British Prime Minister Tony Blair today defended his government's close partnership with the United States and his readiness to involve Britain in military action overseas.
The British prime minister Tony Blair
Without the ability and preparedness to use the "hard power" of military force, Britain's influence on issues ranging from climate change to Middle East peace would be undermined, he told a committee of senior MPs.
It was "ridiculous" to suggest that the use of force in Iraq or Afghanistan was fuelling Islamist extremism, insisted Mr Blair. He argued that to win the hearts and minds of ordinary Muslims, it was necessary to stand up to the radicals.
He said Britain faces "huge questions" over the direction it will take after he leaves 10 Downing Street - not least over its future relations with Washington.
He was highly critical of a recent speech by Tory foreign affairs spokesman William Hague, in which the he appeared to suggest the United Kingdom should adopt a more distant relationship with Washington in favour of developing links with countries such as China and India.
This was a "false choice", as Britain's influence with the emerging Asian giants and in other parts of the world depended crucially on its close relations with Washington, Mr Blair said.
"I am the person, above all, who can give evidence of the difficulties and sometimes the political penalty you pay for a close relationship with the US, but we shouldn't give that up in any set of circumstances, in my view," he said.
For a small nation like Britain to have "weight and power and influence" in the world, it needed to keep its relations with both Europe and the United States strong, he warned.
He said he was confident that his successor as prime minister - whom he did not name but is widely assumed to be Chancellor Gordon Brown - would maintain the same stance.
PA