# Posted 3:06 PM by Patrick Porter  

TOUGH AIN'T ENOUGH: British Prime Minister Tony Blair today announced that he would step down. There will be much to argue about over his legacy, which he articulated in a speech to his own local party.

But he made one statement about the war on terror that's worth pondering:

For me, I think we must see it through. They, the terrorists, who threaten us here and round the world, will never give up if we give up. It is a test of will and of belief, and we can't fail it.

Oxblog readers will have their own views on this. For what its worth, I think Blair was right to recognise after 9/11 that militant Islam had to be confronted in solidarity with the US, even if it meant that Britain would be drawn into the firing line.

Blair is right in his instinct that it is naive to pretend that the conflict can be indefinitely avoided by distancing Britain from the UK. A little like believing that a fire in a bedroom can be wished away by closing the door and retreating to another part of the house.

It may not be an existential conflict yet, but the ability of terrorists to incinerate skyscrapers, blow up embassies, ruin economies and inflict poverty remains a non-trivial threat. And he is right to see it as a wider struggle against moderation and liberal values all over the world - its not all about us.

But here's where his rhetoric and vision, and Bush's, often fall short. This may be a test of nerve and will, but its much more than that.

Its a test of ingenuity, competence and skill as well. On that test, we have not done well. A war in Afghanistan that enjoyed genuine local support and removed a dangerous regime has been unnecessarily jeopardised because of some bad policies. Whatever you think about Iraq, whether it was a foreordained disaster or mismanagement, some bad decisions helped to ensure a disaster.

A friend of mine expressed it much better:

"Without denying that determination matters, this is not a good way to look at things. It is the Anglosphere's enemies who operate like that. Both Hitler and the Japanese Militarists were all about how they were going to be victorious because their Wills were greater. (The Americans in particular were discounted because they were all weak and materialist and decayed by the good life and lack of racial/cultural fibre.) There is a fair bit of that among the jihadis as well.

It leaves out, or seriously undervalues, capacity and competence. You end up with Stalingrad--feeding more and more troops and effort into the wrong fight at the wrong place in the wrong way until your opponent pulls a Zhukov and crunches your weak points. The Allies did not win WWII because their will was greater."

Come to think of it, when talking about foreign policy since 9/11, this summarises Blair and Blairism: high ideals and poor execution.

Having said all that, Blair recognised that at a critical moment, this was no time for misguided isolationism. For that and for much else, he will be missed. (7) opinions -- Add your opinion