Christian Alfonsi

Christian Alfonsi is an American business executive and author. He is the author of Circle in the Sand, a study of White House policymaking during the two Bush presidencies, and the CEO of Metabook.

Christian Alfonsi
BornPhiladelphia, PA
OccupationAuthor; co-founder & CEO, Metabook
NationalityAmerican
EducationHarvard University
Period2006–present
GenreNonfiction
Notable worksCircle in the Sand (2006)

Education

Alfonsi received a PhD in political science from Harvard University's Department of Government in 1999.[1][2]

Career

Writing

Alfonsi's nonfiction book, Circle in the Sand: Why We Went Back to Iraq, was published in 2006 by Doubleday; a paperback edition, retitled Circle in the Sand: The Bush Dynasty in Iraq, was published by Vintage Books in 2007.[2] The book is an expansion of Alfonsi's PhD thesis, Improvised Crusades, which explored the Gulf War and why George H.W. Bush's administration had been successful in getting Saddam Hussein to remove his troops from Kuwait, and yet were ineffective in the aftermath.[2][3]

In Circle in the Sand, Alfonsi examines the links between the two Bush presidencies and the wars in Iraq during their respective presidencies. He writes about the decision-making process that led to the Gulf War (1990–91) and its relation to the 2003 Iraq War. Alfonsi argues that the 2003 invasion of Iraq by George W. Bush's administration was a direct reaction to his father's mistake in leaving Hussein in power, and that the September 11 attacks were an indirect result of not overthrowing Hussein.[4][5][6] He dissects how dissimilar the two Bush administrations were, both in style and strategy.[4] In the book, Alfonsi drew on interviews with officials including President George H.W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger, White House Chief of Staff John Sununu, and National Security Advisers Anthony Lake and Brent Scowcroft.[3][7]

The Washington Post called the book "an eye-opener" with "plenty of juicy tidbits about the once and future Bushes," saying that it "works best as a retelling of the 1990-91 Gulf crisis with the benefit of new documents and on-the-record interviews with senior officials then and now."[4] The statement was echoed in the Chicago Tribune, writing that it "shines as a work of history, particularly for insights into the run-up to Saddam Hussein's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait and the first Bush White House's decision to leave the Iraqi dictator in power in 1991."[7] Kirkus Reviews stated, "Much of the story that emerges is familiar, though told in greater depth."[3]

Business

Alfonsi is the co-founder and CEO of Metabook, a publishing company and production studio launched in 2015.[8][9] Metabook publishes books and produces digital content related to each title, publishing titles by authors including John Berendt,[10] Diane Clehane[11] and Wally Lamb,[12][13] and producing content featuring Elizabeth Banks,[14] Laura Benanti,[13] Laverne Cox,[10] Dana Delany,[14] Jeremy Sisto,[14] Kathleen Turner[13] and Alfred Uhry.[10] Alfonsi previously served as vice president of strategic planning at Young & Rubicam Brands in New York City,[4] and as executive vice president of strategic planning at Taylor.[15]

Bibliography
  • Circle in the Sand: Why We Went Back to Iraq (New York: Doubleday, 2006) ISBN 0-385-51598-7
    • Circle in the Sand: The Bush Dynasty in Iraq (New York: Vintage Books, 2007) ISBN 978-1-4000-9606-0

References
  1. "Circle in the Sand: Why We Went Back to Iraq," Publishers Weekly, September 4, 2006.
  2. Circle in the Sand, National Library of Australia, 2007.
  3. "Circle in the Sand," Kirkus Reviews, August 2006.
  4. Warren Bass, "A Tale of Two Bushes," Washington Post, November 26, 2006.
  5. Michael Rubin, "Circle in the Sand," Middle East Quarterly, Spring 2009.
  6. William R. Wineke, "Back to Iraq Author Examines U.S. Policy, Planning in the Persian Gulf," Wisconsin State Journal, February 4, 2007.
  7. Hannah Bloch, "Circle in the Sand," Chicago Tribune, March 18, 2007.
  8. "Marketplace Tech for Thursday, November 17, 2016," Marketplace Tech, November 17, 2016.
  9. Diane Clehane, "Metabook Publisher: New iPad App Will Transform Books," Adweek, April 8, 2015.
  10. Jill Vejnoska, "App Takes 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' to New Places," Atlanta Journal-Constitution, March 2, 2015.
  11. Andy Lewis, "New Novel Imagines Princess Diana Surviving Fatal 1997 Car Crash," The Hollywood Reporter, May 22, 2017.
  12. Alexandra Alter, "Wally Lamb's Latest Novel to Be Released Exclusively as Book App," New York Times, December 4, 2015.
  13. Andy Lewis, "First Look: Wally Lamb's 'I'll Take You There' to Debut as a Digital Enhanced Novel," The Hollywood Reporter, September 27, 2016.
  14. Todd Spangler, "Wally Lamb Digital Book 'I'll Take You There' to Feature Elizabeth Banks Short Film," Variety, November 11, 2016.
  15. Glenny Brock, "Helping Brands Go for the Gold," Archived 2014-07-02 at the Wayback Machine Adweek, February 2012.
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