Word: gripped
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...with The Comfort of Strangers, I came to the end of something," he says. "I had been in the grip of the last gasp of existentialism, writing about people adrift in cities that are not named. Now I want specificity. Maybe it's a function of aging. I feel as if I've got less time left; I want to make sense." Not perfect sense; his later novels, like The Innocent, Black Dogs and Enduring Love, are still full of absurdity and enigma. But the characters have a more full-blooded life. Combine that with McEwan's companionable mind--strange...
...change in heart is warranted, as that country has proved quite adept at doing just enough to prevent punitive action without substantially changing the situation on the ground. Yesterday’s pro-Syria, Hezbollah-led protests are nothing if not a sign of Syria’s enduring grip on its smaller neighbor. Nevertheless, it is hard not to be encouraged by the developments so far in Lebanon. The fact that popular protests alone, and not the threat of Western-sponsored sanctions, compelled a change in Syrian government policy is a sure sign that change is beginning...
...date. That's hardly sufficient to satisfy the demands of the Lebanese opposition groups, backed by the United States, for a complete withdrawal not only of Syria's 14,000 uniformed troops, but more importantly to remove the thousands of intelligence and security operatives who maintain Syria's iron grip on Lebanon's day-to-day political life...
...chambers of commerce. By those standards, the elections for 178 municipal councils being held in three stages that began on Feb. 10 are a big deal. The regime hopes the election of Shi'ites and tribal leaders in parts of the country where they dominate will help loosen the grip the conservative Wahhabis hold on cultural and religious affairs. But the danger in acceding to Western demands for free elections is that they could result in handing the Islamists power at the ballot box. So far, Islamic factions have carried the day, though without the huge margins many had predicted...
...dissent that Tung has become, and it would show that China's leaders are responsive to public opinion in Hong Kong. Both Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao have tried to convey the image of a kinder, gentler leadership that cares for the masses, even as they maintain a tight grip on power. During the SARS epidemic, for example, Wen sacked China's Health Minister for underplaying the scale of the crisis, and impressed Hong Kongers with his apparent warmth and sincerity by visiting the home of a family stricken by the disease...