Robert Fisk is one of the world's best known journalists and has been based in the Middle East as the U.K. Independent's Middle East correspondent for nearly 30 years.

In this 2005 speech, Robert Fisk talks about his book, The Great War for Civilization.  Filled with stirring first-hand accounts, this book is based on the idea that all wars are "total failures of the human spirit," and paints a poignant picture of Iraq, the media, and the future of the Middle East.

To read Robert Fisk's articles in The Independent, click here.