I am currently reading Training for Policy Makers (Dror, 2006), in which the author accentuates the importance of history for future leaders:
[...] one or two books providing a vista of long-term history, a text or two on the dynamics of history, and another book or two in philosophy of history and historiography. More realistic when maximum reading requirements are limited is demonstrating thinking-in-history and exercising it by application to select grand-policy spaces.
The trouble is that I am not very familiar with these historical disciplines and the author is pretty vague when it comes to actual recommendations. I was wondering what were some good history books for "long-term history", "dynamics of history", "philosophy of history", and "historiography".
Also, I am interested in reading Orientalism by Said, and I was wondering in which category did this book fall.
I apologise if this is not the right subreddit in which I should post this, so feel free to redirect me somewhere else if needed be.
Can you clarify what type of policymaking you're wanting to get into? While I can give you some suggestions for, say, foreign policy, I won't be of much help if you're interested in, for example, urban redevelopment.
I wouldn't suggest you read Said's Orientalism. While it's an important work, there's no need to put yourself through the torture of reading it. Instead, read the Wikipedia page on Said and his thoughts on Orientalism in addition to (if available to you) Andrew Rotter's essay, "Saidism without Said: Orientalism and US Diplomatic History". Rotter provides a very good overview and criticism of Said's conception of Orientalism.
Edit: Also, Edward Said would fall both into the "historiography" and "philosophy of history" fields.