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Tony Blair Not Leaving Middle East After All |
By
Stephen Lendman |
| Despite resigning as Middle East envoy, he's maintaining
his regional activities. They made him super-rich. It's anyone's guess
how much wealth he amassed. Greed drives him. He wants more. He's remaining active on regional affairs despite no formal role. An overt racist, RT International reported he wants to be an Israeli/Arab bridge-builder - "drawing on relationships he has in the region." He wants to build his considerable fortune to an even greater one. He wants his status as a world figure maintained. He strongly supports Israel and key regional Western allies - for sure not Palestinians and the Arab street overall. He's an unindicted war criminal - complicit with US imperial aggression from Belgrade to Baghdad. He made multi-millions supporting wrong over right. Blair, Inc. is a large enterprise - including hugely secretive offshore companies and trusts. He parlayed his regional diplomatic role into a fortune. He abused the post he held. He plans continued abuse by sticking around. His predecessor, James Wolfensohn, treated his responsibilities as a full-time job. Blair hardly showed up - a few times a month, if that. His remaining time was spent making money. He has his own consultancy firm - Tony Blair Associates in London. It's described as a secretive complex mix of companies. You’re known by the company you keep. Blair advises regional despots, earns millions in speaking fees - millions more from New York-based JP Morgan Chase and Switzerland-based insurer Zurich International. Stop the War UK lists Kuwait, the UAE, Kazakhstan, Albania, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Colombia, Brazil, and Mongolia as nation-state Blair clients. Egypt and Oman may be next. Other clients included the Democratic Republic of Congo and Serbia. A former unnamed Blair, Inc. associate said "(h)e moves in mysterious ways. The Blair organization is like a sort of government with different departments doing different things." "His office is run on Downing Street lines. It's like he's never not been PM." Before resigning as Middle East envoy, Council for Arab-British Understanding's Chris Doyle said: "Tony Blair has to decide between his Quartet role as envoy to one of the most dangerous conflicts on the planet, his burgeoning media role in pushing for intervention in Iraq and Syria and his business interests across the globe including in the Middle East. These roles are incompatible and create a huge conflict of interest." Blair is a crass opportunist parlaying his political background and contacts into lucrative business deals. He established a post-Downing Street career working with disreputable clients - cashing in big. On May 30, London's Independent asked if he stepped down as Middle East envoy "to spend even more time with his dictators?" His only accomplishment was making money. His conflicts of interest are rife. He lives like royalty with a number of multi-million dollar properties - 31 in Britain and five abroad, according to The Independent. "Secretive off-the-shelf companies called Windrush Ventures and Firerush Ventures" are central to Blair's corporate empire. Years of investigation show he prostituted himself in pursuing Mammon, The Independent added. Blair's world is complex, secretive, opaque, distasteful, immoral and perhaps illegal given the rogue cast of characters he cast his lot with. "Political friends and foes alike are left cold with disgust," said The Independent. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs. |
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