British Prime Minister Tony Blair made an impassioned plea yesterday for an international alliance to protect "global values" of fairness, justice and freedom, and pledged to keep British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan until those countries are stabilized.
"If the going is tough, we tough it out," Blair told a rare joint sitting of Australia's parliament.
Blair told lawmakers that the "immediate threat is from Islamist extremism," which he said was "not a passing spasm of anger but a global ideology at war with us and our way of life."
"If we want to secure our way of life, there is no alternative but to fight for it," he said. "That means standing up for our values not just in our own countries but the world over."
Britain and Australia were the only two nations to send troops to fight alongside US forces in the invasion of Iraq three years ago, and both countries still have forces in the country and in Afghanistan fighting Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgents.
In a key foreign policy speech, Blair said the struggle was not just against "those who hate us," but also against opponents who believe Britain and its allies fight for their values selectively.
"This struggle is about justice and fairness as well as security and prosperity," he said. "And in truth today there is no prosperity without security and no security without justice."
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