London, UK, January 12, 2007 – In a major foreign policy speech today, Prime Minister Tony Blair advocated the continuation of an interventionist UK foreign policy, arguing that “war fighting” thousands of miles away is the only way to defend Britain in today’s world. What he is really advocating is to allow Britain to remain a colonial state which sends its army to invade other nations in order to secure power and influence for corporations and other related interests whatever the consequences for Britain’s population, its armed forces and the rest of the world.
In his speech, Blair defended the illegal Iraq invasion citing the discredited justification of “alarm at the proliferation of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons”. He rejected the link between British foreign policy and the increased threat of violence to the UK, and argued that the people of Britain must be ready to pay the cost of such interventions “wherever it may be”.
Once again, he ignored and misrepresented the arguments of those who understand that it is oppression and injustice generated by this ‘hard and soft power’ that drives anger, and not the ‘evil ideology’ he keeps using as a deflection and an excuse to enact policies within the Muslim community.
Commenting on the speech, Dr Imran Waheed, media representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, said, "Rather than acknowledge the disastrous consequences of his colonialist foreign policy, this Prime Minister advocates more of the same, falsely claiming it is the way to protect the UK. He again denied that the invasion of Iraq has made the UK less safe despite statements to the contrary from many including senior cabinet colleagues who demanded a ‘significant reduction in the number and intensity of the regional conflicts that fuel terror activity’.”
“He painted a benign picture and talked of being ‘proud champions of the causes of peace in the Middle East,’ though western intervention has led to him having shed the blood of over 650,000 Iraqi civilians through ‘hard power’ and the legitimisation of torture, rendition and detention without trial, the support for dictators and tyrants in the Muslim world and silence at Israel's brutality towards Palestinian children. The few beneficiaries include western military contractors and multinationals who have made billions in profit and the dictators he has sponsored.”
“More and more people in Britain who have legitimate security concerns realise that current UK and US foreign policy in Iraq, Afghanistan, and more recently of the USA in Somalia has led to destabilisation, economic exploitation and abuses and is increasing animosity towards the West. Many have come to believe that the type of foreign policy Blair advocates and has practised actually makes Britain a more dangerous place.”
‘’Will the government admit that it cannot continue to interfere and exploit other parts of the world through its colonial foreign policy? Does it realise that if it goes around ‘war making’, it is impossible not to make enemies? That is the real debate to be had.”
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