Blair's road map to redemption?

Tony Blair arrived in Lisbon last night to begin a second career in which he must know that success may prove even more difficult than being the first British Labour prime minister to win three elections in a row.

Mr Blair will be anointed as Middle East envoy by the international Quartet, the EU, UN, Russia and the US, knowing the history of the region is littered by the failures of his predecessors as international peacemakers.

On the one hand Mr Blair brings considerable assets to the job, including success in Northern Ireland, and a real interest in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, which has no doubt been sharpened by, but did not begin with, the desire to make good for the fiasco of Iraq.

On the other hand, it is hard at present to see how he can succeed without coming at some point into collision with both Israel, where he is justly regarded as a friend, and his chief sponsor President Bush.