ABSTRACT
The one relief that comes after reading this sharp, sobering account of a series of calamitous policy failures resulting from efforts at regime change in the Middle East is the knowledge that the author is back in government advising US Vice President Kamala Harris on national security, and so is in a position to help prevent a new folly. Toppling regimes is only one part of the story of American policy in the Middle East. Iran plays a central role in this story. Gordon is correct about the legacy of the 1953 coup in Iran. He allowed his regime to become ever more decadent and oppressive. During the Arab Spring of 2010–11, Obama was unenthusiastic about the idea of regime change. He could see the pitfalls and the difficulty of describing a satisfactory end-state. The US had long since reduced its dependence on Middle Eastern oil.
