From Amazon.com
British Prime Minister Tony Blair was regarded as something of a maverick in the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He broke ranks with the majority of his own Labour Party in England, as well as the prevailing opinion among European leaders, to support George W. Bush's plan to topple Saddam Hussein. But according to veteran British newsman James Naughtie, such a maverick approach is completely in character for Blair, who has a long history of sticking with his convictions even if it puts his own popularity at risk. Curiously, that mindset has actually led to a great deal of popularity for Blair, first among the British people and then among American war supporters who lauded Blair for his consistent support of Bush. Contrary to characterizations of Blair being an advocate of invasion purely for political interests or as a victim of neo-conservative brainwashing, Naughtie presents Blair as a man of genuinely independent thought, convinced of not just the viability but the necessity of using force to bring greater security and freedom to the world.
The Accidental American focuses heavily on the hours and days following the 9/11 attacks, detailing the urgency Blair felt reacting to the crisis and along the way providing candid (and newsmaking) glimpses inside the corridors of power, such as Colin Powell's characterization of the Dick Cheney-Donald Rumsfeld-Paul Wolfowitz group as "f---ing crazies." While Naughtie interviewed Blair for the book and explains Blair's beliefs and motivations in tremendous detail, the Prime Minister is never laid bare, remaining intriguingly enigmatic throughout. Still,
The Accidental American is a valuable look at one of the more fascinating and important figures in modern global politics.
--John Moe
From Publishers Weekly
British journalist Naughtie chronicles the unlikely alliance between Labour Prime Minister Blair and his conservative Republican counterpart in the White House. Great emphasis is placed on the aftermath of 9/11 and the leadup to the Iraq war, during which Blair defied his fellow European leaders, and much of his own party, by supporting the use of force to oust Saddam Hussein. Naughtie's character sketch of the British prime minister works against charges that he was merely a "dupe" of the neoconservatives, or, as some commentators unfavorably described him, "Bush's poodle." Rather, Blair emerges as a man of deep conviction, a strong Christian faith and a consistent belief that force can be used to accomplish a moral purpose, as was evidenced by the Western intervention in Kosovo and Bosnia. Following a familiar narrative on the post-9/11 Blair, Naughtie finds him taking the opportunity to act as a bridge between the United States and Europe: Blair shared the Americans' sense of threat and willingness to use force, but he also respected the European opposition to unilateralism and the need to work through institutions. Despite criticism, and even resignations from his own cabinet, Blair, as we see him here, never wavered in his belief that Operation Iraqi Freedom was a just cause. Naughtie offers little that's new on Blair, but connects all the dots cleanly.
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