Steven Simon Book order (chronological)

There have been five central crises in America's post-World War II engagement with the Middle East, and the Obama administration now faces a sixth. The challenges posed by Iran's nuclear ambitions and the possibility of Israeli airstrikes to counter them threaten any remaining hopes for peace in the region. This account delves into the complex connections between Iran's nuclear issue, the likelihood of an Israeli preventive strike, the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, and President Obama’s attempts to reshape U.S. relations with the Muslim world. The authors, a former senior official from President Clinton's National Security Council and an expert in international politics, present a clear overview of the technical and political aspects of Iran's nuclear program and the diplomatic efforts to address it. They argue that Israel's anxiety over Iran's nuclear threat, coupled with its approach to the Palestinians, is damaging its alliance with the U.S. Meanwhile, Tehran is taking advantage of the fears of Arab regimes regarding a nuclear Iran, alongside the anger of the Arab public over the Palestinian situation and Israel's nuclear dominance. This critical juncture poses significant risks, as the combination of the Israeli-Palestinian stalemate and Iran's nuclear pursuits threatens to destabilize U.S. interests in the region and challenge Obama's presidency. This analysis is essential for policymakers and anyone interested in gl

"Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon began working on this book shortly after leaving the National Security Council, where, as director and senior director for counterterrorism, they watched the rise of al-Qaeda and helped coordinate America's fight against Usama bin Laden and his organization. They warned in articles and interviews about the appearance of a new breed of terrorists who were determined to kill on the grand scale. More than a year before September 11, 2001, they began writing The Age of Sacred Terror to sound the alarm for a nation that had not recognized the gravest threat of our time.". "One of their book's original goals has remained: to provide the insights to understand an enemy unlike any seen in living memory - one with an extraordinary ability to detect weakness and exploit it, one with a determination to inflict catastrophic damage, one that will not be deterred. But after September 11, a second, equally crucial goal was added: to understand how America let its defenses down, how warnings went unheeded, and how key parts of the government failed at vital tasks. The Age of Sacred Terror also describes the road ahead, where the terrorists will look to draw strength, and what the United States must do, at home and abroad, to stop them."--BOOK JACKET.