Benghazi!: A New History of the Fiasco that Pushed America and its World to the Brink

"Ten years after an attack on the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, cries of "Benghazi!" still echo across America. But instead of a landmark event to be taken seriously, it has become a punchline, an empty word, or a code for controversy and political theatre. In this thrilling retelling, Ethan Chorin reveals Benghazi as a watershed moment in American history, one that helped create the world America lives in today: polarized, fearful, anddangerously unstable. Here, Benghazi is not a story contained in 13 hours, but a decades-long history beginning with the rise of Muammar Gaddafi, stretching through 9/11, the War on Terror, and the Arab Spring, and reaching into the present day, as the impact of the attack and ensuing controversy remain visible in America and around the world. Chorin draws on his own bone-chilling experience during the Benghazi attack, his expertise as a former diplomat and scholar of Libyan history, and new interviews with Libyan insiders, eyewitnesses, and key players like Hillary Clinton and Ben Rhodes. With this ambitious, engaging narrative, Chorin makes clear why Benghazi still matters so much ten years later--and why we can't afford to continue overlooking and misunderstanding it. "--
A noted Libya expert and eyewitness to the 2012 attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya discusses the roots of the incident and why it still maters 10 years later.
In recognition of the 10th anniversary of the attack in Benghazi, a noted Libya expert and eyewitness to the attack provides a startling reconsideration of one of the defining controversies of our era. Ten years after an attack on the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, cries of "Benghazi!" still echo across America. But instead of a landmark event to be taken seriously, it has become a punchline, an empty word, or a code for controversy and political theatre. In this thrilling retelling, Ethan Chorin reveals Benghazi as a watershed moment in American history, one that helped create the world America lives in today: polarized, fearful, and dangerously unstable.   Here, Benghazi is not a story contained in 13 hours, but a decades-long history beginning with the rise of Muammar Gaddafi, stretching through 9/11, the War on Terror, and the Arab Spring, and reaching into the present day, as the impact of the attack and ensuing controversy remain visible in America and around the world. Chorin draws on his own bone-chilling experience during the Benghazi attack, his expertise as a former diplomat and scholar of Libyan history, and new interviews with Libyan insiders, eyewitnesses, and key players like Hillary Clinton and Ben Rhodes. With this ambitious, engaging narrative, Chorin makes clear why Benghazi still matters so much ten years later—and why we can’t afford to continue overlooking and misunderstanding it. 
On the 10th anniversary of the attack in Benghazi, a startling reconsideration of one of the defining controversies of our era, from a noted Libya expert and eyewitness to the attack Ten years after an attack on the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi killed US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, cries of "Benghazi!" still ring across America. But instead of a landmark event to be taken seriously, it has become a punchline, an empty word shouted with anger and frustration, or a code for controversy and political theatre. In this thrilling retelling, Ethan Chorin changes the narrative on Benghazi, revealing it as a watershed moment in American history, one that helped create the world we live in today. Untangling the narrative with new clarity, Chorin reveals Benghazi as a crisis for America’s involvement with the Middle East, a consequence of decades of failed US foreign policy, and a frightening turning point for America's deepening political division. Beginning with decades of Libyan history and American policy decisions that laid the groundwork for the attack, Chorin draws on both his own bone-chilling experience during the Benghazi attack and his expertise as a former diplomat and scholar of Libyan history to demystify the attack and its continuing impact on America. His account also incorporates new interviews with key policy makers and witnesses that shed new light on the events. With this ambitious, engaging narrative, Chorin makes clear why Benghazi still matters so much ten years later—and why we can’t afford to continue overlooking and misunderstanding it.