The Long Game: How Obama Defied Washington and Redefined America’s Role in the World

Derek Chollet will offer his inside assessment of Barack Obama’s foreign policy legacy, tackling 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. His recent book 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 the 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.

Derek Chollet served in senior positions during the Obama Administration at the White House, State Department and Pentagon, most recently as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs.  He is currently a counselor and senior adviser at The German Marshall Fund of the United States, an adjunct senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Institute of War and Peace Studies, and a regular contributor to Defense One and many other publications.  His previous books include America Between the Wars: From 11/9 to 9/11 (coauthor with James Goldgeier) and The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrooke in the World (coeditor with Samantha Power).  He lives in Washington, DC, with his family.