Confront and Conceal

Obama's Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power

De: David E. Sanger

Narrado por: Robertson Dean

“Stunning revelations…This is an account that long will be consulted by anyone trying to understand not just Iran but warfare in the 21st century…an important book.” –Tom Ricks, New York Times

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE INHERITANCE, A REVEALING AND NEWS-BREAKING ACCOUNT OF OBAMA’S AGGRESSIVE USE OF INNOVATIVE WEAPONS AND NEW TOOLS OF AMERICAN POWER TO MANAGE A RAPIDLY SHIFTING WORLD OF GLOBAL THREATS AND CHALLENGES

Inside the White House Situation Room, the newly elected Barack Obama immerses himself in the details of a remark­able new American capability to launch cyberwar against Iran—and escalates covert operations to delay the day when the mullahs could obtain a nuclear weapon. Over the next three years Obama accelerates drone attacks as an alter­native to putting troops on the ground in Pakistan, and becomes increasingly reliant on the Special Forces, whose hunting of al-Qaeda illuminates the path out of an unwin­nable war in Afghanistan.

Confront and Conceal provides readers with a picture of an administration that came to office with the world on fire. It takes them into the Situation Room debate over how to undermine Iran’s program while simultaneously trying to prevent Israel from taking military action that could plunge the region into another war. It dissects how the bin Laden raid worsened the dysfunctional relationship with Pakistan. And it traces how Obama’s early idealism about fighting “a war of necessity” in Afghanistan quickly turned to fatigue and frustration.

One of the most trusted and acclaimed national security correspondents in the country, David Sanger of the New York Times takes readers deep inside the Obama adminis­tration’s most perilous decisions: The president dispatch­es an emergency search team to the Gulf when the White House briefly fears the Taliban may have obtained the Bomb, but he rejects a plan in late 2011 to send in Special Forces to recover a stealth drone that went down in Iran. Obama overrules his advisers and takes the riskiest path in killing Osama bin Laden, and ignores their advice when he helps oust Hosni Mubarak from the presidency of Egypt.

“The surprise is his aggressiveness,” a key ambassador who works closely with Obama reports.

Yet the president has also pivoted American foreign policy away from the attritional wars of the past decade, attempting to preserve America’s influence with a lighter, defter touch—all while focusing on a new era of diplomacy in Asia and reconfiguring America’s role during a time of economic turmoil and austerity.

As the world seeks to understand whether there is an Obama Doctrine, Confront and Conceal is a fascinating, unflinching account of these complex years, in which the president and his administration have found themselves struggling to stay ahead in a world where power is diffuse and America’s ability to exert control grows ever more elusive.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A must-read for policy wonks and a good primer on how American power works beyond our borders." --Kirkus

"Penetrating history of the presiden'ts effort to grapple with a world in flux..." --New York Times

"Sanger is one of the leading national security reporters in the United States, and this astonishingly revealing insider's account of the Obama administration's foreign policy process is a triumph of the genre.'' --Foreign Affairs

"Meticulously reported, immensely readable..." --The Washington Post

Yes and no

The good: It was a good story, an interesting review of the issues both a President and our nation faves in the changing world around us. It concedes idealism and the “right thing” is at odds with our own interests and the careful and often painful choices a President must make.
The bad: Biased on the “greatness of Obama”, with snarky remarks about previous administrations and the usual diatribe that Obama inherited a mess (as if each President hasn’t). I’m tired if this line. Obama did some good and some bad. Welcome to the club- you did an average job and kicked the can down the road a bit.

That said- worth a read. Well thought out, interesting writing. Good descriptions and insight.

Scary but revealing and informative

This was a very engaging book. I knew many of the broad strokes of topics covered by the books just from following the news, but the in-depth examination of Obama' responses to various events was incredibly interesting. I was struck by 1) how scary many of the questions are that the president has to make essentially unanswerable answers to (what do we do if terrorists actually just got their hands on a nuclear weapon?) and 2) how, after reading this, I had much more respect for the decisions Obama had made.

Put yourself in the shoes of the President

This was an informative book that takes you behind the scenes of the presidency in its most difficult and sometimes scary role of commander in chief. This peak behind the curtain was incredible and I am greatly appreciative to the author for reporting on the leaders of our country as they took on the momentous events covered in the book.

I felt I got to know the people behind the decisions and the differing views each of these situations involved. For example, the Bin Laden raid could have been a bomb, or could have included Pakistani buy in. Why did we choose a raid that could have ended like Black Hawk Down and to what extent did we feel confident that Bin Laden was even there? These were just a few of the issues discussed and I was absolutely enthralled with the way the story was told.

In this book you get in-depth context and the “why” behind some of the directions we’ve gone and I can’t recommend it more.

Masterful Insights

Where does Confront and Conceal rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Probably in the top three books that I've listened to so far.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Confront and Conceal?

This book is so packed with revealing insights from so many Washington and military insiders that no one moment can be singled out.

What does Robertson Dean bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

So many different inflections that really give you a sense of the characteristics and intensity of the various contributors to this dialogue.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Surprise. I was surprised at the strength and tenacity of President Obama. Certainly a very shrewd leader and far stronger than the media and the "right" give him credit for.

Any additional comments?

David Sanger does a fantastic job of fairly and impartially reporting the facts that he gathered for this book (except for his position on the Drone strategy). There are times when you will strongly agree with positions and times when you will get a bit ruffled . . .but that's what happens when both sides are told fairly and accurately. GREAT BOOK!

Sobering reminder on what the presidency requires

Would you listen to Confront and Conceal again? Why?

I would. Having read "Wired for War" by Peter Singer, I was curious as to how Sanger was viewing President Obama's policies on the use of drones - and other high-tech warfare. POTUS has to be smart enough to understand how 21st century technology is changing what it means to be at war. My first go-round I would say Sanger is as conflicted as I, but some of the reviews I read say Sanger feels Obama has too much power and is using it improperly. Either I missed something or the reviewers are using their own spin.