Polls & Research

Blair Made Country a Target, Say Britons

- Many adults in Britain believe their prime minister caused their country to be less safe, according to a poll by YouGov released by Sky News. 77 per cent of respondents believe Tony Blair's policies towards the Middle East have made Britain more of a target for terrorists.

Afghanistan has been the main battleground in the war on terrorism. The conflict began in October 2001, after the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people. Britain committed troops to both the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and the U.S.-led coalition effort in Iraq.

On Jul. 7, 2005, four blasts in London killed at least 53 people and injured 700 more. Investigators say three British nationals of Pakistani descent and a Jamaican-born man were responsible for the explosions at three underground stations and a double-decker bus. Authorities believe the event was a coordinated suicide bombing, the first to ever occur in Western Europe.

On Aug. 10, London's Metropolitan Police Service announced that more than 20 people had been arrested in connection with an alleged terrorist plot. According to the authorities, a group planned to destroy airplanes flying from Britain to the U.S. by detonating bombs manufactured with materials that could be brought on board as part of a passenger's carry-on luggage.

On Sept. 12, two ministers openly questioned two of Blair's foreign policy decisions. Foreign secretary Margaret Beckett said there "are many things I do regret" about the war in Iraq. Minister responsible for the Middle East Kim Howells questioned Blair's rationale for refusing to call for an immediate ceasefire during the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, declaring, "We didn't do enough and we didn't try to explain it very well. It was a very, very difficult statement to make and it was a difficult position to defend."

Polling Data

Do you think Tony Blair's policies towards the Middle East have made Britain more of a target for terrorists?