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Sign up todayThe Obamians
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Learn moreThe definitive analysis of the events, ideas, personalities, and conflicts that have defined Obama’s foreign policy
When Barack Obama took office, he brought with him a new group of foreign policy advisors intent on carving out a new global role for America in the wake of the Bush administration’s war in Iraq. Now the acclaimed author of Rise of the Vulcans offers a definitive, evenhanded account of the messier realities they’ve faced in implementing their policies.
In The Obamians, acclaimed author James Mann tells the compelling story of the administration’s struggle to enact a coherent and effective set of policies in a time of global turmoil. At the heart of this struggle are the generational conflicts between the Democratic establishment—including Robert Gates, Hillary Clinton, and Joseph Biden—and Obama and his inner circle of largely unknown, remarkably youthful advisors, who came of age after the Cold War had ended.
Written by a proven master at elucidating political underpinnings, even to the politicians themselves, The Obamians is a pivotal reckoning of this historic president and his inner circle and of how their policies may or may not continue to shape America and the world.
James Mann, previously Beijing bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, is author-in-residence at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. He is the author of Rise of the Vulcans, About Face, and Beijing Jeep.
Mirron Willis—actor of film, stage, and television—is the winner of the prestigious Audie Award for best narration in 2012 and a finalist for the Audie in 2015, as well as the winner of four AudioFile Earphones Awards for his audiobook recordings. He has worked extensively in film and television and on stage with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Houston Shakespeare Festival, and the Ensemble Theatre, among others. He has recorded some 150 audiobooks, including the Smokey Dalton series by Kris Nelscott and My Song by Harry Belafonte. He resides and records audiobooks on his family’s historic ranch in East Texas.
Reviews
“Following up on his book on President Bush’s foreign policy advisors, James Mann provides an equally insightful look at the team around President Obama, including the bright young advisors who have remained little known. His book shows how carefully calibrated the administration’s policy has been and the key role that Obama has played himself.”
“James Mann gives us valuable insight into the crafting of American foreign policy in President Obama’s administration. He takes us behind the scenes and into the room where decisions are made on some of the most critical issues of our times.”
“To Mann, an Obama-led America has tried to tell the world what it stands for, as well as what it’s against. His foreign policy has had some notable successes, from the airtight secrecy before launching the raid that killed Osama bin Laden to intervening in Libya without making a lasting American commitment. According to Mann, Obama’s goal of ‘rebalancing’ American foreign policy has largely succeeded, creating a relatively positive footing for ‘an era when American primacy is no longer taken for granted.’”
“Mann offers historic perspective on US foreign policy through the Cold War era, Vietnam War, Reagan presidency, and current war on terrorism. Drawing on interviews with hundreds of prominent government officials, Mann offers a behind-the-scenes look at policy deliberations in the White House, Pentagon, State Department, and CIA as foreign policy is debated in the context of domestic issues and geopolitics and US policy adjusts to the reality of limited resources.”
“Writing about a topic as abstruse as foreign policy, Mann avoids getting bogged down in wonky detail and crafts an absorbing narrative as much about the personalities as the policy itself. This book is for serious and thoughtful readers of any political persuasion looking for in-depth information on Obama’s foreign policy thus far.”
“Mann proves to be a deft, discerning reporter…Future historians will surely rely heavily on Mann’s work.”
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