Last Updated on 07/09/2024 by Arun jain
Tony Blair has come out with a new book, “On Leadership”, which he says contains all the tips he was told when he entered 10 Downing Street in 1997.
Given the times, one can’t help but think of it as a user guide Keir StarmerFirst Labor Leader British general election won Since then he did.
Mr Blair said the book was “not at all” aimed at Mr Starmer, who he insisted was “not really” giving advice, although both did. appears on stage with Last year, as Mr. Starr was gearing up for a campaign. In this global election year, Mr. Blair is offering lessons to any rookie leader who will listen — about how to deal with geopolitical upheaval, growing democracy and a politically unstable United States.
“I think you have to say that American politics has become somewhat fragmented and, at a certain level, dysfunctional,” Mr. Blair said in an interview. “But it has happened at the same time that America itself has re-emerged, in my view, as the strongest country in the world.”
Affectionate, expansive and only fleetingly protective, Mr Blair, now 71, reminded why he is an enduring presence but also an enigma, 17 years after he left Downing Street.
He spoke proudly of his government’s achievements in improving education and strengthening Britain’s public health service. Yet in his lucrative post-government career, which has included advisory roles in banks, Middle East diplomacy and his own consulting business, he has drawn criticism for mixing too easily with autocrats and billionaires. He defended his involvement with Saudi Arabia and praised the transformative potential of AI in government – only to be coy on the subject of Elon Musk, whose invention he celebrates.
Mr. Blair’s nonprofit organization, the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, works together Mr Musk’s satellite network, Starlink, which may explain why he avoided questions about Mr Musk’s emergence as a political influencer and doer. Conspiracy principles X through his social media platform.
“I don’t get into people’s politics,” Mr. Blair said of Mr. Musk, whom he credits with two industries: electric vehicles and commercial space travel. “It’s their inventions that interest me, not their politics.”
For Mr Blair, the return of a Labor government is another step in his own political rehabilitation. Although he is still condemned by many in Britain for his decision to join the US-led invasion of Iraq – he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 after angry protests – Mr Blair cultivated a relationship with Mr Starmer and quietly assumed did Status of elder statesman.
Within the Labor Party, Mr Blair is credited with being a masterful communicator – a talent that seems even more impressive than that of Mr Starmer, who is by all accounts a less charismatic figure. After Mr. Starmer’s drumbeat of warnings that the economic legacy left by his Conservative predecessors will mean tough choices, some commentators long for Mr. Blair’s upswing.
In his book, Mr. Blair emphasized the need for leaders to project optimism. “Nobody wants to be on a plane with a frustrated pilot,” he wrote. But he was careful not to apply it to Mr. Starr, whom he said he had inherited Worse economy than that. After the upheaval of Mr. Starmer also came to office Brexit.
“He’s our sixth prime minister in eight years,” Mr Blair said, raising an eyebrow. “This is Britain. When I left office, I was the third Prime Minister in almost 30 years.
After stressing the scale of the challenge, Mr Blair said he expected Mr Starr to “balance it out” in future speeches with more upbeat plans to recharge the economy and improve lives in Britain.
In the sleek Fitzrovia offices of Mr. Blair’s organization, there are relics of his time as prime minister, as well as of his diplomacy since: a photo of him sealing off Irish leaders Good Friday Agreement In 1998, decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland came to an end. A signed photo of him with John Kerry, in which former Secretary of State Mr. Kerry thanked him for his work. Special Envoy for the Middle East the peace
These days, Mr. Blair said he is fully occupied with his organization, which works with governments in 40 countries. Some of those clients are unruly, for which Mr. Blair makes no apologies. He defended himself transaction With Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for example, despite evidence that he was responsible for the assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“I don’t think any of us who believe we should engage with Saudi Arabia have ever responded to our distaste for that,” Mr Blair said. “But I think what’s happening in Saudi Arabia is a social revolution that has enormous and positive implications for our security and the Middle East.”
Mr Blair pointed to American efforts to broker a three-way deal between Saudi Arabia, Israel and the United States as further evidence of such engagement, although the war in Gaza has hampered those talks.
On the most controversial issues of his premiership, the Iraq war and the futile pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, Mr. Blair has little new to say. “I’ve dealt with it many times,” he said, citing his 2010 memoir and multiple public inquiries. “I’ve come to the conclusion, you’re not going to convince anyone who isn’t convinced.”
To the extent that Iraq figures in Mr. Blair’s thinking, it is as a lesson in how leaders should approach their legacies so that they are not defined by a single issue. “I didn’t do enough, frankly,” he added, “in the end you’ll be judged in years to come by people you’ve never met.”
For Mr Blair, perhaps the thorniest diplomatic dilemma today is navigating between China, with which many countries have trade relations, and the United States, on which many rely for security. It’s almost becoming a binary choice, he said. Under pressure from the United States, for example, Britain banned Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei from its high-speed wireless network.
“If you’re a developing country that already has a strong relationship with Huawei, you have to think, ‘How can I manage that?'” Mr. Blair said. If a leader decides to ignore Washington and align with Beijing, he said, “then there are some companies that will not do business in your country.”
As for the United States, Mr. Blair declares himself optimistic despite the upheavals of the past several years. He brushed off questions about the presidential election, noting instead that America is the world’s leading military power, the largest exporter of oil and gas, and the No. 1 technology innovator.
“My view is that America will get through this period and return to efficiency, and the question is how it does that,” Mr Blair said.
Nevertheless, he concluded, the radical changes in American politics provided an argument for preserving Britain’s constitutional monarchy. He said the Queen and now King Charles III had acted as a stabilizing force against Britain’s post-Brexit movements – an anchor that did not exist in its former colonies.
“If you guys change your mind,” Mr. Blair said with a twinkle, “we’ll pay you back.”
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