The Interconnected World of Tony Blair
Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair was a keynote speaker at CME Group's Global Financial Leadership Conference, addressing a host of topics, including financial markets, political hotspots and a fast-globalizing world.
In the midst of a global financial crisis, geopolitical uncertainty, and antiquated or broken international and government institutions, the 21st century will require leadership that takes on challenges with innovation, alliances and principles. Such is the message from Tony Blair, former prime minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, who was a keynote speaker at CME Group's Global Financial Leadership Conference in September.
"Change is happening so fast today. The premium is on how to adapt and adjust and constantly reassess and reevaluate strategy in the course of that, whether you're a country or company or an individual," Blair said. "You simply cannot afford to stay in the same place."
Naturally gifted with a personality and public speaking style that comes across as a conversation with a trusted friend, Blair displayed an underlying mastery of both the issues at hand and the diplomatic and strategic expertise needed to complete the task.
There is much to learn from Blair, who served as the United Kingdom's prime minister from 1997 to 2007, ushering in a relatively strong period of economic growth and low inflation. While economic conditions were favorable, the political environment was thorny. Blair brokered a peaceful settlement to the long-standing Northern Ireland conflict in 1998 and committed his country to join the United States in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 – a partnership that did not waver in the face of popular discontent.
Given his experience, Blair is uniquely qualified to talk about what needs to be done in today's global geopolitical and economic environment. To solve current problems and challenges, Blair recommends blending the old with the new – using the age-old practice of strong alliances coupled with new or revamped diplomacy models to deal with today's most pressing issues. He said that methodology should work on financial market reform, international trade issues, and political challenges that pit Western values against a variety of views, from the Middle East to China.
FINANCIAL ROAD MAP
The financial crisis that started in the mortgage market and spread throughout the world, has caused many in government to call for limits on participation in financial markets. Some propose more regulation that could stifle markets and exacerbate the problem. But Blair issued a cautionary note about taking financial, economic and political threats as an opportunity for protectionism and barriers to globalization.
"When we look at the immediate financial crisis now, we should make sure that our response is not one of overreaction," Blair cautioned. "Yes, it is important that we analyze carefully what regulatory changes are necessary. But we don't want to end up creating a situation where we start to close the creativity of our economy down.
"How we respond is a fundamental political question," he said. "And I favor the open side of the argument."
ADDRESSING ISLAM, REACHING FOR PEACE
For Blair, openness in today's increasingly networked and integrated world extends to many of today's most vexing geopolitical problems, especially those in the Middle East.
On the day Blair stepped down as prime minister and member of parliament, he was appointed official envoy of the so-called "Quartet of the Middle East," representing the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia. In the past year, Blair has met with key Middle Eastern players with the goals of dealing with the region more holistically, and finally securing peace between Israel and Palestine. For Blair, a peaceful resolution is part of a larger cultural, political and religious solution for many of these countries, including Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"The single biggest mistake we can make is to think we are dealing with a series of isolated problems in that part of the world, when we are dealing essentially with one challenge and one problem," Blair said. "That challenge is this: There is, within Islam, a fundamental struggle taking place. There are two competing visions."
Blair sees a moderate element in the Middle East that is striving to bring its culture and economies more in line with the rest of the developed world's economies. The other view rejects the West and its culture and uses immense wealth or power within those countries to push a fundamentalist vision of Islam. Ultimately, that is forcing a choice on individuals in the region, he said, to embrace fundamentalist Islam – or reject it and befriend the West.
"If we want to change the way that paradigm is presented, then we have to have a complete plan to deal with it," Blair said. "That means empowering more people, reformers and moderates, to make reform necessary, so they do indeed modernize their politics and their culture."
In May 2008, Blair took a personal step toward supporting the moderate and open view of the world by launching the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. The foundation's mission is to encourage different faiths to work together to promote mutual respect, increase understanding and address poverty.
PARTNERS
Geopolitics is no place for isolationism, said Blair. He advocates alliances, such as the strong bond between the United States and United Kingdom. In his view, "We won't win in Afghanistan unless the Europeans stand up with the Americans. We won't resolve these issues within Islam unless we're together."
Strong alliances also are necessary to deal with what Blair called "THE issue of the 21st century" – China. China and India are expected to have a disproportionate effect on the international community in terms of their impact on food and energy consumption, as well as on global climate change.
Beyond alliances, Blair said international organizations are in dire need of updating. Neither China nor India is represented in the G-8 countries. Both the U.K. and French governments recommend extending that group to include China and India, as well as Brazil, Mexico and South Africa. Blair would like to see changes to the U.N. Security Council, which currently excludes important countries such as Japan and India – and he would also like to see an international body dedicated to environmental issues.
"This is a moment of profound change that really requires different approaches from the past," Blair said. "Political institutions are hopelessly out of date."
SHARED VALUES
Blair's roadmap to a better world can only be accomplished if universal values serve as the foundation of any partnership or agreement. Without these ideals and principles in place, the alliances and structural changes Blair advocates will falter or fail. It is clear that he firmly believes these critical values are more than political buzzwords.
"It's like anything else – an organization, a business, or anything you will do in your working lives," Blair noted. "An alliance will work on the basis of shared purpose and shared values. And as the world develops, we are going to have to work very hard to show that the values we believe in are values that are not Western, American or British, but are universal values... If we are to win the values race, people have to understand that we are people who believe in freedom, democracy, and justice and compassion for other people."
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