Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media: Intense US efforts are being made to resolve differences, such as the issue of the Israeli presence on Mount Hermon and in southern Syria
Israeli media: The security agreement means amending the disengagement agreement, which will also address the Druze issue
Israeli media: Attempts to reach a security agreement between 'Israel' and Syria were among the topics discussed at the Paris meeting
Israeli media: Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif rejected a US proposal to join the recent tripartite meeting between Tom Barrack, al-Shaibani, and Dermer
Saba News Agency: Two martyred, five injured in a preliminary toll of the Israeli aggression on the Yemeni Oil Company station on Al-Sitteen Street in Sanaa
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: We observed a state of confusion among the enemy's aircraft squadron after Yemeni air defenses intercepted the attack
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: The Yemeni air defense forces succeeded in neutralizing a squadron of enemy aircraft and prevented airstrikes on some governorates
Senior Yemeni military source to Al Mayadeen: Our air defenses and missile forces forced a formation of enemy aircraft to flee the airspace
Member of the Ansar Allah Political Bureau, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti: The Israeli aggression on Yemen will not deter us from continuing to support Gaza, no matter the sacrifices
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Israeli aggression targeted the Yemeni Oil Company station on Al-Sitteen Street, southwest of the capital, Sanaa, with several raids

Distract and divert: How Tony Blair screens his role in Iraq War

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 18 Mar 2023 13:04
  • 4 Shares
3 Min Read

20 years on, Blair lashes out at Putin to divert public attention from the atrocities he was behind in Iraq, not to mention his role in the Afghanistan war.

  • x
  • Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair addresses UK occupation troops in Basra, Iraq, on 29 May, 2003 (AFP)
    Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair addressing UK occupation troops in Iraq, May 29, 2003 (AFP)

This month, twenty years ago, the United States initiated a large military invasion of Iraq alongside its ally, the UK, without a UN mandate and in defiance of some of the biggest demonstrations ever seen in Britain.

It was the start of an eight-year occupation that resulted in the deaths of more than one million Iraqi. Former US President George Bush and former UK Prime minister Tony Blair chiefly orchestrated the horrors of the invasion and the occupation, which are, nowadays, an unavoidable part of Iraqis' daily life. 

Today, shameless Tony Blair, the PM who led the UK into a cruel war, is attempting to escape his bloody role and divert public attention by deceitfully lashing out at Russian President Vladimir Putin.

What did @georgegalloway tell Tony Blair weeks before the invasion of #Iraq? #USA #UK @KalimaLondon pic.twitter.com/1IsUDCzkkt

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 12, 2021

"If he didn't use that excuse (Iraq), he'd use another excuse," Blair, who is now 69, said in an interview for AFP and fellow European news agencies ANSA, DPA, and EFE.

"At least you could say we were removing a despot and trying to introduce democracy," Blair claimed, speaking at the offices of his Tony Blair Institute for Global Change in central London, of course making no mention of any of the atrocities, killings, and lootings the occupation troops committed. 

It is worth noting that the primary assertion that sparked the war [Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and represented an imminent threat to the US and its allies] was quickly debunked at the beginning of the US invasion, as per a report by The Intercept.

Related News

Afghanistan marks 106 years of independence, a century of resistance

Reuters: Trump vows help Afghan evacuees as UAE quietly deports them

Read next: Job of US Marine corps was killing people: Iraq War veterans speak up

Blair has faced scathing criticism over his direct role in the Iraq war. A report was published in 2016 by the chairman of the "Iraq Inquiry", John Chilcot, whose mission was to investigate the circumstances surrounding the 2003 war. The report found that Blair "overplayed" evidence about WMDs in Iraq, although none was provided, and "ignored peaceful means" in order to send troops into the country.

Despite the millions of victims fallen at the hands of Blair's cruel war, the former PM currently works as an international advisor to an Emirati organization called the Mubadala Development Fund, which aims at mining $1 trillion worth of resources in Afghanistan. He is paid around £1 million ($1.3 million) annually. 

The former Prime Minister has also been mentioned in the Pandora Papers, which suggest that he evaded $420,000 in taxes.

Tony Blair also joined US President George W. Bush in invading Afghanistan under the guise of overthrowing the Taliban.

The United States and its various western allies, including the United Kingdom, are behind many war crimes in Afghanistan, which they committed as part of their 20-year-long occupation of the country. 

The United Kingdom helped Washington do its bidding in Afghanistan, and British troops are just as complicit in all the crimes and the chaotic withdrawal as their American counterparts.

 Read next: British commandos committed war crimes in Afghanistan: BBC

  • Afghanistan
  • Iraq
  • Putin
  • war crimes
  • Ukraine
  • Tony Blair

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Displaced Palestinians walk through a makeshift camp along the beach in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)

Hamas, other factions accept Egypt-Qatar ceasefire proposal: Exclusive

  • Politics
  • 18 Aug 2025
Palestine will not be liberated by UN reports, but by pursuing a different strategic horizon: one that does not beg for recognition. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Economy of Genocide: Albanese's report accuses, but doesn't dismantle system

  • Opinion
  • 18 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS