Blair moves out
So I write this post in the morning with very little time to scan news and put thoughts together, with some comments on Tony Blair’s last day in the Prime Minister’s office and the new role he is about to assume. In the process of posting it….poof. It’s gone, blog’s offline, and time’s up.
It’s a humbling experience, because whatever keen insights I may have thought I added to the post this morning, I realize it really comes down to the interesting news that Blair will become a peace envoy in the Middle East.
In his new job as Mideast envoy, Tony Blair will take on a task that has bedeviled many before him – a role complicated by Hamas’ takeover of Gaza, the weakness of Palestinian and Israeli leaders, and animosity deepened on both sides by six years of conflict.
Still, the outgoing British prime minister brings new credibility to international efforts to forge peace in the region, and Israeli and Palestinian officials welcomed reports Tuesday that he will represent the Quartet of Mideast mediators – the U.S., U.N., European Union and Russia…
Blair’s appointment is the latest step in a burst of diplomacy following the seizure of the Gaza Strip by the Islamic militants of Hamas, adding a high-profile world leader to efforts to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and restart Israel-Palestinian peace talks.
Sounds good to me. Has anyone better qualified stepped up and achieved success there yet?
Has anyone achieved success there yet? Blair has passion, determination…and the will to face down a crisis.
Brokering peace in Northern Ireland – ending decades of violence that claimed more than 3,500 lives- is counted as one of Blair’s most significant diplomatic achievements. He has also pressed for agreements on climate change and combating poverty in Africa.
The personable Blair is viewed as a masterful communicator, an attribute both praised and pilloried, with some critics suggesting he is style over substance. But he has the knack for knowing what to say…
…which some of his critics don’t.
