DSS Required Books List

Required Books and Readings List, Fall 2024 Semester

DSS 601 Seminar on Nuclear Strategy and Arms Control (Trachtenberg)

  1. Keith B. Payne, “Chasing a Grand Illusion: Replacing Deterrence with Disarmament.” 2023
  2. Keith B. Payne, “Shadows on the Wall: Deterrence and Disarmament.” ISBN-13: 978-0-9855553-2-0.
  3. Keith B. Payne, “The Great American Gamble: Deterrence Theory and Practice from the Cold War to the Twenty-First Century.” (Fairfax, Virginia: National Institute Press, 2008).
  4. John G. Stoessinger, “Why Nations Go to War.” (any edition)
  5. Kenneth Waltz, “Man, the State and War:  A Theoretical Analysis.” (1959 or later edition)

DSS 601 Nuclear Strategy and Deterrence (Trexel)

  1. Keith B. Payne, “The Great American Gamble: Deterrence Theory and Practice from the Cold War to the Twenty-First Century.” ISBN-13: 978-0977622177.
  2. Keith B. Payne, “Shadows on the Wall: Deterrence and Disarmament.” ISBN-13: 978-0-9855553-2-0.
  3. Keith B. Payne, “Chasing a Grand Illusion: Replacing Deterrence with Disarmament.” 2023
  4. Therese Delpech, “Nuclear Deterrence in the 21st Century: Lessons from the Cold War for a New Era of Strategic Piracy.” Arlington, Virginia: RAND Corporation, 2012. ISBN-13: 978-0833059307.

DSS 630 International Law and Global Security (Berman)

  1. Chimene L. Meitner, "International Law Frameworks." Fifth Edition (Foundation Press, 2021).

DSS 632 Survey and Writing in International Security Affairs (Ellis)

  1. Robert G. Joseph, "Countering WMD: The Libyan Experience". National Institute Press, 2009.  
  2. H.R. McMasters, "Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World." Harper, 2020.
  3. William Zinsser, "On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction. Harper Perennial, 2016

DSS 632 Survey and Writing in International Security Affairs (Gentry)

  1. Michael Mandelbaum, "The Rise and Fall of Peace on Earth". Oxford University Press, 2019.
  2. Robert G. Joseph, "Countering WMD: The Libyan Experience". National Institute Press, 2009.
  3. Keith B. Payne, "Shadows on the Wall: Deterrence and Disarmament". National Institute Press, 2020.
  4. Aiden Warren and Joseph M. Siracusa, "Understanding Presidential Doctrines: U.S. National Security from George Washington to Joe Biden". Rowman and Littlefield, 2022.

DSS 700 Strategy and U.S. Defense Policy (Clark)

  1. Donald Stoker, "Purpose and Power".  Cambridge University Press, 2024. ISBN-13: 978-1009257275

DSS 705 NATO Security Issues (Rose)

  1. David S. Yost, "NATO’s Balancing Act". United States Institute of Peace Press, Washington, D.C., 2014.
  2. NATO Countries Defense Expenditure Report (2014-2024): 
    https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2024/6/pdf/240617-def-exp-2024-en.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Defence%20Expenditure%20of%20NATO%20Countries%202014-2024&utm_content=Defence%20Expenditure%20of%20NATO%20Countries%202014-2024+CID_65a7b78c12378fa07880ed5ec450b684&utm_source=Email%20marketing%20software&utm_term=Download%20the%20full%20document%20in%20PDF
  3. The Secretary General’s Annual Report 2023:
    https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2024/3/pdf/sgar23-en.pdf
  4. Atlantic Council Alliance at Risk Report: 
    https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/alliance-at-risk/. (If having difficulty downloading document, scroll down to the icon with the cover of the document and click on the download icon.  You will be able to download the document and save it to your computer.)
  5. NATO Handbook; Public Diplomacy Division; NATO; 1110 Brussels, Belgium, 2006: 
    https://www.nato.int/docu/handbook/2006/hb-en-2006.pdf
  6. Hans Binnendijk & Gina Cordero, "Transforming NATO: An NDU Anthology". Center for Technology and National Security, National Defense University, December 2008: 
    https://ndupress.ndu.edu/Portals/68/Documents/Books/CTBSP-Exports/Transforming-NATO.pdf?ver=2017-06-16-121107-727 

DSS 707 Congress, National Security and WMD (Taylor)

  1. Hamilton, Alexander; Madison, James; and Jay, John, “The Federalist Papers”. Signet Classics, April 1, 2003.
  2. Trachtenberg, David J., “The Lawgivers’ Struggle: How Congress Wields Power in National Security Decision Making.” Fairfax, VA, National Institute Press, 2020.

DSS 708 Security Issues in Russia (Marlo)

No books required for this course.

DSS 710 International Terrorim and Security (Kiras)

  1. Hoffman, B. (2017) “Inside Terrorism.” New York, NY, Columbia University Press. ISBN-13: 978-0231174770; ISBN-10: 0231174772.
  2. Hoffman, B. and Reinares, F. (2014), “The Evolution of the Global Terrorist Threat.” New York, NY: Columbia University Press. ISBN-13: 978-0231168991.

DSS 713 Intelligence, Counterintelligence and Covert Action (Peck)

  1. Robert Jervis, Why Intelligence Fails:  Lessons from the Iranian Revolution and the Iraq War, Cornell University Press, 2010.
  2. Mark M. Lowenthal, Intelligence, from Secrets to Policy, 8th ed., CQ Press, 2014.
  3. Lock Johnson and James Wirtz, James (eds.),  Intelligence: The Secret World of Spies: An Anthology,  4th or 5th ed., Oxford University Press, 2014.
  4. David Wise, Spy: The Inside Story of How the FBI’s Robert Hanssen Betrayed America, Random House, Inc., 2003
  5. Michael V. Hayden, Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror. Penguin Press, 2016.
  6. Richards J. Heuer, Psychology of Intelligence Analysis.  Center for the Study of Intelligence, CIA, 1999. 
  7. Henry Crumpton, The Art of Intelligence: Lessons from a Life in the CIA’s Clandestine Service, The Penguin Press, 2012
  8. Mark M. Lowenthal and Robert M. Clark, The 5 Disciplines of Intelligence Collection, CQ Press, 2016

DSS 715 Grand Strategy (McGiffin)

  1. Terry L. Deibel, “Foreign Affairs Strategy: Logic for American Statecraft". Cambridge University Press, illustrated edition July 16, 2007, ISBN-13: 978-0521692779.
  2. Keith B. Payne, “Shadows on the Wall: Deterrence and Disarmament.” (Fairfax, Virginia: National Institute Press, 2020). ISBN-13: 978-0-9855553-2-0.

DSS 716 MIlitary Operations (Murphy)

  1. B.A. Friedman, “On Operations: Operational Art and Military Disciplines.” Naval Institute Press, 2021.
  2. Harold G. Moore & Joseph L. Galloway, “We Were Soldiers Once...and Young: Ia Drang - The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam.” Presidio Press, 2004.
  3. Andrew Roberts, “Leadership in War: Essential Lessons from Those Who Made History.” Viking, 2019.
  4. Neil E. Webner, “He Was a Hero.” Kindle Edition, 2008.

Book or free PDF version:

  1. Stefan H. Verstappen, “The Thirty-Six Strategies of Ancient China.” 1999. PDF available free online at:  https://www.academia.edu/105078476,  The_Thirty_Six_Stratagems_A_Modern_Interpretation_Of_A_Strategy_Classic
  2. Sun Tzu, “The Art of War.” (Samuel Griffith, trans.) (Oxford University Press, 1971).  An alternative translation of Sun Tzu (a.k.a. Sunzi) would also be acceptable: many are in print, often with extensive commentary. PDF available free online at: https://www.utoledo.edu/rotc/pdfs/the_art_of_war.pdf
  3. Carl von Clausewitz, “On War.” (Princeton University Press, 1976, 1984, or another edition). PDF available free online at: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1946/1946-h/1946-h.htm
  4. Qiao Liang & Wang Xiangsui, “Unrestricted Warfare.” Echo Point Books & Media, 2015. PDF available free online at: https://www.c4i.org/unrestricted.pdf
  5. Georgii Samoilovich Isserson, “The Evolution of Operational Art.” Combat Studies Institute Press, 2013. PDF available free online at: https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/combat-studies-institute/csi-books/OperationalArt.pdf

DSS 719 Strategic Culture (Kartchner)

  1. Kerry M. Kartchner, Briana D. Bowen, and Jeannie L. Johnson, eds., "Routledge Handbook of Strategic Culture" (London: Routledge, 2024). ISBN: 978-0367445485. Students should purchase this book as an eBook: ISBN 9781003010302.
  2. Adamsky, Dima, “The Culture of Military Innovation: The Impact of Cultural Factors on the Revolution in Military Affairs in Russia, The US, And Israel.” Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2010.
  3. Adamsky, Dmitry (Dima). "The Russian Way of Deterrence: Strategic Culture, Coercion, and War." Stanford University Press, 2023. ISBN:  978-1503637825 (paperback)

DSS 720: Internship/Professional Experience (Koch)

No textbooks are required for this course.

DSS 722 Emerging Strategic Challenges (Gibson)

  1. Daniel Yergin, “The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Class of Nations”.  Penguin Press, New York, 2020.
  2. Andrew F. Krepinevich, Jr., “The Origins of Victory: How Disruptive Military Innovation Determines the Fates of Great Powers.” Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2023.
  3. Sean McFate, "The New Rules of War". William Morrow (2019).
  4. Nicole Perlroth, "This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends". Bloomsbury, 2021. 

DSS 723 Counterproliferation (Bronson)

  1. Etel Solingen, “Nuclear Logics:  Contrasting Paths in East Asia and the Middle East”, Princeton University Press, 2007, ISBN-13: 978-0691134680, paperback and Kindle.
  2. Scott D. Sagan and Kenneth N Waltz, “The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: An Enduring Debate, Third Edition, London, W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. ISBN-13: 978-0393920109, paperback.
  3. Vipin Narang, “Nuclear Strategy in the Modern Era: Regional Powers and International Conflict, Princeton University Press, 2014, ISBN-13: ‚Äé978-0691159836, paperback and Kindle.
  4. Rupal N. Mehta, “Delaying Doomsday: The Politics of Nuclear Reversal”, New York, NY, Oxford University Press, 2019, ISBN-13: 978-0190077976, hardcover and Kindle.
  5. Vipin Narang, “Seeking the Bomb: Strategies of Nuclear Proliferation”, Princeton University Press, 2022, ISBN-13:978-0691172620, paperback and Kindle.

DSS 725: Instruments of State Power (Ford)

Course readings will be provided by the instructor. 

DSS 726: China: The International Politics of China’s Rise (Anderson)

  1. Taylor Fravel, “Active Defense, China's Military Strategy since 1949.” Princeton University Press, 2019.
  2. Elbridge A. Colby, “The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict.” Yale University Press, 2021.

DSS 727 Chemical and Biological Warfare (Melley)

No textbooks are required for this course.

DSS 730 Cyber Conflict and International Security (Mazanec)

  1. Christopher Whyte and Brian Mazanec, "Understanding Cyber Warfare." Routledge, 2nd Edition.  ISBN-13: 978-1032159317, ISBN-10: 1032159316
  2. Andrew Blum, “Tubes: A Journey To The Center Of The Internet”, Ecco; Reprint edition, May 28, 2013, ISBN-13: 978-0061994951.

DSS 737 ADVANCED Chemical and Biological Warfare (Moodie)

No textbooks are required for this course.

DSS 740 Ethics of Weapons of Mass Destruction (Kartchner)

  1. Sohail, Hashmi H., and Steven P. Lee eds., “Ethics and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Religious and Secular Perspectives”. Cambridge University Press, 2004.
  2. Vesselin Popovski, Gregory M. Reichberg and Nicholas Turner, eds., “World Religions and Norms of War: Conflict, Culture & Religions.” Tokyo: United Nations University Press, 2009. Full text available free online at: http://collections.unu.edu/eserv/UNU:2544/ebrary9789280811636.pdf

DSS 745 Intelligence and War (Gentry)

  1. Mark Moyar, "Phoenix and the Birds of Prey: Counterinsurgency and Counterterrorism in Vietnam". (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2007).

DSS 794 Active in Research

No textbooks are required for this course.

DSS 796 Directed Reading Course

If books are required, they will be assigned by your course mentor or instructor.

DSS 797 Special Topic: Cybersecurity: Understanding and Assessing Risk (Bell)

  1. Florian Egloff, “Semi-State Actors in Cybersecurity.” (Oxford University Press, 2022).
  2. Ben Buchanan, "The Hacker and the State:  Cyber Attacks and the New Normal of Geopolitics.” 
    Harvard University Press, 2020).
  3. Amy B. Zegart, “Spies, Lies, and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence.” 
    Princeton University Press, 2022).
  4. John P. Carlin, "Dawn of the Code War.” (Public Affairs, 2018).
  5. Scott Jasper, “Russian Cyber Operations.” (Georgetown University Press, 2020).
  6. Nicholas Efitmiades, “Chinese Espionage Operations and Tactics.” (Vitruvian Press, 2020).
  7. Alex Joske, “Spies and Lies: How China’s Greatest Covert Operations Fooled the World.” (Hardie Grant, 2022).
  8. M. Eric Johnson, “Managing Information Risk and the Economics of Security.” (Springer, 2009).

DSS 797 Special Topic: Building Partner Capacity in Defense and Foreign Policy (Molino)

  1. Paris, Roland, and Timothy D. Sisk. 2009. "The Dilemmas of Statebuilding: Confronting the contradictions of postwar peace operations". 1st ed. New York: Routledge. 

  2. Kraft, Michael B. and Edward Marks.  2012. "U.S. Government Counterterrorism: A Guide to Who Does What". 12th ed. New York: CRC Press.

DSS 797 Special Topic: Adapting Deterrence Strategy to Two Nuclear Peers (Bradley)

No books required for this course. 

DSS 798 Alternative Futures Analysis (Bronson)

  1. Francis Fukuyama, editor, "Blindside:  How to Anticipate Forcing Events and Wild Cards in Global Politics." (Washington, DC:  The Brookings Institution, 2007).
  2. Peter Schwartz, "The Art of the Long View: Planning for the Future in an Uncertain World." (New York, NY: Doubleday, 1996).
  3. Frans Johansson, "The Medici Effect." (Cambridge, MA:  Harvard Business School Press, 2006).
  4. Thomas Chermack, "Scenario Planning in Organizations:  How to Create, Use, and Assess Scenarios". (San Francisco, CA:  Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2011).
  5. Henry Kissinger, "World Order". (New York, NY:  Penguin Press, 2014).
  6. Steven Novella, "The Skeptics’ Guide to the Future". (New York, NY:  Hachette Book Group, 2022).
  7. Michele Wucker, "The Gray Rhino:  How to Recognize and Act on the Obvious Dangers We Ignore". (New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2016).
  8. Ray Dalio, "Principles for Dealing with The Changing World Order:  Why Nations Succeed and Fail." (New York, NY)

DSS 799: Thesis

If books are required, they will be assigned by your thesis mentor.

DSS 801 ADVANCED Nuclear Strategy (McGiffin)

  1. Keith B. Payne, “The Great American Gamble: Deterrence Theory and Practice from the Cold War to the Twenty-First Century.” ISBN-13: 978-0977622177.
  2. Keith B. Payne, “Shadows on the Wall: Deterrence and Disarmament.” (Fairfax, Virginia: National Institute Press, 2020). ISBN-13: 978-0-9855553-2-0.
  3. Therese Delpech, “Nuclear Deterrence in the 21st Century: Lessons from the Cold War for a New Era of Strategic Piracy.” Arlington, Virginia: RAND Corporation, 2012. ISBN-13: 978-0833059307.
  4. Keith B. Payne, “Chasing a Grand Illusion: Replacing Deterrence with Disarmament.” 2023. ISBN-13: 979-8218147563.

DSS 832 ADVANCED Survey and Writing in International Security Affairs (Geipel)

  1. Chicago Manual of Style Guidelines (Quick Study, 2012). https://tinyurl.com/v4sd8p4b 
  2. Hal Brands (editor), "The New Makers of Modern Strategiy: From the Ancient World to the Digital Age". (Princeton University Press, 2023).
  3. Hal Brands, "The Twilight Struggle: What the Cold War Teaches Us about Great-Power Rivalry Today." (Yale University Press, 2022)
  4. Roy Peter Clark, "Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer."  (Paperback), Little, Brown (2016).
  5. Mustafa Suleyman, "The Coming Wave". (Crown, 2023)
  6. Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic, "Storytelling with Data." (Wiley, 2015).  

DSS 840 ADVANCED National Security Strategies (Koch, Ford)

  1. Hal Brands, ed., "The New Makers of Modern Strategy: From the Ancient World to the Digital Age." Princeton University Press, 2023.
  2. Melvyn P. Leffler and Jeffrey W. Legro, "In Uncertain Times: American Foreign Policy after the Berlin Wall and 9/11." Cornell University Press, 2011. 
  3. Aiden Warren and Joseph M. Siracusa, "Understanding Presidential Doctrines: U.S. National Security from George Washington to Joe Biden." Rowman and Littlefield, 2022.

DSS 896 Doctoral Capstone Project

If books are required, they will be assigned by your project mentor.