WASHINGTON, May 7 (UPI) -- A book on radical Islam -- The Age of Sacred Terror -- has won the largest U.S. award for a book on international affairs.
The authors, Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon, will receive $10,000 for winning the Council on Foreign Relations' third annual Arthur Ross Book Award.
Benjamin was director and Simon senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council.
The book offers a comprehensive analysis of the growth of radical Islam from its medieval origins to today. It also provides insights into the philosophical underpinnings of al-Qaida and its growing appeal in the Islamic world.
The book also describes U.S. efforts to combat the most innovative and dangerous terrorist group ever, explores why the United States was unable to defend itself against al-Qaida, and what the United States must do to stop this new threat.
