Jaysus. Tony Blair: west must intervene in Iraq. Denies invasion led to current crisis

Ex-PM says allies should consider military options short of sending troops after denying 2003 invasion led to Isis crisis

Tony Blair has urged western governments to recognise that they need to take an active role in the Middle East, saying the west should consider military options short of sending ground troops.

The former prime minister said there was a huge range of options available, including air strikes and drones as used in Libya. (ME: yes, indeed, nothing like using another terrible error with horrible outcomes to bolster your argument, genius)

Blair was speaking on UK morning TV shows after writing a lengthy essay setting out how to respond to the Iraq crisis, including his belief that the invasion of Iraq in 2003 was not the cause of the country's implosion.

He said: "It is in our interests for this jihadist extremist group to be stopped in its tracks. I understand entirely why people say 'it is nothing to do with us and I don't want to hear about it'."

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http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jun/15/tony-blair-west-intervene-iraq-isis-military-options