Photo by Hamza Z. H. Qraiqea/Getty ImagesTo understand how Tony Blair, who resigned from the House of Commons 18 years ago, is about to become part of the “Board of Peace” set to take control of the Gaza Strip, it’s worth paying attention to a German physicist born in 1858. That is partly how one can make sense of the rejuvenated figure of Tony Blair. That is primarily because he leads the country’s most powerful thinktank: the Tony Blair Institute. British social democracy, and the afterlife of Tony Blair, seems intent on demonstrating otherwise. [Further reading: Inside the Tony Blair Institute]