Blair's flair as referee

Bush wants the soon-to-be former prime minister as troubleshooter in the Middle East.

from the June 22, 2007 edition

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In the Economist magazine last month, Blair reflected on lessons learned at 10 Downing Street. Speaking of the need to counter extremist Islam with support for moderate and true Islam, he wrote, "Here is where I have always felt that the normal politics of left and right are a hindrance. The trouble is that the right is correct on the need to stand firm militarily and in support of freedom; and the left is correct on the need for justice.

"The assault on the ideas behind terrorism won't work unless it is seen to be motivated and stirred by a commitment to justice. That is why trying to resolve the Israel-Palestine dispute is so important – not only for its own sake, but because the absence of peace causes suffering that is exploited by this extremism."

The excerpt has a moral tone to it, another characteristic of the Blair years. His commitment to open trade, reversing global warming, and turning back poverty in Africa were not "simply a game of interests but also of beliefs, things we stand for and fight for," he wrote. The same held true for his military interventions in Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, and Iraq, where he aimed to relieve oppression – although not always with complete success.

This values-driven foreign policy joins Blair to Mr. Bush and helps to explain Bush's overture. So does the US president's trust in this friend of America who has been a steadfast ally even as the British public sneered at him as Bush's yes man.

That's an unbalanced view of the relationship. Blair has disagreed with Bush on such issues as climate change and his languishing on the Middle East peace process – yet quietly nudged him along. Should Blair accept the envoy role, expect more disagreements – and more quiet nudging. Perhaps, indeed, that's what Bush is hoping for.

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