A new book by American counter-terrorism experts Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon, The Next Attack, begins with the stark words: "We are losing."

"The two authors contend that, since the attacks of 9/11, the policies of the Bush administration have prolonged the "global insurgency" - as many now call the worldwide threat of radical Islamism - rather than curtailing it.

"The recent hotel bombings in Jordan, which killed over 50 people, showed in their view, that Iraq is now the central arena of the global jihad - and that the poison is spreading to Iraq's neighbours.

"The Bush administration finds itself under fire from Democrats and some Republicans in Congress, as well as from experts like Mr Benjamin and Mr Simon."

"In a recent speech, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Jimmy Carter's national security adviser in the late 1970s, spoke of a crisis of American leadership.

"He believes the US is "sliding towards a war with the world of Islam".

"In Iraq, he argues, it was necessary to re-define success, since the original goal of creating a stable, secular democracy there was no longer a realistic option."