Once hailed as a "new dawn" for his country, Tony Blair's
premiership has been darkened by the war in Iraq, a Chinese
commentator said yesterday as the British prime minister stepped
down.
Blair burst onto the political stage aged 43 in 1997, becoming
Britain's youngest prime minister of the 20th century - the first
born after World War II and full of the energy needed to take the
nation into the 21st century.
He has had his triumphs: revitalizing the Labor Party and
leading it to three consecutive election victories, and brokering
peace to Northern Ireland after decades of bloodshed, said Yu Sui,
an expert at Beijing's Contemporary World Research Center.
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But despite his triumphs Blair's promised health and education
reforms remain incomplete, while soaring house prices combined with
increasing personal debt threaten to widen the divide between
Britain's haves and have-nots.
And no matter what else he has accomplished, the long shadow of
the Iraq War will hang over his legacy, Yu said.
Blair's decision to stand should-to-shoulder with US President
George W. Bush by committing troops for the invasion has divided
his party and the country, Yu said. With almost 150 British troops
dead in Iraq, the war is more unpopular than ever.
His only hope for restoring some luster to his reputation would
be a breakthrough in the Middle East peace process after he became
a special Mideast Quartet envoy, added Yu.
The change of prime minister won't bring much change to China-UK
relations, Yu said.
The pragmatic approach toward China adopted by Blair played a
positive role in fostering and promoting bilateral relations, the
expert said, adding that there is no reason for Gordon Brown,
Blair's finance minister and successor, to make any substantial
changes to the relationship.
(China Daily June 28, 2007)
