“ Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Such was the famous line that has been
forever etched in the minds of those who sat through and savored the 1994 film,
Forrest Gump. I hate to break it to you
guys but it isn’t just life that’s like a box of chocolates. The Foreign Service Officers Exam is also
very much like a box of chocolates—you never know what question you’re gonna
get.
This is especially true for the Written Exam, which is
exactly why there really is no hard and fast way of studying for one of the
most grueling exams you will ever encounter in your lifetime. Reading up may not exactly guarantee that you
will get most of the questions right but as far as I know, reading up a lot can
boost your confidence. In the FSOE,
confidence is a huge game changer because the moment you falter and feel less
about your ability to make it through the remaining stages of the exam, the
harder the exam will feel like.
With the call for applications for the 2015 Foreign Service
Officers Exam now open, I’d like to share a series of updated reading lists to
those who are thinking about preparing for the exams. You may not be able to get your hands on all
of these books nor read each of it from cover to cover but if you’ll be able to
fully grasp the content of at least five of these books covering different
topics and regions, you won’t run out of answers to write about.
Here is the first in a series of lists I will be publishing
in the next few weeks.
P.S You may be able to order some of these books from Powerbooks,
Fully Booked or National Bookstore. If
not, you may be able to order it from Amazon.
1.
East Asian Development
Author: Dwight Perkins
The book dissects the secret of success of
some of East and Southeast Asia’s growing economies. It takes a close look at the role of
investing in education and nonagricultural labor forces in the continuing rise
of these key economies. The big question
is, will these Asian tigers be able to sustain their pace of economic growth or
it come to a point when these tigers will do a Benjamin Button and regress into
kittens?
2.
Wealth and Power
Authors: Orville Schell and John Delury
There is a wealth of books written about
the superpower of the moment: China.
Yet, finding a truly insightful one that adds depth to the existing
issues revolving China’s attempt to return to superpower status is like looking
for a needle in the desert. Wealth and Power
is one of those few needles and it is by far one of my personal favorites. The book will take you through insightful
profiles of many of China’s greatest names from Mao Zedong to Cixi in its
attempt to uncover the underlying issues of China’s rise to power.
3.
Making Human Rights a Reality
Author: Emilie Hafner-Burton
Human Rights has become an echoing buzzword
and protecting it has been a difficult and frustrating journey. Many people assert that international laws
that have been put in place to curb human rights abuses are more bark than bite. Hafner-Burton’s practical book argues that
the best way to fight human rights abuses is by implementing a clear strategy
of localization—to target it on the ground from the places where their citizens
are at the highest risk of these abuses.
Hafner-Burton highlights the importance of building stable, rule-based
societies in fighting this plague of human existence.
4.
Exodus
Author: Paul Collier
I had to throw in this book given that the
third pillar of Philippine Foreign Policy is the protection of our overseas
Filipino workers. Although this book
does not specifically talk about OFWs, this provides a powerful look at the
ongoing trend of immigration in many of the world’s developing countries. We all know that so many people from developing
countries are leaving their countries behind in search for greener
pastures. In this book, Collier argues
that both the home and the receiving country might be worse off following this
exodus. His warns that the economic
benefits will be far outweighed by the social costs that come with this mass
migration of people.
5.
Advantage:
How American Innovation can Overcome the Asian Challenge
Author: Adam Segal
As China continues to grow into a bigger,
fiercer dragon, the United States of America is feeling the heat of the
pressure that comes with maintaining its undisputed superpower status in the
world. Segal’s book argues that for the
US to do this, she may need to innovate faster than countries like China and India
can copy. She can also take advantage of
her inherent strengths: a government that does not interfere that much as far
as invention and innovation goes, a culture of risk taking, freedom of
information, and strong protection on intellectual property rights. Segal’s prescription may be easier said than
done.
6.
The Apostates: When Muslim Immigrants Leave
Islam
Author: Simon Cottee
By 2050, approximately 20% of Europe will
be Muslim as more and more Muslims are moving to Europe to seek better
lives. With the rising trend of many
young Muslims being pushed to extremism to the point of leaving home to join the
Islamic State, little has been written about those who stand on neutral
ground. Cottee’s book is a rare
examination into the issue as it gives a good glimpse at how Western secularism
is challenging is challenging Islamic thought such that many second generation
Muslims have opted to leave their faith.
This is an outcome that is not being discussed as much but one that is
happening more frequently than having people turn to fundamentalism. He also talks about how embracing Muslim
communities into the larger fold of society will weaken radical religion.
Wrap Up
I'll be adding more books into the list. If any of the books bore you, chuck it away and stop reading it. Spend more time reading something that genuinely interests you otherwise, you would be wasting your time considerably.
