Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy

by Trita Parsi Narrated by Paul Boehmer

Overview

This timely book focuses on President Obama's deeply considered strategy toward Iran's nuclear program and reveals how the historic agreement of 2015 broke the persistent stalemate in negotiations that had blocked earlier efforts.

The deal accomplished two major feats in one stroke: it averted the threat of war with Iran and prevented the possibility of an Iranian nuclear bomb. Trita Parsi, a Middle East foreign policy expert who advised the Obama White House throughout the talks and had access to decision-makers and diplomats on the U.S. and Iranian sides alike, examines every facet of a triumph that could become as important and consequential as Nixon's rapprochement with China.

Drawing from more than seventy-five in-depth interviews with key decision-makers, including Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, this is the first authoritative account of President Obama's signature foreign policy achievement.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

05/08/2017
In this exceptionally well-written piece of reportage, Parsi (A Single Roll of the Dice), president of the National Iranian American Council and adviser to President Obama during the negotiations that resulted in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, gives his own account of this diplomatic breakthrough. There are both heroes and villains in Parsi’s telling. Without presidents Obama and Hassan Rouhani at the helm of their countries, Parsi writes, this historic deal would likely not have been made. Likewise, Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, skillfully kept both sides on board despite numerous setbacks. (The crucial compromise on the U.S. side was agreeing to Iran’s right to enrich uranium.) Credit also goes to the government of Oman for providing a secret channel for negotiations. As Parsi reminds readers, there was no dearth of opponents who sought to derail the deal: Saudi Arabia, Israel, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and congressional Republicans. Obama receives credit for marshaling a diverse group of supporters to block congressional rejection of the deal. The book’s strength derives from Parsi’s high level of access to key players on both sides. Parsi brings his unique vantage point to what will undoubtedly be the definitive account of Obama’s signature foreign policy achievement. (Aug.)

From the Publisher

"An astute and generous portrayal of both sides of the negotiating table."—Kirkus Reviews

"[An] exceptionally well-written piece of reportage . . . The book’s strength derives from Parsi’s high level of access to key players on both sides. Parsi brings his unique vantage point to what will undoubtedly be the definitive account of Obama’s signature foreign policy achievement."—Publishers Weekly

"Trita Parsi has written a great book about what remains the most outstanding diplomatic feat of the 21st century. . . . The book reads like a thriller, so high are the tensions that built up as obstacles to an agreement repeatedly arose. . . . An important book for anyone who wants to penetrate the intricacies of Middle East diplomacy and diplomacy in general."—Francois Nicoullaud, LobeLog

"The story of how dogged diplomacy and some good luck took us from that low point to a deal that few could have imagined is one worth telling. Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, who had the advantage of access to high-level participants on both sides, tells it well in his new book, Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy. Crucial events and decisions are traced in great detail, supported by an unusual wealth of on-the-record interviews."—Jessica T. Mathews, New York Review of Books

"A detailed and gripping account of the 22 months of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program that resulted in the 2015 deal."—John Waterbury, Foreign Affairs

“Powerful . . . Parsi has produced an exceptionally valuable if somewhat worrisome analysis on international efforts to reach [the Iran nuclear deal].”—W. Andrew Terrill, Middle East Journal

“Trita Parsi has written a spectacularly illuminating book, recounting in dazzling detail the complex events—both onstage and off—leading to the ‘Iran nuclear deal.’ Among its many virtues, Losing an Enemy emphasizes that the issues at stake extended far, far beyond the question of Iran’s nuclear weapons program. This is and will remain for the foreseeable future the authoritative account of one of this century’s pivotal developments.”—Andrew J. Bacevich, author of America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History

“Trita Parsi has written a superb book on how the Iran nuclear deal was crafted. It is really an inside story, since he had amazing access throughout the process to the key actors in Iran, Israel, and the United States. It is clear from Losing an Enemy not only that it took a Herculean effort to reach a deal, but also that there are still powerful forces around in all three of those countries who want to undermine it as well as any prospect of improved relations between Tehran and Washington.”—John J. Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago

“Parsi, a Persian speaker and fine author in English, has done superb research, assembling fascinating accounts of the key events in the diplomatic solution to the Iran nuclear crisis. His book is insightful, readable and spellbinding—a must-read for anyone interested in this seminal subject.”—Thomas R. Pickering, former US Under Secretary of State and Ambassador to Russia, the UN, India and Israel

“Losing an Enemy is a riveting account of the diplomacy behind Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, an issue that will continue to be at the forefront of American foreign policy as we enter the Trump era.”—Francis Fukuyama, Senior Fellow, Stanford University

“Losing an Enemy is an inside look at one of President Obama’s greatest legacies: his historic nuclear deal that transformed the United States and Iran from lethal enemies to paltry rivals. In this eloquently written book, Trita Parsi draws upon his exclusive access as an advisor to the Obama White House, his retelling of the events made all the more riveting by the high stakes that placed the United States dangerously close to yet another disastrous war. What emerges is an eye-opening analysis of one of the most pivotal victories of American foreign policy.”—Reza Aslan, best-selling author of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth

From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY

"An astute and generous portrayal of both sides of the negotiating table." —Kirkus

Reza Aslan

“Losing an Enemy is an inside look at one of President Obama’s greatest legacies: his historic nuclear deal that transformed the United States and Iran from lethal enemies to paltry rivals. In this eloquently written book, Trita Parsi draws upon his exclusive access as an advisor to the Obama White House, his retelling of the events made all the more riveting by the high stakes that placed the United States dangerously close to yet another disastrous war. What emerges is an eye-opening analysis of one of the most pivotal victories of American foreign policy.”—Reza Aslan, best-selling author of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth

Francis Fukuyama

“Losing an Enemy is a riveting account of the diplomacy behind Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, an issue that will continue to be at the forefront of American foreign policy as we enter the Trump era.”—Francis Fukuyama, Senior Fellow, Stanford University

Thomas R. Pickering

“Parsi, a Persian speaker and fine author in English, has done superb research, assembling fascinating accounts of the key events in the diplomatic solution to the Iran nuclear crisis. His book is insightful, readable and spellbinding—a must-read for anyone interested in this seminal subject.”—Thomas R. Pickering, former US Under Secretary of State and Ambassador to Russia, the UN, India and Israel

John J. Mearsheimer

“Trita Parsi has written a superb book on how the Iran nuclear deal was crafted. It is really an inside story, since he had amazing access throughout the process to the key actors in Iran, Israel, and the United States. It is clear from Losing an Enemy not only that it took a Herculean effort to reach a deal, but also that there are still powerful forces around in all three of those countries who want to undermine it as well as any prospect of improved relations between Tehran and Washington.”—John J. Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago

Andrew J. Bacevich

“Trita Parsi has written a spectacularly illuminating book, recounting in dazzling detail the complex events—both onstage and off—leading to the ‘Iran nuclear deal.’ Among its many virtues, Losing an Enemy emphasizes that the issues at stake extended far, far beyond the question of Iran’s nuclear weapons program. This is and will remain for the foreseeable future the authoritative account of one of this century’s pivotal developments.”—Andrew J. Bacevich, author of America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History

Kirkus Reviews

2017-05-15
The president of the National Iranian American Council probes the reasons behind the diplomatic success of the recent nuclear deal with Iran and the lifting of sanctions.A self-described longtime advocate of diplomacy, Parsi (A Single Roll of the Dice: Obama's Diplomacy with Iran, 2012, etc.) enthusiastically embraces the breaking of the hostile status quo over the last three decades between the U.S. and Iran. In this knowledgeable survey of the "mutual demonization and intense geopolitical rivalry" between the two countries since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the author works through the stages that led to the recent diplomatic breakthrough, which occurred against all odds and in the face of vociferous criticism from Israel and Republican hawks in the U.S. Since the defeat of Saddam Hussein and Iraq, Israel believed strongly that it was in its interest to isolate Iran; this persistent "existential threat" to Israel would derail any peace initiatives, as reinforced by the potent pro-Israel lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. However, as Parsi delineates carefully, the 2003 invasion of Iraq began to change the American-led order in the Middle East because it failed so disastrously—and turned out to be "a blessing in disguise" for Iran. President Barack Obama's accession to power came at a time of public war fatigue, and his emphasis on "soft power" and diplomacy caught Iran off guard. Could the U.S. actually be trusted? Parsi looks closely at how Benjamin Netanyahu's relentless efforts to derail any détente between Washington and Tehran completely backfired. The new U.N. sanctions of 2010 were not having the desired restrictive effects on Iran's ability to enrich uranium or build centrifuges, but diplomacy eventually would, particularly the behind-the-scenes work between Sen. John Kerry and several Omani go-betweens. Moreover, the surprising 2013 election of the centrist Hassan Rouhani, who proved to be "the Sheikh of Diplomacy," further challenged the status quo. An astute and generous portrayal of both sides of the negotiating table.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171241568
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	08/15/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos