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

Trita Parsi, a Middle East policy expert, examines President Obama's strategy toward Iran's nuclear program and how the 2015 agreement resolved long-standing negotiation deadlocks. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action accomplished two objectives: it averted the threat of war with Iran and prevented the development of an Iranian nuclear bomb. Parsi advised the Obama White House during the talks and had access to decision-makers and diplomats from both the U.S. and Iranian sides. Drawing from more than seventy-five in-depth interviews with key figures including Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, this account details the 22 months of negotiations that produced the nuclear deal. Parsi analyzes every aspect of the agreement and its potential significance in U.S. foreign policy.