The Middle East Quartet and (In)effective Multilateralism

In 2002, what became known as the Middle East Quartet came into being. A decade later, this article explores the performance of the Quartet and the EU’s role in it. The conclusions are sobering, pointing to the fact that, while the EU has been the principal driver behind the Quartet, the latter has neither become a genuinely multilateral forum, nor has it been effective in pursuing the goal of a two-state solution in the Middle East.