What We’re Reading at the Security and Democracy Forum

National security has always been a battle of ideas. That’s why, at the Security and Democracy Forum, we believe reading isn’t a break from the mission — it is the mission.

The stakes are high: declining trust in democratic institutions, rising authoritarianism, a military-civilian divide, and rapid technological disruption. These are not problems that better weapons alone can solve. They demand clarity of thought, moral imagination, and an understanding of the human forces that shape policy. In other words, they demand reading.

We’ve put together a curated list of the books, essays, and reports that have most shaped our thinking about principled security and resilient democracy. Some are classics. Others are provocations. A few might frustrate you. But all of them ask the same hard question: How do we defend democracy without compromising its soul?

You’ll find works on:

• Military ethics and moral injury

• Soft power and the purpose of force

• Public trust, misinformation, and institutional decay

• Voices from the front lines of democratic backsliding

• Surprising sources of resilience — in faith, culture, and community

This is not an exhaustive syllabus. It’s a living map and we expect it to grow. Some of the most urgent reading isn’t in books at all but in longform journalism, academic papers, or even blogs and newsletters. The point isn’t the format. The point is to keep learning.

If you’re a policymaker, a veteran, a student, or simply someone who cares about the future of democratic power, we hope this list gives you something useful or better yet, something uncomfortable. That’s often where the growth happens.

You can find the full reading list SDF Reading List. And if we missed something essential, tell us. This is a conversation, not a canon!