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New Delhi: The ultimate defeat of terrorism can come not from the force of arms but from the force of ideas, former British prime minister Tony Blair said here yesterday, stressing the role of education and faith.
Be it hotspots like Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Palestine and many more, "in reality, there is one global movement based on a perversion of the proper faith of Islam", he said while addressing the HT Leadership Summit on 'Leadership in a Globalised World'.
"Its roots are deep. It has an ideology. As such, it must, naturally be subject to military means where it poses a military threat. But its ultimate defeat can only come, not through force of arms but force of ideas," Blair maintained.
"Against its narrative of victimhood, exclusion and division must be set one of peaceful co-existence, universal values and common destiny," he added.
This necessarily means that nations will have to work together in fields that aren't traditional for international cooperation, Blair pointed out, adding: "Education is a vital area of policy for each nation. But when what is taught in our schools can influence so critically how a young person thinks about the world, it is also an area of international concern."
There was also need to deepen understanding of each other's culture because "if globalisation pushes us together, then religious difference must not pull us apart. If we have to live with each other, we have to learn about each other," Blair contended.
At the same time, he noted that faith "unfortunately, can be divisive", and added: "You know this here in India, better than any".
Yet, Blair maintained, "faith also guides the lives of billions of people worldwide and leads them to acts of compassion, selflessness and decency.
"The point is that the present tensions within the faith world is only another dimension of the global community. Faith can be a force for progress, helping shape globalisation in a benign manner rather than be a force for reaction, provoking conflict.
'Anachronism'
A UN Security Council without India as a permanent member is an "anachronism" as are bodies like the IMF and the World Bank, former British prime minister Tony Blair said yesterday.
"A UNSC without India as a permanent member is an anachronism. An IMF or a World Bank without a proper role for India will no longer do," Blair said while addressing the HT Leadership Summit.
"India will demand and India will receive the position due to one of the world's major powers," he added.
Blair then sounded a word of caution.
"But, beware one thing: with the power will come the responsibility. Of a sudden, you will find the expectation that you will, in partnership with others, lead the world; so you will be able to solve its problems.
"People will knock at your door not to give opinions, but to hear answers," Blair noted, adding: "It is an exciting prospect, but also a daunting one. Ask America, or increasingly, China."
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