Comment at end
27th June, 2009
Video of Tony Blair in conversation with Matthew Bishop, New York bureau chief for The Economist.
Don’t you just MISS this? The easy conversation, smattered with relaxed jokes among serious points? Well, don’t you?
If not – WASSAMARRAWIYOU? You dumb or sumpin?
KATIE COURIC CBS INTERVIEW
Want more like this? Mr Blair also spoke a few days ago to Katie Couric of CBS in a videod 38 minute interview here - on Iran, accusations of British interference, Obama’s “balanced” response.
MAIN POINTS:
A “sense of hope & possibility” in the Middle East since Obama’s election, comparing Obama’s “interference” problem to his own position over any (perceived) criticism of Zimbabwe.
On Gaza – political precise territory, borders, Jerusalem, right of return etc, but in this small strip of land, the ‘on the ground reality’ for the Israelis is ‘SECURITY’. The Palestinian concern is ‘THE OCCUPATION’ and the split, Gaza & West Bank. “You’ve got to try and build this from the bottom up within the communities”. On leadership style, comparing Bush & Obama he said Bush took some very difficult and courageous decisions. ”A combination of soft and hard power will be the solution needed”.
On Iraq & President Bush, he was asked “was Bush bad for America’s reputation“, Mr Blair said “what is true was that he was, as I was, a figure of great controversy, but I also think that we also have to look at what is happening in Iraq today, and think would that be happening if Saddam was still running Iraq.”
Asked – “why were you so loyal to President Bush on Iraq?” he said “because I believed in it. I always said that after 9/11 we had to take a completely different view of the security threats we faced and we had to stand up and fight for what we believed in.” On charges of the Iraq invasion being the ‘biggest recruiting tool for Al Qaeda’ he said the day we believe that is the day we have our values upside down.
He also spoke about the Health services in the USA & UK.
On British politics, asked about the expenses scandal, he said, “I’ve learned that anything I say is written down and used as evidence against me in UK politics.” Won’t criticise anyone doing the “tough job” of PM.
On the Iraq Inquiry he is perfectly willing “absolutely” to appear and answer questions in public.
Asked – “does any of the things on the internet scare you, not from a security standpoint but in terms of …?” Mr Blair offered -
“The thinking? Yeah, absolutely. One of the the troubles with this too is that people have a natural appetite for conspiracy theories and that’s a bit dangerous too.”
Couric continued, “And the kind of things they are able to write under the cloak of anonymity?”
Blair, “Yeah, I think there are huge advantages in this internet revolution and they far outweigh the disadvantages but the disadvantages are there.”
He also talked on the unrest in the Middle East and negotiating a Palestinian state, and the “on the ground reality concerns” – ’security’ for the Israelis, and ‘the occupation’ for the Palestinians. Key to resolving this is “to build from the bottom up.”
On his Faith to Face programme saying that in our globalised world faith can work for good or ill, and that we must make it work for good.
From the 92nd Street Y Online site:
Tony Blair, Britain’s former Prime Minister and current Special Envoy to the Middle East, was at 92Y on Monday evening for The Business of Giving with Matthew Bishop, New York bureau chief for The Economist. The two spoke about Iran, Iraq, global warming, the Middle East, Africa, and much more. “Charming to a tee,” said blogger The Brooklyn Socialite.
The Jewish Week covered Blair’s frank comments on Israel and Palestine. “The Arab world today actually wants the issue [the Israeli-Palestinian conflict] resolved,” he said. “That gives us an opportunity.”
According to the Times of London, Blair thought “that it was impossible to predict the outcome of protests in Iran over the landslide presidential election victory claimed by the incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.” Since then, the government of Iran has made their intentions more clear, with the LA Times reporting that that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be sworn in for a second term by mid-August.
Blair’s most interesting remarks might have been on Globalization and America’s place in it. Vikie Karp at True/Slant wrote:
In his introductory remarks about the future of globalization and achieving justice and equality for all on an international scale, Blair said “We are a global community. And its chief attribute is that no one nation, not even this great nation of America, can do it on its own. In any case, power is shifting East and it is shifting quickly. Countries like India and China will take their rightful place. And it’s galvanizing people, too. Look at Iran today. So that’s my theory, and if I’m right, the countries of the global community must work in alliance with each other, and with equality, and it will work only if there is a feeling of obligation beyond their borders and a real belief that they can share values. If it’s simply a battle of interests, we will fail and the failure will be ugly.
Also reported at the Blair Foundation Watch here
From the YouTube page:
Tony Blair, Britain’s former Prime Minister and current Special Envoy to the Middle East, was at 92Y on Mon, Jun 22 for The Business of Giving with Matthew Bishop, New York bureau chief for The Economist.
The two spoke about Iran, Iraq, global warming, the Middle East, Africa, and much more. Charming to a tee, said blogger The Brooklyn Socialite.
The Jewish Week covered Blairs frank comments on Israel and Palestine. The Arab world today actually wants the issue [the Israeli-Palestinian conflict] resolved, he said. That gives us an opportunity.
According to the Times of London, Blair thought that it was impossible to predict the outcome of protests in Iran over the landslide presidential election victory claimed by the incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Since then, the government of Iran has made their intentions more clear, with the LA Times reporting that that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be sworn in for a second term by mid-August.
Blair’s most interesting remarks might have been on Globalization and Americas place in it. Vikie Karp at True/Slant wrote:
In his introductory remarks about the future of globalization and achieving justice and equality for all on an international scale, Blair said We are a global community. And its chief attribute is that no one nation, not even this great nation of America, can do it on its own. In any case, power is shifting East and it is shifting quickly. Countries like India and China will take their rightful place. And its galvanizing people, too. Look at Iran today. So thats my theory, and if Im right, the countries of the global community must work in alliance with each other, and with equality, and it will work only if there is a feeling of obligation beyond their borders and a real belief that they can share values. If its simply a battle of interests, we will fail and the failure will be ugly.
RELATED
From Iran’s Press TV channel
- 1. Blair: Mid-East peace success hinges on Israel
- 2. Egypt opens its Rafah border with Gaza temporarily
- 3. Iran calls for “fundamental economic change” just as, co-incidentally (?)
- 4. China calls for new reserve currency to replace the dollar
- 5. UN Truth blog reports extensively on Friday’s G8 gathering in Trieste, Italy on Friday – Gaza situation “unsustainable”
Tags: africa, Blair Foundation Wach, Economist, global warming, Iran, Iraq, Katie Couric, Matthew Bishop, New Yok bureau chief for The Economist, the Middle East, Tony Blair in conversation, Tony Blair Middle East peace envoy, youtube videos blair
