In his tell-all account of his brief time serving as the national security adviser in the Trump White House, John Bolton describes, in more than 500 pages, many troubling aspects of the Trump presidency during that period, making the book a bestseller. That narrative, however, largely overshadows the very real policy mayhem of the Trump administration, policies that, in almost all cases, Bolton championed. Bolton's account is the story of America's reputational decline and outlier status in the international community under Trump.

John Bolton was Donald Trump's third national security adviser (NSA), serving in that position from April 9, 2018, through September 10, 2019—as noted on the book's jacket, a period of just 453 days. In his book, however, Bolton frequently refers to instances in which he advised Trump on policy issues prior to becoming NSA and comments at length on Trump foreign policies that he long advocated and supported even prior to his appointment. Thus, the account that follows covers the breadth of Bolton's advocacy for, support of, and involvement in Trump's foreign-policy decisions, particularly those concerning the Middle East, the focus of this journal.

Early in the book Bolton reminds the reader that he had served in three previous Republican administrations, those of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. And he notes that he was prepared to serve again, as “eight years of Barack Obama meant there was much to repair.” During the Trump transition he had offered his services as secretary of state; in his view, “State needed a cultural revolution to be an effective instrument of policy.” But this was not to be: Bolton repeatedly notes (with some apparent pride) that, such was his reputation, he could never be confirmed for a government position that required Senate approval (secretary of state does; NSA does not).