1Born in Pakistan and based in London, Tariq Ali is an editor of New Left Review and has written seven novels and more than 20 books on world history and politics, most recently The Obama Syndrome: War Abroad. As the 2011 Sir Douglas Robb Lecturer at the University of Auckland he will deliver a series of three, free lectures: Islam and its Discontents; US Power Today: The Global Hegemon; and The Rise of China.