The Obamians: The Struggle inside the White House to Redefine American Power

The 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.