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Tony Blair, the controversial former British prime minister who left office in June 2007 and then converted to Roman Catholicism, is back in the headlines. With Israel's military actions in Gaza this week, Blair has an influential role as an envoy to the Middle East for the Quartet on the Middle East (United States, United Nations, Russia, and the European Union). These four powers have been pressing for a negotiated solution between Israelis and Palestinians and strongly favor a two-state solution.

After Israel launched its current military actions across the border with Gaza, Blair on Saturday told the news media in London, "The terrible events and tragic loss of life in Gaza require, in the immediate term, the introduction of a genuine calm in which the rocket attacks aimed at killing Israeli civilians and the Israeli attacks on Gaza cease so that the suffering of the people, which is severe, can be lifted. Then, as I have said many times before, we need to devise a new strategy for Gaza, which brings that territory back under the legitimate rule of the Palestinian Authority in a manner which ends their suffering and fully protects the security of Israel."

In early December, Blair was at Yale University, where he lectured about globalization and religious faith. He spoke with CT senior writer Tony Carnes in a joint interview with Religion News Service and other news media. Later, during his lecture and chapel address, Blair listed ten themes concerning religious faith and globalization. During his long career in public service, Blair was elected British prime minister three times, serving from 1997 to 2007. His remarks are edited for clarity and length.

You appeal to the common values found in different religions. President Bush appeals to the values inherent in human dignity. Is there a difference?

It's a different process, but the same approach. The thesis, if you like, of [the Faith and Globalization course at Yale] is to explore aspects of faith in globalization, like faith in a liberal democracy, like faith in human rights, and so forth.

Globalization operates to push people together, to blur distinctions between different nations and cultures. It's helping to create a multi-faith society. That faith becomes a constructive and progressive force to provide globalization with a human face and with some spiritual capital.

Alternatively, globalization could be a reactionary and destructive force that pulls people apart. In a multi-faith society, it is by people understanding each other that we learn to respect each other. By respecting each other, [we] get to peaceful coexistence.

Should corporations and governments be open to receiving the human face that faith might want to put upon globalization?

You might have said a year ago that globalization is an impersonal impulse. It operates at a purely material level. One of the things we've learned through this global economic crisis is the importance of trust, confidence — the ability to rely on the word of the other person. To make globalization work, we need values. The need to have some sense of spiritual capital is an important part of building both human capital and a deep, thriving global system.

How do you respond to author Christopher Hitchens, who believes religion poisons everything?

My dad's an atheist and quite militant about it. It is perfectly possible to find examples of religious faith being destructive and reactionary. It is, however, also possible to find examples of religious faith inspiring people to do great things — great works of compassion, social progress, of enlightenment. The best selling book in America in recent years has been The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.

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December (Web-only) 2008, Vol. 53