Tony Blair gives an urgent request for the U.S., Russia, and China to swallow their beef and deal with the real culprit: Radical Islamists! Tony Blair is frightened by the West's perceived passivity in tackling the growth of jihadist ideals in Western countries. In his eyes, Islamism is able to take control of regions that "want to escape the grip" of Islam because of political restraints. In his eyes, Islam is disturbing the possibility of world peace and co-existence. Instead of worrying among each other, Blair states that western countries should "elevate the issue of religious extremism to the top of the agenda".
Blair's Islamaphobia can be troubling, but is not without merit. In the wake of the 200 school girls kidnapped from a Nigerian school by a Jihadist group, the recent attack to Turkey by the Jihadist group ISIS, and on-going atrocities going in Syria, Blair is not wrong to want to protect western national security. However, further dividing the international system will agitate dissent from Islamic and jihadist groups. Secondly, it is highly debatable that Islam is the highest of the U.S. or any BRICs concern. Jihadist groups definitely have a wide diaspora, but the impact they have had on Western national security is minimal. In other words, Islamism is not a priority or a fear of western governments.
Tony Blair's statements are also troubling because it perpetuates Western Europe's reputation of being xenophobic, discriminatory, and intolerant of immigration. These statements are not the best for British or European public diplomacy. Furthermore, if Russia, China, and the U.S. band-wagon with these statements, it won't be good for their public diplomacy either. The U.S. is already trying to manage public diplomacy to middle east countries. Outward aims to over throw and defeat their beliefs would not be the most sensible choice.
Either way, this policy prescription courtesy of Blair are loaded, and must be repackaged and delivered in a way that is in the interest of the west without offending the east.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14848753
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