The Inheritance - Softcover

Sanger, David E

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0593064178 ISBN 13: 9780593064177

Publisher: Bantam Press, 2009

Synopsis

During his seven years covering the White House for the "New York Times", Chief Washington Correspondent David E. Sanger has had extraordinary and unrivaled access to presidents, world leaders and secretaries of state. Here, in "The Inheritance", he gathers together all the evidence he has uncovered, both on and off the record, to offer us an insider's look at the many complex and oftentimes terrifying challenges that Obama now faces. Uncovering in fascinating detail the inner workings of the US military and intelligence communities, and describing the huge cost of the decision to invest so much of America, and Britain's, future on what once seemed like an easy mission in Iraq, Sanger talk us through the world this visionary new president now faces - a war gone bad in Afghanistan, a power-hungry Iran on the brink of nuclear weapons, an unstable alliance with Pakistan, a rising China and a worsening worldwide economic crisis. Mapping the political landscape that Obama will inherit, this book examines the international arenas that will remain the focus of the entire western world throughout the years to come, and gives us a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse into the Situation Room of the presidency. If you want to understand the world today in all its complexity, there's only one book for you: "The Inheritance" by David E. Sanger.

About this title

About the Author

David E. Sanger has twice been a member of New York Times reporting teams that won the Pulitzer Prize. He has also been awarded, twice, the Merriman Smith Award for his coverage of national security, the Weintal prize for diplomatic reporting, and earlier last year he and his colleagues won a DuPont Award for the documentary, "Nuclear Jihad: Can Terrorists Get the Bomb?" Twice weekly he delivers the "Washington Report" for WQXR-FM, and he appears frequently on public affairs and news programmes.

From the Back Cover

Every morning Barack Obama receives intelligence briefings on the perilous state of the world he inherits. Here s yours.
The Inheritance is the ultimate insider s look at the complex and terrifying challenges facing the forty-fourth president of the United States and how they erupted in the last years of George W. Bush s presidency. With unparalleled access to the key decision-makers and an insider s eye for detail, David E. Sanger, chief Washington correspondent for the New York Times, takes you inside the White House situation room as the true costs and consequences of the Iraq war become apparent. Distracted by managing a war gone bad, the Bush administration became blinded to the world around them: to the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan; to a Pakistani government supporting the insurgents while claiming to fight them; and to the Iranian race towards a nuclear weapons capability. And whilst Washington looked elsewhere, the world moved on: North Korea obtained the fuel for eight bombs; China exploited the moment to buy up oil and influence around the world; and then came a global economic crisis of huge proportions, one a weakened America was not ready to confront.
During seven years covering the White House for the New York Times, Sanger has had unrivalled access, on and off the record, to the world leaders, senior intelligence officials and top policymakers at the centre of this storm. Now, he presents the choices facing Obama. This is your map of the dangerous world that confronts the new president, and the rest of us.
Somehow, David Sanger has broken through the secrecy and the government gobbledygook to tell us how we got to where we are and the choices this leaves for the next administration. One of the most important books of the year. Bob Schieffer, Chief Washington Correspondent, CBS News

Edition details

• Publisher: Bantam Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0593064178
• ISBN 13: 9780593064177
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 528