by Kim Ghattas
First published 2013
Hillary Clinton accepts Barack Obama's offer to serve as Secretary of State in November 2008. She faces the challenge of rebuilding America's damaged international reputation while repairing her own political standing. BBC foreign correspondent Kim Ghattas travels with Clinton for four years, witnessing her diplomatic efforts firsthand. Clinton boards planes at three in the morning without sleep, confronts Chinese officials, and weighs military intervention in Libya. The Arab Spring erupts across the Middle East while WikiLeaks creates international incidents. Ghattas brings her perspective as a Lebanese-Dutch journalist who lived through civil war. She examines Clinton's evolution from divisive presidential candidate to global diplomat. The book reveals Clinton's relationship with Obama and her methods for conducting twenty-first century diplomacy. Ghattas explores whether American power is declining and what might replace it. Through extensive interviews with Clinton, administration officials, and international players, she creates a portrait of high-stakes global politics and one woman's attempt to reshape America's role in the world.
Genres: biography, history, international-relations, american, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: behind-the-scenes, fish-out-of-water, political-drama
Setting: Beirut, Libya, Middle East
Period: 2008, 2009-2013
368 pages · Hardcover · Times Books