In contemporary Western history, few figures embody the contradictions of the neoliberal era quite like Tony Blair. He rose to power as a prime minister promising social justice, yet he joined a war that displaced millions. As leader of “New Labour”, he championed progressive ideals, but after leaving office, he became a high-paid advisor to billionaires, dictators, and tech giants. Today, two decades after Baghdad’s fall, Blair is back in the Middle East—not as a neutral peace broker but as the architect of a contentious “rebuilding” plan for Gaza that critics label the “privatisation of humanity.” Interestingly, Blair, often dubbed the “Virgin of the Middle East” for his enduring involvement in the region, has secured over £50 million in annual funding for his institute recently. His deep ties with tech behemoths like Oracle directly fuel these Gaza reconstruction efforts, raising questions about whose interests are truly served.
From Downing Street to Baghdad: Alliance with America and MI6
Tony Blair swept into Downing Street in 1997 with a wave of “progressive modernism.” Youthful, pragmatic, and wildly popular, he seemed poised to redefine British politics. But the September 11, 2001, attacks shifted everything, forging a fateful bond with U.S. President George W. Bush. In the lead-up to the Iraq invasion, Blair bypassed Britain’s intelligence community, favouring politically biased reports instead.
MI6, the UK’s foreign intelligence service, produced a 2002 dossier on Iraq’s alleged “weapons of mass destruction” that the Chilcot Inquiry later exposed as riddled with unverifiable claims. Blair’s MI6 connections ran deeper: he weaponised the agency to bolster his foreign policy, and as post-war revelations from former officers showed, he routinely manipulated intelligence to sync with Washington’s agenda. Blair personally assured Bush in a letter: “I am with you, whatever happens.”
In March 2003, Britain launched an unauthorised invasion of Iraq, defying the UN Security Council. The conflict claimed nearly half a million civilian lives and upended the Middle East’s political landscape. “Blair exaggerated Saddam’s threat, ignored intelligence warnings, and chose war without proper preparation,” the 2016 Chilcot Report bluntly stated. Yet the scandal extended beyond faulty intel. Blair’s office established a close partnership with MI6 and the CIA, establishing a “neoliberal security state” model that was replicated in subsequent interventions in Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria. Years later, British agents disclosed how Blair transformed MI6 into his personal propaganda machine. Even after Iraq, those ties persist; Blair now taps retired MI6 advisors through his institute to navigate intelligence networks for Middle East reconstruction projects. In a 2015 CNN interview, Blair conceded, “The intelligence was wrong, but removing Saddam was necessary.” The Guardian observed that Blair’s admission sounded more like a defence of wrongdoing than a sincere apology.
From Political Power to Financial Power: The Billionaire Without a Seat
Blair exited the office in 2007, only to pivot straight to Wall Street. JPMorgan Chase snapped him up as a senior geopolitical advisor, with media estimates pegging his annual deal at $1 to $3 million. Soon after, he inked pacts with Zurich Insurance Group and Gulf-based financial powerhouses. These gigs formed the backbone of his “global advisor” empire, helping him accumulate over £100 million in personal wealth.
That same year, he launched two London-based private firms – Windrush Ventures and Harcourt Ventures – to funnel his worldwide consulting revenues. By 2021, the Financial Times reported that Blair and his wife, Cherie Booth Blair, boasted a net worth exceeding £100 million. The Pandora Papers uncovered his use of a British Virgin Islands shell company to buy a London property tax-free. Cherie, a top-tier lawyer specialising in human rights and international trade, further embeds their family in elite global financial circles. From there, Blair emerged as a bridge between politics, finance, and tech – a mastermind who governs through “reform” rhetoric and market-driven logic.
Blair, Gaddafi, and Crisis Phone Calls
In March 2004, Blair met Muammar Gaddafi in Tripoli, a rendezvous hailed by the media as Libya’s “return to the international fold”. Behind closed doors, British oil titans BP and Shell sealed multibillion-dollar deals. But their ties went beyond business. During Libya’s 2011 uprising, two logged phone calls captured Blair urging Gaddafi: “For your country’s future, stop the violence and go somewhere safe.” Meanwhile, Britain greenlit arms sales to rebels, exposing Blair’s hallmark duality – he poses as a mediator for the public eye while advancing corporate agendas. Parliamentary critics blasted him: “He plays both sides – mediator for optics, lobbyist for profits.” A year later, a London inquiry revealed Blair’s government had extradited Libyan dissidents in joint MI6-Mukhabarat operations before the revolution.
From MI6 to Silicon Valley: Tony Blair’s Empire
Blair founded the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) in 2016, pitching it as a tool to “help governments govern effectively.” It swiftly ballooned into a global powerhouse with an annual budget topping £50 million. Oracle founder Larry Ellison, whose fortune surpasses $100 billion, is its biggest donor, funnelling over $35 million from 2017 to 2023. Ellison’s strong pro-Israel stance – including financial support for the Israeli military – ties TBI tightly to Middle East tech initiatives.
TBI operates in over 30 countries, from Rwanda to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In the Middle East, it pushes government digitisation and has conducted Gaza polls revealing fewer than 4% of residents favour Hamas rule. African projects leverage Oracle software for digital overhauls; in Saudi Arabia, Blair advised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s “Vision 2030”; and in the UAE, TBI partners with data-mining firms. Ex-employees describe the dynamic: “Blair unlocks political access, and Oracle seals the deals.”
Arab Capitalists and Blair’s Circle
A pivotal ally in Blair’s orbit is Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris, owner of Orascom Group. In the 2010s, Sawiris invested in North Korea, launching the Koryolink telecom network – a venture that doubled as an informal cash conduit between Pyongyang and the Middle East. With deep roots in Arab business dynasties, Sawiris has backed Blair’s Gaza initiatives. Their friendship dates back years, including a 2014 luxury yacht rendezvous in Saint-Tropez, making Sawiris the sole Egyptian on the proposed GITA board.
Gulf heavyweights from the UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia joined early talks. Haaretz reports GITA’s seed funding draws from Emirati sovereign funds and European private banks, with initial projections at $2 to $3 billion for phase one reconstruction.
From Iraq to Gaza: The Return of the Politician in “Rebuilder” Garb
By summer 2025, leaks exposed the Gaza International Transitional Authority (GITA), a blueprint for postwar Gaza governance developed via Blair’s institute. It envisions an international panel overseeing reconstruction, which President Donald Trump has dubbed the “Board of Peace.” Yet scrutiny of its architects and funders reveals a scheme rooted more in American and British priorities than Palestinian needs. Blair’s ties to Israel run deep and are often controversial. As Quartet envoy from 2007 to 2015, he spent eight years mediating between Israel and Palestinians, but many Palestinians view him as biased toward Israel, criticizing his reluctance to demand ceasefires during conflicts like the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war and his push for a “special partnership” between Israel and NATO.
In 2005, he floated a $3 billion G8 plan tied to Israel’s Gaza withdrawal, but critics say it prioritised Israeli security over Palestinian sovereignty. His institute’s involvement in Gaza elections and digitisation projects further cements these links, with some accusing him of enabling “economic colonialism”.
Blair’s rapport with Trump adds another layer. They met in Israel in January 2024 amid early talks on Gaza’s interim authority, laying the groundwork for the plan. By September 2025, Trump publicly tapped Blair as co-head of the Board of Peace in his 20-point Gaza proposal, praising his expertise despite uncertainties about broad acceptance. Blair responded positively, signalling ongoing collaboration throughout Trump’s second term.
The proposed board composition includes Tony Blair as the lead coordinator and interim chair. Blair has orchestrated behind-the-scenes ceasefires, earning Egypt’s backing as a “modern high commissioner.”. Sigrid Kaag, a senior UN envoy, is married to Palestinian diplomat Anis al-Qaq. Her humanitarian credentials are strong, though detractors claim Western bias. Marc Rowan – Apollo Global Management CEO- embodies Wall Street’s stake. He emphasises financial frameworks. Naguib Sawiris serves as the representative of Arab capital and acts as a liaison to Cairo and Abu Dhabi. Blair’s old ally, Sawiris, profited from U.S. contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Aryeh Lightstone is a conservative U.S. diplomat behind the Abraham Accords, prioritising Israel-Arab relations. Jared Kushner is a political fixer from Trump’s circle based in Washington. He floated splitting Gaza (Israeli control in one zone, Hamas in another) and prepped reconstruction blueprints for years. Phil Reilly, an ex-CIA officer, designs Gaza’s security and logistics networks, drawing on Middle East operations experience. Johnnie Moore, an evangelical leader heading the “Gaza Humanitarian Fund”, injects religious angles. Liran Tancman and Michael Eisenberg are Israeli tech investors crafting the “Gaza Riviera” model—imagine a luxury coastal hub. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is responsible for designing the fiscal and governance models. Tony Blair Institute (TBI)—a diplomatic and advisory backbone linked to “Trump Riviera” developments.
Leaked docs peg phase-one funding at $2.8 billion for infrastructure and free-trade zones. Palestinians, however, hold under 15% of decision-making sway—merely “observers without real clout.”
The Role of Palestinians and Arab Countries
Palestinians view imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti as a “legitimate resistance figure” in European circles, but Israel flatly rejects any involvement from him. Exiled politician Mohammed Dahlan, Abu Dhabi’s ally and former Gaza security chief, lurks as a shadow candidate for postwar security. He’s battled Hamas, channelled UAE aid, and is considered a pragmatic “day after” pick – despite corruption allegations. Fatah and the Palestinian Authority (PA) push for reconstruction roles in Cairo summits, but U.S. insiders limit them to admin and policing duties. PA officials have endorsed Blair’s postwar involvement. Hamas decries Blair and Lightstone’s roles as a ploy to morph Gaza into an “occupied, free market.” Arab Countries: The UAE and Bahrain fund phase one outright; Qatar and Jordan insist on UN oversight. Saudi Arabia eyes infrastructure bids via its Public Investment Fund, sans official board seats. Egypt, which is hosting the Cairo talks, seeks logistical control over the Rafah crossing.
Gaza Riviera and Ethical Criticism
Internal drafts from Washington and London reimagine Gaza as a “coastal paradise” with skyscrapers, industrial parks, and smart manufacturing hubs – including a “Trump Riviera” backed by TBI.
Clause 9 sparks outrage: “Voluntary population resettlement in neighbouring countries.” The Middle East Eye calls it “economic cleansing masquerading as development.” Detractors call the whole endeavour “modern colonialism.”
Blair, MI6, and the Global Oligarchy
Blair’s Gaza role transcends diplomacy; it’s the conduit for a sprawling network from MI6 to Oracle. Iraq’s “democracy-building” frameworks now resurface, as does Gaza’s “humanitarian revival.” MI6, Blair’s CIA partner in past operations across Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan, provides assistance via retired experts in London and Doha on security designs. He deploys this web for high-stakes lobbying.
Conclusion: Rebuilding Power, Not Humanity
Blair’s Gaza blueprint perpetuates the Iraq playbook: reconstruction for markets over people, infrastructure for capital over equity, and peace for the status quo over self-rule. An Egyptian analyst in Al-Ahram sums it up: “Blair aims to show that Iraq’s flop hasn’t dimmed his Middle East engineering prowess –this time via economics, not armies.” Despite backlash, Blair polls as a “mediator” in the region, though many peg him as the neoliberal war’s poster child. Once a statesman, Tony Blair now symbolises post-government politics, where states transform into corporations, diplomacy into branding, and people into commodities.