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

Losing an Enemy is now available in stores and can be ordered from Amazon.com, Indie Bound and other online bookstores.   

Trista parsi: In the book, I not only reveal the behind the scenes negotiations that led to the historic deal, but also the geopolitical shifts that made diplomacy viable in the first place.

The book questions the conventional wisdom that sanctions made the deal possible and shows how U.S. flexibility on the key issue of enrichment in the secret negotiations in Oman broke the deadlock between the U.S. and Iran.

Moreover, I also argue that the deal created an opportunity for America to change the relationship with Tehran — and lose Iran as an enemy. Instead President Trump has chosen to side with Saudi Arabia and escalate tensions with Iran, threatening the stability achieved by the deal. In order to understand the risks ahead, including the risk of war, it is essential to know the real story behind the Iran deal.

The book is based on more than 75 interviews with key actors and decision makers in the drama—including John Kerry, Javad Zarif, Ali Akbar Salehi, Federica Mogherini, Wendy Sherman, Ben Rhodes, Sergei Ryabkov, Bill Burns, Gary Samore, Jake Sullivan as well as other decision makers from Russia, Israel, and the EU.

According to Publishers Weekly, Losing an Enemy will “undoubtedly be the definitive account of Obama’s signature foreign policy achievement.”

Order your copy today at Amazon, Yale, or Indie Bound!

“[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

“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

“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

“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 not only clear from Losing an Enemy 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 spell-binding—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 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