Now in its fifth year, how is "mission accomplished" in Iraq going? The National Intelligence Estimate says, "The Iraq conflict has become the 'cause celebre' for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of U.S. involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement." A newly released study "Iraq Effect" reports the war on Iraq has increased terrorism seven fold worldwide. The great leaders in Washington, the jihadis of empire, seem oblivious to the consequences of their monstrous actions. They still mumble words like "victory" and "success" while escalating troop levels. And for Iraqis? Rivers of blood.

Tariq Ali, an internationally renowned writer, was born in Lahore in 1943. It was then a part of British-ruled India, now in Pakistan. For many years he has been based in London where he is an editor of New Left Review. He's written more than a dozen books on world history and politics. A charismatic speaker, he is in great demand all over the world. In his spare time he is a filmmaker, playwright and novelist. He is the author of The Clash of Fundamentalisms, Bush in Babylon, and Speaking of Empire & Resistance with David Barsamian. His latest book is Pirates of the Caribbean: The Axis of Hope.