Borstelmann, Thomas. The Cold War and the Color Line: American Race Relations in the Global Arena. 2003. An incisive discussion of the connections between racial thought and policy.

Church, Peter. A Short History of South-East Asia, 4th ed. 2005. A concise but comprehensive survey of the region’s history.

Cleveland, William, and Martin Bunton. A History of the Modern Middle East, 4th ed. 2008. Well-crafted survey introduction to the modern history and politics of the Middle East.

Collins, Robert O., and James M. Burns. A History of Sub-Saharan Africa. 2007. Clearly written introduction to the continent’s history.

Davidson, Basil. The Black Man’s Burden: Africa and the Curse of the Nation-State. 1993. A thought-provoking reconsideration by a noted historian.

Eakin, Marshall. Brazil: The Once and Future Country. 1994. An accessible introduction to Brazilian history.

Eksteins, Modris. Walking Since Daybreak: A Story of Eastern Europe, World War II, and the Heart of Our Century. 1999. A powerful, partly autobiographical account that is highly recommended.

Gaddis, John Lewis. The Cold War: A New History. 2005. A concise, authoritative, and accessible account of the Cold War by one of its leading historians.

Gelvin, James L. The Modern Middle East: A History, 3d ed. 2011. Excellent introduction to modern Middle Eastern history into the twenty-first century.

Guha, Ramachandra. India After Gandhi: The History of the World’s Largest Democracy. 2007. In-depth study of the last sixty years of Indian history and development.

Halberstam, David. The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War. 2007. The last, and perhaps best, history written by one of America’s finest journalist-historians.

Kamrava, Mehran. The Modern Middle East: A Political History Since the First World War, 2d ed. 2011. A concise overview of modern Middle East history, economics, and politics.

Karnow, Stanley. Vietnam: A History, 2d ed. 1997. One of the best and most comprehensive accounts of all sides in the war.

Keddie, Nikki R. Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution. 2006. A classic survey of Iranian history and politics by a leading scholar of modern Iran.

Meade, Teresa A. A History of Modern Latin America, 1800 to the Present. 2009. A comprehensive history and analysis of the continent and its peoples.

Meredith, Martin. The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence. 2006. A very accessible study of modern independent Africa that spans the entire continent.

Moaddel, Mansoor. Islamic Modernism, Nationalism, and Fundamentalism. 2005. A scholarly historical introduction to the society and politics of the Middle East.

Osborne, Milton. Southeast Asia: An Introductory History, 9th rev. ed. 2005. Classic introduction to the region.

Reid, Richard J. A History of Modern Africa, 1800 to the Present. 2008. A concise, clearly written history of modern Africa from independence to colonialism to independence once more.

Sheehan, Neil. A Bright and Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam. 1988. Classic account of the Vietnam War built around a biography of one of its harshest critics.