Balance of Power

The game Balance of Power (1986) is about the geopolitical situation during the cold war. It aims to teach the player insight into the geopolitical arena by either playing the President of the US or the Secretary General of Russia. The book, written by the lead programmer, describes in a clear style the game rules and processes, and provides a valuable insight into the mind of a game designer. Its focuses on the four main challenges of the game: insurgencies, coup d'etat, Finlandization, and crisis, addressing each of these aspects in detail. Interestingly, the main concepts still apply in 2010.
The author has made the text available online too: http://www.erasmatazz.com/page78/page146/page147/BalanceOfPower.html