Tony Blair - The Growth Experience of a World-Class Leader

Author: (English) Philip Stephens
Translator: Liu Xin, Bi Sujian
Country: United Kingdom
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: On March 18, 2003, the British House of Commons was in an uproar. The green benches of this legislative body were filled with people. Tony Blair was preparing to involve the UK in the war against Iraq launched by George W. Bush. A few weeks earlier, the prime minister's diplomatic efforts at the United Nations had failed, leaving him feeling confused, exhausted, and frustrated, but he had decided to proceed anyway. However, the British public's sentiment was opposed to sacrificing soldiers' lives to overthrow Saddam Hussein's rule in Iraq. Within his left-leaning Labor Party, a strong anti-Republican President Bush sentiment was intertwined with doubts about the justification for the war. Even as British troops had gathered near the Kuwaiti and Iraqi border, Blair was still facing increasing resistance from former supporters. A senior official in Blair's government, former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, had already resigned. Other ministers were also preparing to resign. Many Labor Party MPs planned to vote against their government. Beyond Westminster, friendly relations with key European allies had also collapsed.