The memoirs of Tony Blair, the former British Prime Minister, titled My Journey, are brilliant. His career shows how self-discipline and study can help an ordinary citizen reach the highest office in the country.
Mr Blair’s exhaustive autobiography has been subjected to severe criticism by the press and the launch has been marred by anti-war protests.
It is a fact that the Iraq war was based on the incorrect premise weapons of mass destruction existed in that country. Mr Blair candidly admits the mistake and apologises for it: “The intelligence was wrong. We admitted it, We apologised for it. We explained it, even.”
Yes, the Iraq war was a human tragedy. But is Mr Blair alone to blame for it? The allied forces had changed the regime within two months. Then the Sunni and Shia factions got embroiled in a violent power struggle. For the last seven years, American forces have been doing a “holding operation” in Iraq to prevent local fighting. The leaders of various local factions should have appealed to their followers for peace and galvanised them productively. But that didn’t happen. So, we need to understand the context in which the war was initiated and the rather indifferent role of local leaders and neighbouring countries.
Mr Blair comes across as rare leader: an idealist, yet a pragmatist, who has the courage of his convictions in domestic and foreign policy. It is significant that after his departure his successor could not even survive one full term!
My Journey is an endeavour by Mr Blair to come to terms with his decisions, their impact and his struggle to understand the global outcry against the Iraq war.
Rajendra K Aneja, Dubai
