Political activist and author Claudia Clark delivers a potent reminder of the importance of alliances between countries and world leaders in her extensively researched, compelling new book, Dear Barack: The Extraordinary Partnership of Barack Obama and Angela Merkel. Keep reading to find out more about this book.
Dear Barack:The Extraordinary Partnership of Barack Obama and Angela Merkel
I just finished reading Dear Barack: The Extraordinary Partnership of Barack Obama and Angela Merkel by Claudia Clark. This book looks not only at the powerful and beneficial friendship between two world leaders but also at their individual backgrounds that were outside the norm of their predecessors in their respective roles.
What I liked the most about this book is the wealth of research that has gone into each quote and factoid about this partnership with thorough footnotes throughout. I’ve read a few books that dig into the friendships of world leaders. I have to say that most of them usually have a hanging question about romance. I really enjoyed that there’s none of that here – it’s purely a unification, likemindedness and a recognition that being the “firsts” of each of their own countries meant they each faced extra but sometimes shared challenges that made how they respond to national and international issues all the more important. Both Merkel and Obama had to pick and choose their battles and not shy away from their backgrounds but also know when not to take the bait that some media wanted them to lean into.
I must confess that I didn’t know a lot about Chancellor Merkel before reading this book. So I really enjoyed that the author details Merkel’s life story, ultimately showing how she ended up as Germany’s ‘Muti’. She also outlines Obama’s biography, which I was more familiar with. This is an extremely well-written and inspiring book. It was one that I didn’t want to put down.
Dear Barack: The Extraordinary Partnership of Barack Obama and Angela Merkel is available on Amazon and your favorite bookseller.
About the Book
One of the great political friendships of the modern world, as told through key moments that shaped the twenty-first century
Today, we know US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as two of the world’s most influential leaders, together at the center of some of the biggest controversies and most impressive advancements of our time. But while their friendship has been the subject of both scrutiny and admiration, few know the full story.
Taking office at the height of the 2008 global recession, Obama was keenly aware of the fractured relationship between the US and Europe. And for her part, Merkel was suspicious of the charismatic newcomer who had captivated her country.
Faced with the challenges of globalization, the two often clashed over policy, but—as the first Black president and first female chancellor—they shared a belief that democracy could uplift the world. United by this conviction, they would forge a complicated but inspiring partnership.
Dear Barack is a thoroughly researched document of the parallel trajectories that led to Obama and Merkel meeting on the world stage and the trials, both personal and political, that they confronted in office. At times in the leaders’ own words, the book details such events as Merkel’s historic acceptance of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and the 2013 NSA spying scandal, demonstrating the highs and lows of this extraordinary alliance.
A story of camaraderie on a global scale, Dear Barack shows that it is possible for political adversaries to establish bonds of respect—and even friendship—in the service of the free world.
About the Author
Claudia Clark is an author, speaker, and activist focused on social justice and democracy. In 2017, Clark and her husband moved from California to Germany, where she served as the national Get Out the Vote (GOTV) coordinator for the Democrats Abroad Germany chapter from January 2019 to May 2020. Clark has several advanced degrees, with a focus on social work, women’s history, and labor. She currently lives in Berlin, where she is conducting research for her next book about the rise of the alt-right in Europe.