Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, today urged western governments to take an active role in the Middle East, reports The Guardian.
Speaking on morning TV shows, he said,
Blair’s announcement comes as the US sends aircraft carriers to the Gulf region and US President Obama considers whether or not to authorise airstrikes in Iraq.
Speaking on morning TV shows, he said,
“It is in our interests for this Jihadist extremist group to be stopped in its tracks. I understand entirely why people say ‘it is nothing to do with us and I don’t want to hear about it’”
“The best policy for us to realise that whatever form of intervention we choose is going to be difficult but it’s better than the alternative. You do not need to engage as we did in Afghanistan or Iraq, but we do have interests in this.
“It is vitally important that we realise what is at stake here and act. We are going to have to engage with it or the consequences will come back on us as we see in Syria today.”
Blair’s announcement comes as the US sends aircraft carriers to the Gulf region and US President Obama considers whether or not to authorise airstrikes in Iraq.