Although Tony Blair came to power as leader of a Labour government, his premiership has not followed the standard Labour Party policy of pacifism and anti-war sentiment. Neither has there been towards US foreign policy.

Mr Blair reportedly stated that we might be a lucky generation that’ll never need to send individuals to war. In reality, he’s participated in more military campaigns than any British Prime Minister in living memory.

He’d a clear admiration for Margaret Thatcher and her handing of the Falklands War. When he entered office in 1997, he even contacted Mrs Thatcher on matters of authorities, even though she left office 7 years previously in 1990.

His first taste of the delight of war came in 1999 when the UK participated in the NATO directed airborne bombing of Yugoslavia with all the purpose of getting Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw his troops from Kosovo. Among all the NATO leaders, it was Blair who sought to demonise Milosevic and make comparisons with all the ethnic cleansing policies of Serbia and the Nazi Holocaust.

Mr Blair had moved on to other foreign ventures.

An important lesson which Mr Blair learnt from the Kosovo campaign was that it’s unwise to hand his enemies over . Mr Milosevic sadly died during the trial and Tony Blair was robbed of the publicity success which may have followed the inevitable guilty verdict.

Britain sent troops ostensibly to evacuate British nationals in danger during a rebel rebellion. It shortly became clear that Mr Blair had a long term strategy to support the democratically elected authorities of the diamond rich country. This strategy suffered a setback when a tiny contingent of UK forces were caught with a rebel faction called the West Side Boys in September 2000. Mr Blair said that British soldiers are held against their will anywhere in the world, it is something the government takes quite seriously. After several diplomatic exchanges that were perfunctory, a rescue mission was authorised by Mr Blair. Just one British paratrooper was killed throughout the successful raid.

During a trip to Sierra Leone, wherever he went, Mr Blair was hailed as the saviour of the country and applauded. This evidently whetted his appetite for additional foreign adventures.

The aftermath of the terrorist attack on the united states soon overtook the applause of adoring crowds in Sierra Leone in September 2001. Mr Blair committed British troops from Afghanistan to the removal of the Taliban along with the hunt for Osama Bin Laden. After that, The Taliban managed to regroup and Mr Bin Laden remained at large and re-entered Afghanistan after both Blair and Bush had declared the campaign a success.

The invasion of Iraq in 2003 by the US and UK led coalition has eventually discredited Tony Blair’s qualifications as a war leader , and it has sealed his fate as a politician with international ambitions which proved catastrophic, both to his own country also to the world at large.

The performance of Saddam was a badly managed event that was made worse by the truth that Mr Blair was holidaying with a pop star during the time in Florida.

Mr Blair’s announcement of a decrease of British troop numbers in Iraq during February 2007, indicates the commencement of a hasty exit strategy. As usual, the release of the news that was negative was massaged and presented as a redeployment of resources where British troops are having some success contrary to the Taliban. The truth is that the UK electorate along with Mr Blair have wearied of the war in Iraq.

It’s opportune to investigate his want for glory on the entire world stage, as the Blair era is coming to an end. In the heady days of 1997, his Foreign Secretary Robin Cook and both Tony Blair talked of an ethical foreign policy. It is a curious claim in that it presupposes that foreign policy could be customarily lacking in ethical principles.

The driving force for Tony Blair has seemingly been his personal convictions that are Christian, although he is unwilling to discuss openly with this issue. This really is perplexing as his buddy Sir Cliff Richard bears public witness to his Christian beliefs, and also the friends undoubtedly discuss this when Mr Blair loves the hospitality at his Caribbean mansion of Sir Cliff. There are reports which he chooses medieval Christian texts to read on vacation. What has possibly convinced Mr Blair to remain a cabinet Christian is the fact that the BBC has refused to play some of the records of Sir Cliff. He must live in fear of being portrayed as a Christian fanatic by the media, as Mr Blair wishes to epitomise laic and cool Britannia.

 

In the case of Iraq, not only has Mr Blair precipitated a disastrous war but his reason for war was based on flawed and bogus arguments. No evidence has been discovered of weapons of mass destruction nor of the presence of Al Qaeda in Iraq. For many commentators, these errors should have prompted Mr Blair to step down.

The Iranian seizure of British sailors in March 2007 definitely illustrates how Iraq has been mishandled by Mr Blair. He’s got repeatedly stated he WOn’t support any US action. The Iranian authorities who have now exploited this weakness that was sensed have noted this, and will utilize it to maximum effect. Mr Blair’s strong words about detention and the capture of British troops in Sierra Leone have been forgotten.

The enduring question concerning the Blair age is likely to be that of how he managed to stay in the light of calamitous foreign policy adventures and his belligerent.