Blair condemns anti-American 'madness'

Thursday, 14 September 2006 12:00 AM

The prime minister has called for an end to hostility towards the US, saying it was "madness" given the vital role the country played in international affairs.

Tony Blair warned that the anti-American sentiment prevalent in much of Europe over its dominance in world affairs ignored a much greater danger - that the US would retreat into isolationism once again.

"The strain of, frankly, anti-American feeling in parts of European politics is madness when set against the long-term interests of the world we believe in," he wrote in a pamphlet published by the Foreign Policy Centre think tank.

"The danger with America today is not that they are too much involved. The danger is if they decide to pull up the drawbridge and disengage.

"We need them involved. We want them engaged. The reality is that none of the problems that press in on us can be resolved or even contemplated without them."

The prime minister also called for a "complete renaissance" in the way the war on terror was conducted, saying the fight could not be won in a "conventional" way.

"We need to construct an alliance of moderation that paints a future in which Muslim, Jew and Christian, Arab and Western, wealthy and developing nations can make progress in peace and harmony with each other," he said.

Mr Blair's close relationship with the US has caused him strife throughout his premiership. Most recently, Labour MPs lined up to condemn his decision to stand with the US in refusing to condemn Israel's attacks on Lebanon this summer.

This morning, former international development secretary Clare Short also condemned the prime minister's "craven support for the extremism of US neoconservative foreign policy", which she said had increased the danger of terrorism.

However, Mr Blair has an unlikely ally in the form of Conservative leader David Cameron, who used a speech on Monday to condemn anti-Americanism.

"I find it extremely troubling how many people - not just in countries affected by war and instability, but here in the West, here in Britain - regard America not as a beacon of freedom and a pro-democracy superpower, but as the world's worst power," he said.

"Anti-Americanism represents an intellectual and moral surrender. It is a complacent cowardice born of resentment of success and a desire for the world's problems simply to go away."

But at the same time, he warned that it served nobody's interests for Britain to be seen as America's "unconditional associate in every endeavour".

"Our duty is to our own citizens, and to our own conception of what is right for the world. We should be solid but not slavish in our friendship with America," he said.

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• foreign policy
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• north america