We must rethink the War on Terror - Blair

Five years into the War on Terror, Tony Blair called yesterday for a “complete renaissance of our strategy” to defeat militant Islam. So the London Times reports from Los Angeles.

The Independent reported Blair saying that the West was "very far" from persuading world opinion that it was fair or even-handed, in a speech that came close to an open rebuke to the US President, George Bush.

The Times also reports that the Foreign Office tried and failed to get Blair to call for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon when he saw Bush last Friday.

It had also failed to persuade the PM to stop US aircraft delivering weapons to Israel from using British airports.

Labour MP, Fabian Hamilton, who sits on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said that he hoped the party and the Muslim community would welcome the speech, “even if they might say ‘it’s about time, too’.”

“So it is now five years on and Blair realizes that; “It was obvious from the start that you do not fight terror by condemning a whole section of the world community as extremists and exacerbating that by supporting the dreadful bombing on Lebanon. It sounds like he has seen the light.” Hamilton says.

Tony, of course, is finally realizing that his very own cabinet support is melting away because of his dalliance with the Bush doctrine. What were murmurings and threats from known internal enemies is now spreading dangerously to Blair’s support base.

It is just a matter of time for Tony, but this backpedalling demonstrates that he has at last recognised how precarious his position really is.