Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon began working on this project 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 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 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 to stop them. A year after the attacks America continues searching for answers about those responsible, and explanations for the glaring gaps in our defenses. The Age of Sacred Terror provides both with unique authority.
