Word: quartets
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...mission is also shrinking. Formally, he will be the special representative of the Quartet of peacemakers, made up of the European Union, the United Nations, Russia and the U.S. But the Quartet's so-called "roadmap" for peace, based on a two-state solution, is now wastepaper. The Israelis are wary of outside mediators, which could leave Blair reduced to lecturing the Palestinians on good governance instead of negotiating with the two sides. This is made all the more difficult by the Quartet's refusal to engage with Islamic militants Hamas, democratically elected to power in January...
...pushing them too far. Blair should take note of what befell his predecessor, James Wolfensohn, an American former president of the World Bank. Wolfensohn started out with everything going for him, but when he complained about some of Israel's more onerous policies inside the territories, and about the Quartet's decision to cut off aid to the Palestinians after Hamas' election victory, the White House shunned his advice as too pro-Palestinian and left him dangling. Eventually, he quit. If Blair starts to challenge Washington's pro-Israeli tilt - which Arab officials say is crucial to unknotting the Israeli...
...passing comment on Brown, despite the bitterness engendered by their ruptured friendship and long rivalry. But Blair is unlikely to opt for a quiet retirement. On Tuesday, after assent came from Moscow, Blair was cleared to be appointed to the role of Middle East peace envoy for the quartet of the U.S., E.U., U.N. and Russia in the quest for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Blair also hopes to launch an inter-faith initiative, discussed in Saturday's meeting with the Pope. The web address www.blairfoundation.org.uk was registered last November...
GROUNDS FOR COMPROMISE Hamas' vistory has complicated the Bush Administration's hopes of using Abbas as a defense against the rise of Islamic radicalism. After Hamas' triumph in the 2006 elections, Prime Minister Ismail Haniya's government was was denied aid by the quartet--the U.S., the European Union, the U.N. and Russia--for refusing to accept Israel's existence, renounce violence and adhere to past peace accords signed by Israel and the Palestinians. And yet Hamas still gained support, largely because Abbas failed to rid himself of the corrupt officials that had turned the Fatah movement into a band...
...drama rarely reached the emotional boiling point, but the Tarantino and Fincher films, if not nearly the best of the directors' work, paraded the filmmaking brio, the narrative twists and drive, that mark solid updates of the classic Hollywood style. That the jurors ignored every member of this quartet, while laying hands on Van Sant's very minor indie effort, could possibly suggest an anti-Hollywood agenda. Major U.S. studios may take the hint, and be more reluctant to submit films for the competition in future years...