Mohammad Pervez Bilgrami - India

Tony Blair continues to cause havoc in the Middle East. As British prime minister he was part of the genocidal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan led by neocon crusaders of the United States. Away from media scrutiny, he has found a new base to carry out his nefarious activities. The UAE is an ideal place for him as his close links with Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan guarantee him all the protection he needs to carry on uninterruptedly with his political plots under the cover of doing consultancy work for governments. 

It is not known how big a fortune Blair has amassed as head of his firm, Tony Blair Associates, since resigning as prime minister in mid-2007, but he is now set to take his business to greater heights from the Gulf base. The man has worked stealthily to create a web of businesses and government connections, which he uses in ways that do not permit public scrutiny. Operating from a place that knows no media freedom has helped the villain of the 2003 Iraq invasion in advancing his extremist and racist agenda in the region. 

As the official envoy of the so-called Middle East Quartet, representing the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia, the man proved to be a disaster. His assigned role was to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace but all he did over the years was just to vilify Palestinians while mouthing Israeli propaganda. He even hired an Israeli female intelligence officer, identified as 30-year-old Lianne Pollak, as a private consultant in 2012. 

Blair has a fiendish capacity for mischief-making, always looking for easy-to-manipulate Arab leaders who can be of use in his plots. His past close links with Muammar Gaddafi had been subject of media speculation. In 2008 and 2009, he had secret meetings with the Libyan leader, and one of which was attended by a US billionaire friend of Blair, according to reports in the British press. 

Blair showed no scruples in his overseas affairs when he was in government and after leaving office his dealings became even more dubious. His collaboration with the US neocons in invading Iraq using lies is well documented, and there is a strong case for his international arrest on charges of war crimes. Instead of fearing criticism, Blair has gone about exploiting his former government position to build a global career for himself. 

It was for his manipulativeness that he was rewarded with the Quartet envoy’s job. The international racket that provides diplomatic protection to Israel in its atrocities against Palestinians must have been looking for a man of Blair's shamelessness. 

As a war profiteer Blair cannot be expected to empathize with innocent victims of Israeli apartheid. Even the New York Times, which is considered close to the international Jewish lobby, called him "Israel's Puppy" in a headline. Zionists have deep access in the Arab ruling circles and they know how to use their connections and the information they gather. Blair's Abu Dhabi office will further boost Zionist presence in the region. 

According to a report in the Financial Times, "there is chemistry" between Blair and Mohammed Bin Zayed. The Abu Dhabi crown prince is a highly ambitious individual. Alarmed by the Arab uprisings, he is building the UAE's security structure to a level that will snuff out any internal threat. This he can do by allying himself with Western extremists. According to reports, the former Blackwater chief Erik Prince is building a mercenary army for Abu Dhabi. The UAE is a key backer of Egyptian coup leader Abdel Fattah El Sisi. Blair has reportedly engaged experts to write a report on the Muslim Brotherhood. This document will be used for reinforcing the allegations of Egypt's junta and its Gulf collaborators against the group. Blair has handled political projects in the Gulf before.

 Blair openly backed the military coup in Egypt and was later provided with consulting services for the coup leader El Sisi. According to reports in The Guardian, Blair was appointed as an advisor on economic reforms to the regime in a programme funded by the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and run by a subsidiary of the management consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers.