Brace yourself for lifetime of struggle against Islamic State, Tony Blair warns

By Robert Moore: Washington Correspondent

We should brace ourselves for a struggle that could last a lifetime.

This is not an isolated, geographically-limited fight, but one that spans continents.

Tony Blair's analysis of Islamic extremism is dire. Speaking to me at the United Nations ahead of the General Assembly, he described it as a global, generational war that we have to win.

"This is not for one Prime Minister or for one President. This is going to go on for a long period of time, and we've got to prepare ourselves."

Blair warned that even if the Islamic State is defeated, another group of jihadists will simply replace it.

The former Prime Minister is certain to ignite criticism by warning that airpower is not sufficient and that ground troops will be needed to defeat the militants in Iraq and Syria.

Yes, it would be ideal if those troops were local, but Blair says British and American leaders must be realistic and prepare public opinion for the possibility that Western special forces will be required.

We had the jihadists contained in Iraq, Blair told me, but they then re-emerged in Syria.

Now with Libya imploding - a development that he called a huge problem - the extremists pose a threat in Africa as well as the Middle East.

Blair says we need to think of the whole crisis differently - not as an insurgency but as something that compares to the decades-long Cold War in terms of scope and risk.