by Stephen Lendman

When Gordon Brown succeeded him as Labor party leader, he was Britain's most despised and discredited man.

From 1997 - 2007, he supported US-led imperial lawlessness in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.

He blamed Western wars on religious extremism. He lied saying "based on my experience post-9/11 of how countries whose people were freed from dictatorship have then had democratic aspirations thwarted by religious extremism."

He ignored his decade of criminality. He tried justifying the unjustifiable - bogus US-led so-called humanitarian interventions from the Balkans to Baghdad - raping and pillaging one country after another.

Blair's tenure ended with an approval rating near 20%. Despite a legacy of imperial lawlessness and contempt for democratic values, he was appointed Middle East envoy working on behalf of Quartet members America, Russia, the UN and EU.

At the time, he replaced former World Bank president James Wolfensohn. He resigned for lack of progress he never had a chance to achieve in the first place.

According to PLO official Hanan Ashrawi, Wolfensohn "did not want to be used…(S)omeone (else was needed) who would play the game, and Tony Blair accepted the role."

H one-sidedly supports Israel's worst crimes. He ignores Palestinian suffering. He blames them unjustly. He outspokenly demonizes Islam - calling it a "problem within Islam," claiming:

"It is at its heart a view about religion and about the interaction between religion and politics that is not compatible with pluralistic, liberal, open-minded societies."

He suggested waging more wars than already, saying despite "long and hard conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq," we shouldn't back off from further intervention.

One critic said Blair lasted this long because Israel was sure of his support.

In February 2014, he issued a statement expressing full backing for Egypt's ruthless coup d'etat Al-Sisi regime - ignoring his mass murder of thousands of political appointments.

He blamed the Muslim Brotherhood for his crimes. He claimed it "tried to take the country away from its basic values and progress." He urged support for junta rule he ludicrously claimed supports democracy.

He delivered an address at a memorial service for former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon. Despite his ruthless military and government record, Blair praised him as a great leader unafraid to make "difficult decisions."

Last March, London's Independent cited an unnamed US official describing him "a 'standing joke' with 'no credibility' (in the Middle East) amid rumours he will stop down" as regional envoy - the post he held for eight years.

His position no longer is tenable given his dubious business interests described as a complex network of financial legal entities and clear contempt for Arab rights.

An unnamed senior diplomat said he was being eased out of his job. "It is long overdue. He has been ineffective in this job." He needs to go. He’s no longer credible in this part of the world.

An unnamed Obama official said he's "neither an asset nor a liability, but his current role is no longer viable."

The Bush administration got him named Middle East envoy as reward for supporting naked aggression on Iraq based on Big Lies. Critics called his appointment a cruel joke.

The Financial Times said he faced increasing criticism for combining diplomacy with business. He profited hugely, amassing a fortune.

He did nothing to further Middle East peace. Endless wars raged throughout his tenure. He ignores justice for besieged Gazans.

Former UK ambassadors and politicians called for his resignation last year. They accused him of trying to "absolve himself" of responsibility for endless regional wars, instability and chaos.

Earlier critics Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the late Harold Pinter called for him to be tried for war crimes at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

British author/journalist Francis Beckett called his tenure as Middle East envoy "a tragic waste, focused more on business than on (regional) peace…"

London's Guardian said he steps down at a time Israeli/Palestinian relations are at "rock bottom - against a background of dwindling hopes that a two-state solution…can ever be reached."

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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