If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to be in the room where the most high-stakes global decisions are made alongside the President?
- Did you know how a young, idealistic staffer transforms into a hardened national security operator while navigating the inner workings of the White House?
- Are you curious about the private reflections and untold stories from the final days of the Obama administration as they prepared for a radical shift in power?
Listen to The World as It Is — Free Audiobook
Loading player...
Key Takeaways from The World as It Is
- Discover how Obama's unconventional approach to foreign policy, like proposing diplomacy with Iran without preconditions, challenged Washington's traditional expectations.
- Learn how the high-stakes pressure of presidential speechwriting almost led to disaster when Obama nearly quoted Adolf Hitler during a historic address in Berlin.
- Understand how a leader's diverse upbringing can shape a nuanced worldview, and why Obama viewed acknowledging America's historical flaws as a profound expression of patriotism.
- Explore why progressive policy goals frequently clash with entrenched political establishments, as seen in the internal administrative resistance Obama faced over Guantanamo Bay.
- Find out how Obama used his historic Cairo speech to bypass mutual suspicion and directly advocate for women's rights and religious tolerance in the Muslim world.
Learning Tools
Reinforce what you learned from The World as It Is
Mind Map
The World as It Is
A New Approach to Power
2008 Campaign
Unique Worldview
Internal & External Tensions
Engaging the Muslim World
The Cairo Speech (2009)
The Arab Spring (2011)
The Iran Nuclear Deal
Hard Choices in Foreign Policy
Osama bin Laden Raid (2011)
Syria's 'Red Line'
Normalizing Cuba
Domestic Struggles & Race
Navigating Racism
Charleston Church Shooting (2015)
Disinformation & The 2016 Election
Russian Information Wars
Trump's Shocking Victory
Quiz — Test Your Understanding
Question 1 of 11
Why did Barack Obama take an unusually long campaign tour of European and Middle Eastern nations during his 2008 presidential run?
The World as It Is — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: Obama broke with other presidential candidates, promising real change and a fresh, forward-looking approach.
Chapter 3: Obama’s worldview sparked tensions at home, even within his own administration.
Chapter 4: Early in his presidency, Obama made a deliberate push to speak directly to the Muslim world.
Chapter 5: For Obama and his young advisers, the Arab Spring offered a chance to be a force for good in the world.
Chapter 6: Obama delivered upon one of his earliest foreign-policy promises.
Chapter 7: Normalizing ties with Cuba was, for once, a chance for the author and Obama to be proactive, not reactive.
Chapter 8: Race was ever-present in the Obama White House, yet not an easy topic for Obama to publicly confront at all.
Chapter 9: Obama did not launch military action in Syria, despite 'red lines' over the use of chemical weapons.
Chapter 10: Obama pushed through the Iran agreement despite fierce opposition.
Chapter 11: Obama’s administration landed on the losing side of the information wars.
Chapter 12: Obama and the author were stunned by Donald Trump’s victory.
The World as It Is Summary & Overview
The World as It Is (2018) is a deeply personal look at the Obama presidency, written by a man who not only worked closely with the forty-fourth president, but also became his friend. Taking us on a behind-the-scenes tour of Obama’s presidency, from his first campaign to Trump’s inauguration, these blinks also chronicle the author’s personal journey from fresh-faced staffer to hardened national security operator.
Who Should Listen to The World as It Is?
- History and politics buffs
- Anyone interested in an inside look at the highest levels of government
- People who want a better understanding of the state of US politics today
Books Similar to The World as It Is
Readers who enjoyed this also liked these titles.
At War with Ourselves
★ 3.9 / 5 • 102 ratingsMy Tour of Duty in the Trump White House
After the Fall
★ 3.9 / 5 • 232 ratingsBeing American in the World We've Made
Speaking for Myself
★ 3.3 / 5 • 68 ratingsFaith, Freedom, and the Fight of Our Lives Inside the Trump White House
The Situation Room
★ 3.8 / 5 • 92 ratingsThe Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis