides a diagnostic of the global psyche. If the selections for 2025 are any indication, the world’s leading thinkers believe that the only way to navigate the turbulent waters of the mid-2020s is to rigorously re-examine the maps drawn in the past.

From the psychology of Chinese leadership to the fragility of Western democracy and the unintended consequences of global capitalism, this year’s top titles prioritize deep context over reactionary hot takes.

The Return of the „Great Man“ Theory

A striking number of this year’s most acclaimed works focus on biography, suggesting that in an era of complex systems, individual agency still reigns supreme. The Editors’ Picks are anchored by Joseph Torigian’s The Party’s Interests Come First. By meticulously detailing the life of Xi Zhongxun, Torigian offers a „prodigiously researched“ window into the worldview of his son, China’s current leader, Xi Jinping. It serves as a reminder that the Chinese Communist Party is not a monolith, but a complex entity shaped by the personal histories of its members.

Parallel to this is Edward Luce’s Zbig, a chronicle of Zbigniew Brzezinski. Luce’s storytelling underscores how a single strategic mind can shape decades of history, from opening the U.S. to China to ending the Cold War. In a different vein, The Abiy Project by Tom Gardner dissects the rise of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, illustrating how the combustible mix of individual ambition and structural history can destabilize an entire region.

The State Under Siege

If there is a collective anxiety running through the 2025 list, it is the fragility of the modern state. In The Assault on the State, Stephen E. Hanson and Jeffrey S. Kopstein deliver a chilling warning: the global populist war against „unelected bureaucrats“ is not leading to liberty, but to a premodern form of rule where strongmen appropriate state power for private gain.

This erosion of institutions is documented viscerally in Our Dear Friends in Moscow by Irina Borogan and Andrei Soldatov. The authors trace the tragic arc of a generation of young Russians who drifted from global integration toward nationalist illiberalism, eventually supporting the war in Ukraine.

The theme hits closer to home in the United States section. Katherine Stewart’s Money, Lies, and God dissects the coalition of economic grievance and religious fervor that has destabilized American democracy. Meanwhile, Nick Troiano’s The Primary Solution offers a mechanical diagnosis, blaming partisan primaries for the radicalization of American politics. Together, these books paint a picture of Western democracy that is not dying from external conquest, but from internal decay.

The Economics of the Left Behind

The economic selections for 2025 move beyond stock tickers to address the geography of discontent. Paul Collier’s Left Behind is a standout, examining regions like South Yorkshire that have been devastated by centralized decision-making and blind faith in market correction. Collier argues that economic ruin is not inevitable, but a policy choice.

However, the list also invites debate. In Richer and More Equal, Daniel Waldenstrom challenges the fashionable pessimism of the age. He argues that, contrary to popular belief, the last century in the West has been defined by the democratization of wealth via pensions and property, rather than spiraling elite accumulation. It is a controversial, data-driven counter-narrative that forces readers to check their assumptions.

Technology, Espionage, and the Shadow World

Finally, the 2025 list highlights the hidden wiring of the world – espionage and technology. Patrick McGee’s Apple in China is essential reading for understanding the precarious decoupling of the global economy. McGee argues that Apple’s symbiotic relationship with Beijing not only created a trillion-dollar company but also enabled the rise of America’s only peer competitor.

On the clandestine front, history serves as a thriller. Vatican Spies by Yvonnick Denoël and Book and Dagger by Elyse Graham reveal how priests and humanities scholars became unlikely linchpins of intelligence networks during the 20th century. These books serve as a reminder that „soft power“ often has a very hard edge.

Conclusion

The Foreign Affairs Best Books of 2025 creates a mosaic of a world in transition. Whether examining the vanishing landscapes of India in Marginlands or the definition of „The West“ itself in George Varouxakis’s history of the idea, the takeaway is clear. To understand where we are going – be it toward a warmer planet, a more authoritarian order, or a new economic paradigm – we must first understand the decisions, huge and small, that brought us here.