Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I received the book in advance and I like it. David A. Andelman is an authoritative author with a broad culture and knowledge of conflict zones. The years of experience are clearly seen in the book. The author describes a number of conflicts, but also political crises, providing historical references and additional information to explain his idea of ​​red lines between countries and organizations.

In Syria, the world has witnessed the consequences of drawing red lines that are meaningless and what the consequences of a lack of responsibility may be. Andelman's book is precisely about the explanation of the placement of these lines. I recommend.

Tackling the history, background and development of many of the world's tensest stress points, Andelman guides us across the globe discussing amongst others the likes of China, Russia, Korea and Iran. The author is highly authoritative, experienced and knowledgeable and admirably able in depicting the underlying forces of military and diplomatic struggle preventing the diverse pressure points from exploding into all-out war. This book is also acutely topical and timely as the regular rotation of White House residents has yielded a new, but yet again familiar face, and returned a number of experienced diplomats to this administration. Their resolve undoubtedly is soon to be evaluated, just as their predecessors were. Repeated prodding for weaknesses in the resolved support for red lines across the globe will probably set the tone in 2021. As diplomacy quite evidently took a back seat during the last US administration, and the world's attention has over a year been diverted by the corona-crisis, the red lines described by the author will be no doubt again be severely tested and face being redrawn. Hard-going at times, but I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter.

The author covers a multitude of troubled areas throughout our world, He goes into in-depth coverage of who/what/where/how the different places have gotten to the point they are at today. This is a scholarly read, and would benefit any student of diplomacy and foreign affairs.

This book definitely read more like a textbook so if that isn't your style, then this isn't the book for you. It was very informative and the author gave interesting perspective.

A fairly detailed explanation of diplomacy vs. the warpath and everything in between. Would recommend to adults looking to expand their knowledge of foreign policies.