Tariq Ali

Tariq Ali is a Pakistani‑British writer, historian, filmmaker, and political activist, widely recognised for his influential role in the international left. Born in Lahore in 1943, he became politically active as a teenager, opposing Pakistan’s military dictatorship before being sent to England for safety. At Oxford, he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics and rose to prominence as President of the Oxford Union in 1965, quickly becoming a leading voice of the New Left. His activism during the Vietnam War era — including public debates with figures like Henry Kissinger — cemented his reputation as a sharp, articulate critic of Western foreign policy.

As an author, Ali has produced an extensive body of work spanning politics, history, and fiction. His non‑fiction titles, such as The Clash of Fundamentalisms (2002) and Bush in Babylon (2003), offer forceful critiques of imperialism, neoliberalism, and global power structures. He is also known for his acclaimed Islam Quintet, a series of historical novels exploring the cultural and political histories of the Islamic world. Throughout his career, Ali has contributed regularly to The Guardian, CounterPunch, and the London Review of Books, maintaining his position as a prominent public intellectual committed to anti‑imperialist analysis and socialist critique.