TONY Blair has said the West must focus on tackling religious extremism, and called for further involvement in Syria and Libya.
Tony Blair leaving the Bloomberg HQ where he gave his speech [WENN]Mr Blair described a global crisis with its roots in "a radicalised and politicised view of Islam, an ideology that distorts and warps Islam's true message".
He said: "The threat of this radical Islam is not abating. It is growing. It is spreading across the world.
"It is destabilising communities and even nations. It is undermining the possibility of peaceful co-existence in an era of globalisation.
"And in the face of this threat we seem curiously reluctant to acknowledge it and powerless to counter it effectively."
Mr Blair - Middle East envoy for the quartet of the United Nations, European Union, US and Russia - stressed the need for the issue to be at the "top of the agenda".
He insisted that tensions with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the current Ukraine crisis should not be allowed to prevent co-operation to address the problem.
Conceding that recent conflicts such as Iraq and Afghanistan had eroded the willingness of Western nations to act, Mr Blair said he hoped those interventions would be seen differently in future.
He said: "There is no commitment that doesn't mean taking a risk.
"It does not mean that we have to repeat the enormous commitment of Iraq and Afghanistan. It may well be that in time people come to view the impact of those engagements differently.
"But there is no need, let alone appetite, to do that.
"I completely understand why our people feel they have done enough, more than enough."
Blair called for a settlement with Syria's president Bashar Assad [AFP/GETTY]Libya is not Iraq or Afghanistan. It is not impossible to help and Nato has the capability to do so
Setting out his views on a range of troubled countries, the former premier insisted that the West had to be consistent in supporting the principles of religious freedom and rule-based democracies.
In relation to Libya, he said that meant recognising we bore a "responsibility" for the chaotic situation that has developed since Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown.
"Their urgent need is for security sector reform. We have made some attempts to do so," he said.
"But obviously the scale of the task and the complications of the militia make it very hard.
"But Libya is not Iraq or Afghanistan. It is not impossible to help and Nato has the capability to do so.
"However reluctant we are to make this commitment, we have to recognise the de-stabilising impact Libya is having at present.
"If it disintegrates completely, it will affect the whole of the region around it and feed the instability in sub-Saharan Africa."
Mr Blair branded the turmoil in Syria "an unmitigated disaster", calling for a settlement with President Assad - whom he has previously condemned.
"We are now in a position where both Assad staying and the opposition taking over seem bad options," he said.
"The former is responsible for creating this situation. But the truth is that there are so many fissures and problems around elements within the opposition that people are rightly wary now of any solution that is an outright victory for either side.
"Repugnant though it may seem, the only way forward is to conclude the best agreement possible even if it means in the interim President Assad stays for a period.
"Should even this not be acceptable to him, we should consider active measures to help the opposition and force him to the negotiating table, including no-fly zones whilst making it clear that the extremist groups should receive no support from any of the surrounding nations."
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