Robin Wright
Best non-fiction book on international affairs
AWARD DATE: 2011
AWARD NAME: The Cornelius Ryan Award 2011
AWARD RECIPIENT: Robin Wright
AWARD RECIPIENT AFFILIATION: Simon & Schuster
AWARD HONORED WORK: “Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World”
Robin Wright’s book captures a pivotal moment in history with superb on the ground reporting across the Middle East that reflects her decades of experience covering the region. In interviews and observations, Wright shows journalistic enterprise and a comprehensive command of the tumult in today’s Islamic world. The book challenges conventional wisdom about the incompatibility of Islam and democracy profiling the reformers Wright says will lead the Middle East away from extremism. With vivid portraits, the book describes the events of the Arab Spring as examples of a regional “counter-jihad” fought by young Muslims who constitute a majority in the Islamic world.
Citation for Excellence:
Gideon Rachman
Simon & Schuster
“Zero-Sum Future: American Power in an Age of Anxiety”