The World as It Is

Ben Rhodes, a writer before he became a staffer, worked for nearly ten years at the heart of Barack Obama's administration, moving from speechwriting to the post of deputy national security advisor and then to a wider role as aide and close collaborator. His memoir traces his partnership and eventual friendship with the president, from the early days of the campaign to the final hours in office. Each day began for Rhodes with the President's Daily Brief in the Oval Office. He describes the Situation Room during the bin Laden raid, the response to the Arab Spring, the Iran nuclear deal, secret talks with Cuba and the rise of nationalism that ended in Donald Trump's election.