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Derek H. Chollet

The Long Game: How Obama Defied Washington and Redefined America’s Role in the World Hardcover – June 28, 2016

by Derek Chollet (Author)

31 ratings

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In this inside assessment of Barack Obama's foreign policy legacy, Derek Chollet tackles the prevailing consensus to argue that Obama has profoundly altered the course of American foreign policy for the better and positioned the United States to lead in the future.

The Long Game combines a deep sense of history with new details and compelling insights into how the Obama Administration approached the most difficult global challenges. With the unique perspective of having served at the three national security power centers during the Obama years -- the White House, State Department, and Pentagon -- Chollet takes readers behind the scenes of the intense struggles over the most consequential issues: the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the meltdown of Syria and rise of ISIS, the Ukraine crisis and a belligerent Russia, the conflict in Libya, the tangle with Iran, the turbulent relationship with Israel, and the rise of new powers like China.

An unflinching, fast-paced account of U.S. foreign policy, The Long Game reveals how Obama has defied the Washington establishment to redefine America's role in the world, offering important lessons for the next president.

Print length

288 pages
Language

English
Publisher

PublicAffairs
Publication date

June 28, 2016
Dimensions

6.5 x 0.88 x 9.63 inches
ISBN-10

161039660X
ISBN-13

978-1610396608
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Derek Chollet defines and explains the Obama foreign policy as grand strategy. The Long Game goes against the conventional wisdom of our moment. Though an insider's account, it views the present as history and puts down a marker that will shape how historians interpret the Obama years.” –George Packer, author of The Assassins' Gate and The Unwinding

“Foreign policy in the 21st century requires realism mixed with an element of idealism in order to navigate the intensifying anarchy of the world system. Derek Chollet shows this philosophy in action in this terrifically brisk, insider account of the Obama Administration's travails in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. Agree with it or not, I know of no more compelling defense of Obama's record.” –Robert D. Kaplan, Senior Fellow at The Center for a New American Security and author of In Europe's Shadow: Two Cold Wars and a Thirty-Year Journey Through Romania and Beyond

“Derek Chollet offers a well-argued and convincing defence of President Obama's approach to the world. Chollet is an example of the kind of scholar-policymaker that is such a feature of American statecraft…Chollet's detailed and knowledgeable discussion of the policy options provides a revealing picture of the nature and complexity of the US's policy dilemmas.”—Gideon Rachman, Financial Times

“[Derek Chollet] is likely to be the closest anyone will come to understanding the thinking behind a foreign policy that has many critics…”—The Economist

“A measured insider's account of President Barack Obama's foreign policy…[Chollet] relies on his heavyweight credentials and personal perspective in a spirited, thoughtful defense of how Obama responded to both George W. Bush's missteps and the spiraling chaos that has greeted his own goals…A cogent, detailed policy review.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Chollet has laid out a clear and compelling picture, and his text is positioned to become one of the definitive summaries of the Obama approach.” —National Interest

About the Author

Derek Chollet is counselor and senior advisor for security and defense policy at The German Marshall Fund of the United States, an advisor to Beacon Global Strategies, and an Adjunct Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University's Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies. From 2012 - 2015, Chollet was the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, where he managed U.S. defense policy toward Europe (including NATO), the Middle East, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere.

Chollet has also been a fellow at The Center for a New American Security (CNAS), the Brookings Institution, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and the American Academy in Berlin. He has been a visiting scholar and adjunct professor at The George Washington University and an adjunct associate professor at Georgetown University.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ PublicAffairs (June 28, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 161039660X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1610396608
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 0.88 x 9.63 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,247,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,360 in International Diplomacy (Books)
- #2,433 in United States Executive Government
- #8,049 in History & Theory of Politics

Customer Reviews:
31 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		52%
4 star		23%
3 star		12%
2 star		9%
1 star		5%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Horace

Puff Piece

Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2017

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I am generally a fan of Barack Obama and understand that when it came to foreign policy, he was handed a bad situation and had to make the best of it. The Middle East was, perhaps, his greatest challenge which, after the Arab Spring and the rise of ISIS, spun totally out of control. Nevertheless, this book is downright embarrassing. According to Chollet, the administration made no mistakes and acted nobly throughout Obama's tenure. Take, for example, his rendering of the administration's decision to continue military assistance to the Egyptian government after General Sisi's coup d'etat overthrew a legally elected government there. Chollet gives a detailed analysis of how the financing of Egyptian aid worked from an accounting standpoint, but left out one crucial detail: The United States did not give Egypt money to buy weapons, it gave Egypt a shopping list from which the Egyptian military might chose which weapons it wanted. The US government then turned to General Dynamics, etc., and gave them the money to buy Egyptian weapons. This ensured that defense contractors would be able to continue production and not have to lay off employees. Since 2013 was a year before congressional elections, and since so many contractors are located in key electoral states for Democrats, it was a no brainer to maintain the flow of military aid to Egypt so that unemployed defense workers would not take out their anger at the polls. The administration's decision was thus not as high-minded as Chollet makes out. He obfuscates in a similar manner about a number of decisions and administration pronouncements (remember ISIS as a JV team?). The Obama administration had its share of foreign policy successes (the Iran nuclear deal) and I believe history will determine him to be a better foreign policy president than most consider him now (his desire to lighten America's footprint in the Middle East and pivot to Asia, hamstrung by unfolding events, was a brilliant strategic reset). But it also had its share of missteps (the Syrian red line). Chollet rightly crows about the former, but sweeps the latter under a rug. A balanced history of Obama's foreign policy remains to be written.

8 people found this helpful

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gt surber

A positive review of Obama's foreign policy

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2017

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Review - The Long Game

The Long Game: How Obama Defied Washington and Redefined America’s Role in the World” by Derek Chollet is a defense and explanation of Obama’s foreign policy by a man inside the White House, the Pentagon, and the State Department. Admittedly this is a controversial work and Derek Chollet lays out a positive view of the rational, diplomatic, cool approach of Obama to the rest of the world. Chollet contrasts this view with the boots on the ground, big military approach of Obama’s detractors, as well as tracing both views back in history for several decades.

While this book has a 1916 copyright, it was written before the fierce election battles of 2016. Thus, the politics of late 2016 are not in this book, although the arguments can be extended into that period.

Chollet lays out how he feels the Obama approach stalled off Russia and China, making Putin and Russia low level players on the field. Chollet lays out how he feels the Obama approach has made our friends and allies more secure and stronger. Chollet argues that the big military approach is and always has been doomed to failure.

Is Chollet correct in these assessments? From the early January 2017, it might appear that Putin has improved his game, and made progress on the world scene. From the early January 2017, it might appear China is winning the trade war and will isolate us and then ignore us while successfully trading with the rest of the world. Only time will tell. Could a different philosophy have had a different outcome? Could a different philosophy brought about WWIII already? Now we can only wait and see how the more confrontal approach of Trump and his military advisors will play out.

Meanwhile, we have a thoughtful, well articulated defense of the Obama foreign policy in our hands to savor, whether or not we agree with the opinions of Derek Chollet.

One person found this helpful

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Nathan J. Winograd

I ignored the partisan hacks on either side and found really good books that provided a sobering assessment of each one

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2017

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I've read at least one book on every American President. In choosing which books to read, I ignored the partisan hacks on either side and found really good books that provided a sobering assessment of each one. This book provided that. As such, those on the right won't like it because President Obama comes off as smart, thoughtful, deliberative. Those on the left won't like it because President Obama comes off as slow to realize existential threats and the jury is still out and its success. It should be noted that I voted for President Obama both times and, like him, I fear what Chollet describes as the cartoon bellicosity of men like Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Donald Trump. I appreciated President Obama's efforts to try and thoughtfully determine best outcomes from a mix of difficult and often no-win choices. Chollet does a good job of laying those out and the consequences of each: boots on the ground military, air strikes, economic aid, arms aid, taking the lead, working behind the scenes, direct negotiations, etc. That said, I was ultimately unconvinced. Post-Obama we see that Syria still has chemical weapons (although Chollet did not know it at the time) and then there is the problem of North Korea, which Chollet ignored altogether. Moreover, Chollet has too much rosy-eyed fondness for the presidency and foreign policy of Eisenhower, which he favorably compares Obama too. Eisenhower, however, was not the balanced, sober foreign policy statesman Chollet pretends. He let the Dulles brothers terrorize the Third World, including the Middle East. And it is that policy of U.S. imperialism that is, in part, to blame for the situation the U.S. found itself in now and which Obama had to confront. I am going to wait another year and try again, but if you want something now on Obama's presidency, it is worth a read.

One person found this helpful

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Ed Deisley

a good review of obama

Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2016

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a good review of obama;s foriegn policy which i happen to agree with; compared him to three republican presidents who i felt were strong on foriegn policy, ike, first g bush & nixon; very worthwhile read & well written

2 people found this helpful

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Sundip Tailor

Good concise read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 12, 2017

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Great service from Amazon, read this as a Kindle book.

Derek Chollet, who worked in the Obama administration, particularly in the area of foreign policy, gives the reader valuable insight into how the United States approached key challenges such as Syria, Libya, Iran, Egypt, Russia and China during the Obama years. His main assertion is that Obama made decisions in the long term interests of the United States, which although viewed by many as meek at the time, ultimately set the country on the right path.

The book is well written and concise, but Chollet comes across defensive and generous in his assessment of the 44th president. A skeptical reader could conclude that Obama rose to power with a wave of anti-war sentiment following the Bush years and struggled to reconcile his election campaign idealism with reality.

Thomas Brandtner

Unbedingt wichtiges Begleitbuch zu "Alter Egos"

Reviewed in Germany on October 3, 2016

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Derek Chollet, ein enger sicherheitspolitischen Mitarbeiter Präsident Obamas, hat es in diesem Buch unternommen, die sicherheitspolitische Doktrin Obamas, die dieser selbst nie explizit formuliert hat (außer mit der sehr eingängigen Formel: "Don't do stupid sh-t !" aus seinen praktischen Aktionen zu entwickeln. Das Buch wurde in der Endphase von Obamas Präsidentschaft mit dem eindeutigen Ziel geschrieben, den in Washington offenbar enorm einflußreichen "Falken" in den Reihen sowohl der Republikaner als auch der Demokraten entgegenzuwirken, denen die Politik des Präsidenten nicht entschlossen und kriegerisch genug war. Chollet nahm sich also vor, Präsident Obama als kalt abwägenden, langfristig kalkulierenden Machtpolitiker darzustellen, der vor Blutvergießen keineswegs zurückgeschreckt sei und am Ende mehr militärische Interventionen zu verantworten habe als sein Vorgänger George W. Bush. Daß er mit dieser Argumentationslinie in unerwarteter Weise politische Unterstützung für die Argumentation eines amerikanischen Friedenslagers geliefert hat, die von einer so schillernden Figur wie Donald Trump verkörpert wird, gehört zur Ironie der Weltgeschichte. Das Buch enthält zahlreiche wertvolle Einzelaussagen zu den individuellen sicherheitspolitischen Krisen während der Regierungszeit Barack Obamas. Manche Schilderungen nehmen dem Leser den Atem, etwa über die "Signaturschläge", bei denen Drohnenangriffe nicht auf erkannte Terroristen, sondern bloß auf Menschengruppen geflogen wurden, die von ihrem Bewegungsverhalten her Ähnlichkeiten mit Terroristen aufwiesen (was dann u.a. zur Tötung von vierzig pakistanischen Dorfältesten führte, die sich zur Besprechung gemeinsamer Probleme der Gemeindeverwaltung zusammengefunden hatten). Dabei läßt Chollet aber nie einen Zweifel daran, daß Präsident Obama im Zweifelsfall zurückhaltender und rationaler im Einsatz militärischer Gewalt gewesen ist als seine Außenministerin Hillary Clinton. Ein unbedingt beachtenswertes Buch.

One person found this helpful

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Gintautas K

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2017

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Im happy. Thank you!

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