Summary

In chapter 19 Obama outlines his goal to change American foreign policy from military intervention to a greater emphasis on diplomacy. Obama works towards this by appearing in foreign countries and holding town halls with the local people. Although this approach seems to increase positive perceptions of America abroad, Obama admits that there are limits to diplomacy, especially when it comes to countries like Russia, Iran, and China.

To illustrate the challenges to diplomacy in these countries, Obama gives the history of Iran in the 20th century beginning with a CIA-backed coup of the democratically elected Iranian government during the Eisenhower years. Obama describes how the destabilizing effect of this operation in Iran leads to the rise of the anti-American Ayatollah Khomeini. He notes that the sanctions against Iran for their non-compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty are “too weak to have an impact...