LONDON: Former UK prime minister Tony Blair is by turns pensive and defiant as he reflects on the upcoming anniversaries of two events that arguably defined the best and worst of his decade in power.
On this day in 1998, US president George W. Bush and British prime minister Tony Blair launched an invasion of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq without a UN authorisation and in defiance of some of the largest protests ever held in Britain.
No weapons of mass destruction were discovered, which for the war’s many detractors revealed it as an imprudent misadventure and limited the West’s ability to confront the emergence of autocrats in Russia and China.
Blair, though, disputes the idea that Russian President Vladimir Putin benefited from confronting an under-resourced West with his own aggressiveness against Ukraine, which began in 2014 and culminated in a full invasion last year.
According to Britain’s most successful Labour leader, “If he didn’t use that reason (Iraq), he’d use another excuse.”, who is currently 69 years old, stated in an interview with AFP and other European news organisations ANSA, DPA, and EFE.
Blair pointed out that Saddam had started two regional wars, disobeyed numerous UN resolutions, and used chemical weapons against his own people.
While Ukraine was not a threat to its neighbours when Putin invaded because of its democratically run government.
Speaking at the headquarters of his Tony Blair Institute for Global Change in central London, Blair remarked, “At least you could say we were removing a despot and trying to introduce democracy.
You can now debate all the repercussions and other issues.
By intervening in the Middle East (in Syria), he (Putin) supported a dictator and rejected democracy. Hence, we should disregard all of that propaganda as such.
After leaving office in 2007, Blair’s own efforts as an international envoy to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians may have been impeded by the fallout from the Iraq war.
Blair said he is “still very passionate” about fostering peace in the Middle East even though it seems “quite remote right now” and maintains operations there through his institution.
He claims that while there cannot be a settlement in Ukraine until Moscow acknowledges that “violence is wrong,” the Palestinians can learn from the undeniable pinnacle of his presidency: the Northern Ireland peace accords.
Hence, we should disregard all of that propaganda as such.
After leaving office in 2007, Blair’s own efforts as an international envoy to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians may have been impeded by the fallout from the Iraq war.
Blair said he is “still very passionate” about fostering peace in the Middle East even though it seems “quite remote right now” and maintains operations there through his institution.
He claims that while there cannot be a settlement in Ukraine until Moscow acknowledges that “violence is wrong,” the Palestinians can learn from the undeniable pinnacle of his presidency: the Northern Ireland peace accords.
“They changed tactics, and as they see the outcome, “He continued, rejecting any bias towards Israel and stating that he was only acknowledging the realities of peace negotiations.
He continued, reflecting on his turbulent tenure in 10 Downing Street from 1997 to 2007. “There are lots of things contested and uncontested,” he said.
The Good Friday Accord is possibly the only item that is undisputed.
It had essentially crumbled when I arrived in Belfast, so we had to revise and approve it. In the past 25 years, this has arguably been the only truly effective peace process.”
No weapons of mass destruction were discovered, which for the war’s many detractors revealed it as an imprudent misadventure and limited the West’s ability to confront the emergence of autocrats in Russia and China.
Blair, though, disputes the idea that Russian President Vladimir Putin benefited from confronting an under-resourced West with his own aggressiveness against Ukraine, which began in 2014 and culminated in a full invasion last year.
According to Britain’s most successful Labour leader, “If he didn’t use that reason (Iraq), he’d use another excuse.”, who is currently 69 years old, stated in an interview with AFP and other European news organisations ANSA, DPA, and EFE.
Blair pointed out that Saddam had started two regional wars, disobeyed numerous UN resolutions, and used chemical weapons against his own people.
While Ukraine was not a threat to its neighbours when Putin invaded because of its democratically run government.
Speaking at the headquarters of his Tony Blair Institute for Global Change in central London, Blair remarked, “At least you could say we were removing a despot and trying to introduce democracy.
You can now debate all the repercussions and other issues.
By intervening in the Middle East (in Syria), he (Putin) supported a dictator and rejected democracy. Hence, we should disregard all of that propaganda as such.
After leaving office in 2007, Blair’s own efforts as an international envoy to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians may have been impeded by the fallout from the Iraq war.
Blair said he is “still very passionate” about fostering peace in the Middle East even though it seems “quite remote right now” and maintains operations there through his institution.
He claims that while there cannot be a settlement in Ukraine until Moscow acknowledges that “violence is wrong,” the Palestinians can learn from the undeniable pinnacle of his presidency: the Northern Ireland peace accords.
Hence, we should disregard all of that propaganda as such.
After leaving office in 2007, Blair’s own efforts as an international envoy to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians may have been impeded by the fallout from the Iraq war.
Blair said he is “still very passionate” about fostering peace in the Middle East even though it seems “quite remote right now” and maintains operations there through his institution.
He claims that while there cannot be a settlement in Ukraine until Moscow acknowledges that “violence is wrong,” the Palestinians can learn from the undeniable pinnacle of his presidency: the Northern Ireland peace accords.
“They changed tactics, and as they see the outcome, “He continued, rejecting any bias towards Israel and stating that he was only acknowledging the realities of peace negotiations.
He continued, reflecting on his turbulent tenure in 10 Downing Street from 1997 to 2007. “There are lots of things contested and uncontested,” he said.
The Good Friday Accord is possibly the only item that is undisputed.
It had essentially crumbled when I arrived in Belfast, so we had to revise and approve it. In the past 25 years, this has arguably been the only truly effective peace process.”
