Word: balked
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...this time the Muslims had to choose between taking what little they might get in a settlement now, or holding out for more -- and losing everything. Washington debated whether it could use a flash of air power to warn the Serbs away from Sarajevo without encouraging the Muslims to balk at signing an agreement. That was as much a sop to conscience as a calibrated military action, and, as usual, America and its allies could not agree on how much would be just right...
...women and three men came out on March 19 and March 21, leaving about 100 members still inside. But their leader repeatedly failed to follow through on hints of a mass surrender. Three times negotiators seemed to be at the verge of a breakthrough, only to have Koresh balk at the last moment. At one point talks came to a standstill while the cult observed a high holy day associated with the new moon...
...Secretary-General and his supporters point out -- correctly -- that success or failure of U.N. peacekeeping is utterly dependent on the good faith of contesting parties, and that the organization can only rely on persuasion if the parties balk. Moreover, Boutros-Ghali notes, the tide of criticism reflects something positive, namely the U.N.'s new assertiveness: "The reaction against the United Nations everywhere in the world shows that at last the U.N. is being active...
...tariffs would have tripled the cost of European white wine. Had American white wine not provided such a clear market alternative to imports, the stalemate might have disintegrated into a costly battle of tariffs. Though French President Francois Mitterrand, who must still face his nation's angry farmers, may balk at the agreement, U.S. President George Bush hailed the accord as a "breakthrough" that would bring a "comprehensive, global and balanced agreement" on trade that much closer for the 108 nations participating in GATT's Geneva negotiations. The Americans have cause to celebrate, perhaps with a glass of California Chardonnay...
Still, Harvard is no Temple University--a class on UFOs wouldn't quite cut it. The registrar might also balk on a Brandeis course...