Red Line: The Unraveling of Syria and America's Race to Destroy the Most Dangerous Arsenal in the World

by Joby Warrick

From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Black Flags comes the thrilling unknown story of America’s mission in to find and destroy Syria’s chemical weapons and keep them out of the hands of the Islamic State
 
In August 2012, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was clinging to power in a vicious civil war. When secret intelligence revealed that the dictator might resort to using chemical weapons, President Obama warned that doing so would cross “a red line.” Assad did it anyway, bombing the Damascus suburb of Ghouta with sarin gas, killing hundreds of civilians and forcing Obama to decide if he would mire America in another unpopular Middle Eastern war. When Russia offered to broker the removal of Syria’s chemical weapons, Obama leapt at the out.

So begins an electrifying race to find, remove, and destroy 1,300 tons of chemical weapons in the midst of a raging civil war. The extraordinary little-known effort is a triumph for the Americans, but soon Russia’s long game becomes it will do anything to preserve Assad’s rule. As America’s ability to control events in Syria shrinks, the White House learns that ISIS, building its caliphate in Syria’s war-tossed territory, is seeking chemical weapons for itself, with an eye to attacking the West.

Red Line is a classic Joby Warrick true-life a character-driven narrative with a cast of heroes and villains, including weapons hunters, politicians, doctors, diplomats, and spies. Drawing on astonishing original reporting, Warrick reveals how the United States embarked on a bold adventure to prevent one catastrophe but could not avoid a tragic chain of events that empowered America’s enemies.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Middle East, Politics, War, Terrorism, Military Fiction

368 pages, Hardcover

First published February 23, 2021

About the author

Joby Warrick (born August 4, 1960) is an American journalist who has won multiple Pulitzer Prizes. He began working for The Washington Post in 1996, writing about the Middle East, diplomacy and national security. He has also covered the intelligence community, Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) proliferation and the environment, and served as a member of the Post’s investigative unit.

Reviews

[Malia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though this is not an easy read, it's one I would certainly recommend to anyone interested in what has been happening in Syria in the past decade or foreign relations in general. I was impressed by Joby Warrick's previous book, Black Flags, and eager to read this one, because I knew he would approach it with with meticulous research and a human and thoughtful touch. He did not disappoint. I know this one will stay with me for some time to come, and certainly made me think about a conflict that sadly is far from resolved.

Find my book reviews and more at http://www.princessandpen.com

[Steven Z. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In his presidential memoir A PROMISED LAND Barack Obama does not reveal much about his thinking when it came to events in Syria other than that “our options were painfully limited…and Assad could count on Russia to veto any efforts we might make to impose international sanctions through the U.N. Security Council.” This was the conundrum the US faced as it approached how to deal with the slaughter that was Syria since the Arab spring in 2011; a president who was seemingly obsessed with the fear Washington could be drawn into another war in the Middle East, and who if any of the rebel groups the US could rely on and not face blowback if Assad were overthrown. Eventually President Obama announced his “red line” warning that if Assad continued to employ nerve agents in the Syrian civil war it would be a game changer for the US. The warning that was issued on August 20, 2012 did not deter Assad and the American response was marginal at best. With twenty-twenty hindsight this was one of the worst decisions the Obama administration made in relation to the carnage that was Syria and its results have been catastrophic. In Obama’s defense had the US bombed Syria and taken out most of Assad’s chemical weapons would it have altered the war – we will never know. The decision-making surrounding American “red line” policy its impact, and the attempt to destroy Assad’s chemical “stash” throughout 2014 is the subject of an informative new book RED LINE: THE UNRAVELING OF SYRIA AND AMERICA’S RACE TO DESTROY THE MOST DANGEROUS ARSENAL IN THE WORLD by Pulitzer Prize winning Washington Post reporter Joby Warrick which takes a microscope to American decision-making and the diplomatic and military policies pursued to try and obviate the horrors that the Assad regime was perpetrating.

Warrick’s effort is more than a narrative history of events sprinkled with keen analysis of the players and policies involved, but more a true to life thriller with a cast of characters that includes world leaders, physicians, weapons hunters, spies, and a number of heroes and villains. Warrick’s account begins with the introduction of a CIA spy whose nomenclature was Ayman, “the chemist,” a Syrian scientist who informed his handlers that Damascus had constructed an efficient manufacturing center with a network of laboratories that had produced 1300-1500 tons of binary sarin, VX, and mustard gas. Warrick lays out the issue of nerve agents produced by Syria and its implication for US policy makers. The author’s approach is methodical as he examines all areas that impacted the Syrian weapons cache and what the US should and could do to mitigate the problem. Once Assad employed nerve agents dropping three canisters on the city of Sarageb held by rebels who fought for overthrowing the Syrian regime on April 29, 2013, President Obama response had done little to deter Damascus.

By 2012 Syria had become the most dangerous place on earth and after the April 2013 attack the US and the UN began to work on providing evidence for Assad’s WMD crimes. Warrick introduces a series of important characters into the narrative who are pivotal to his story. UN Team Leader Ake Sellstrom, who had experience hunting WMD in Iraq in the 1990s was sent to Syria and found evidence that military grade sarin gas had been used. The list includes Andrew C. Weber, the Pentagon’s Assistant Secretary for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs who feared that should Assad be overthrown his 1300 nerve agents could fall into the hands of the al Nusra Front and its ally al-Qaeda in Iraq (which would soon morph into the Islamic State). Timothy Blades, an ingenious individual who headed the US Civilian Chemical Biological Application and Risk Reduction team developed a process referred to as “hydrolysis” and the machinery to carry out the task of breaking down and making Assad’s nerve agents inert should the US come into possession of them. Dr. Houssam Alnahhas, also known as “Chemical Hazem,” as he prepared areas of Syria for possible chemical attacks and worked to save victims of those attacks. Samantha Powers, the US Ambassador to the United Nations who worked tirelessly to hold Assad responsible for the atrocities he ordered but she was up against Russian and Chinese vetoes, but her work cannot be ignored as she was able to create the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) under the auspices of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical weapons headquartered in the Hague. By 2017 JIM’s work continued as it investigated another Syrian nerve strike against the town of Khan Sheikhoun. Lastly, Brett McGurk, the special presidential envoy for the global coalition to counter ISIS. McGurk was the last American official to witness the Syrian conflict in its entirety,” from the earliest pro-democracy uprisings through the rise of ISIS; from the regime’s first experimental use of sarin to the dramatic; if incomplete, mission to destroy Syria’s stockpile; from the hopeful declaration that ‘Assad must go’ to the despairing reality of an entrenched Syrian dictatorship propped up by Russian and Iranian protector’s intent on reshaping the region in their own image.” (303) There are many other important players in the narrative, many of which must be given credit for the eventual destruction of much of Assad’s nerve WMD, and those who were a hinderance and supported Assad outright.

Warrick description of a UN investigation led by Sellstrom and Scott Cairns his Canadian Deputy reflected Syrian obstructionism. However, while in Damascus their group witnessed the results of a chemical attack that killed at least 1400 in the Ghouta suburbs. Warrick’s connections and knowledge allowed him to describe in detail the components of the WMD, its impact on the civilian population, Syrian governments obfuscation, and what the world was prepared to do about what was occurring in Syria. Everyone points to the Obama administration for its almost “feckless” response to Assad’s actions. Warrick correctly points out that the Obama administration in part placed itself in a bind in its response. Obama, keen to avoid a major military commitment in the Middle East decided that he needed Congressional approval for any military response. After the events in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 there was little or no support in Congress. Further, Germany’s Angela Merkel warned Obama that the US should not act and wait until the UN investigation had run its course. In England, Prime Minister David Cameron could not convince Parliament to support military action, and lastly many feared what could happen to the UN team still in Syria. Facing congressional humiliation Obama was saved in part by the Russians who agreed to force Assad to turn over his nerve agents to UN authorities.

Warrick clearly explains how the deal came about and its implications for the future. The Russians would go along with practically everything assuming that Blades’ “Margarita Machine” was a fantasy that could only fail thereby embarrassing the US. Warrick’s account of how the “Blades’ Machine” was built, tested, and deployed is well conceived and easy to understand. He follows the politics behind the strategy, the actual obstacles overcome particularly those set by the Syrians, and its ultimate deployment. This section of the book is perhaps the most important for the reader as Warrick builds the tension as if writing a novel that in the end would produce a mission at sea where the machines were bolted to the decks of the ship Cape Ray, deployed to the Mediterranean Sea to receive the nerve agents from the Syrian port of Latakia, run the nerve agents through Blades’ process, and then deliver the waste to cooperating countries. Warrick employs a reporter’s eye to describe the political difficulties, delays, and roadblocks on the ground as the UN Mission tried to secure the nerve agents and even after the mission was a success one wonders how it was achieved. For Blades and others, it came down to ingenuity, sheer guts, and a great deal of luck.

The entire process became a race to keep the nerve agents out of Islamist hands. This became an even greater problem when on July 14, 2014, the day the ship sailed into the Mediterranean, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced from Mosul the creation of the Islamic Caliphate that stretched from Raqqa its capital in Central Syria deep into Iraq. ISIS would miss out on Assad’s nerve agents, but began a developing a process of their own, particularly when Assad set the example by dropping barrel bombs loaded with chlorine gas which is less toxic than sarin on his subjects.

Graeme Wood is dead on when he writes in the February 19, 2021 edition of the Washington Post: “Overwhelmingly, Warrick’s emphasis is where it should be, on Assad, for whom chemical weapons were a highly developed and strategic program of terror. “Syrians died every day from bullets, blast wounds, and shrapnel injuries,” Warrick writes, “but to exterminate human beings with chemicals, as though they were fleas and cockroaches” — this was “a different order of savagery.” Lacking any legitimate military purpose, Assad’s chemical weapons existed to terrorize civilian populations by killing as indiscriminately as possible. Eliminating his arsenal was therefore a top international priority.”
It is clear today that the Syrian Civil War continues to torture millions of Syrians in Syria and in refugee camps in the Middle East and Turkey. While the US concentrated on ISIS for the next two years its policies would allow Russia and Hezbollah, Syria’s Iranian ally to route many of the rebels and keep Assad in power. According to Warrick Assad would engage in over 300 chemical attacks over the next four years. It does not take a serious imagination to believe that Assad, who turned over tons of nerve agents to the UN kept a secret stash somewhere. Once the Trump administration came aboard and abruptly ended aid to the rebels and abandoned our Kurdish allies to be destroyed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğanit it was obvious that Putin had won and Iran’s goal of a “land bridge” across the Levant was in reach – Assad had won.

Warrick is to be commended for his research, clear and thoughtful writing, and describing for all to see what the truth is concerning Assad’s nerve gas war on his own people. Perhaps someday he and his enablers will be held accountable by the world community – but I doubt it.

[Jean Bonilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly gripping and yet profoundly depressing. Definitely worth five stars. Warrick’s message is a tough one - anyone can make and use chemical weapons. He quotes Edward Teller on the flyleaf saying, “The more decisive a weapon is, the more surely it will be used.” True of the atom bomb; true of chemical weapons. The world is protected by the difficulty of producing quality chemical agents in bulk and by their instability. But as with nuclear agents, science is advancing and options become more available. That’s why I have a gas mask in my desk at work.

The recent stories Warrick told were horrifying. The attacks were so quiet; the single helicopter flys over dropping a small package, and then a soft plop and smoke comes out, bringing death with it. He kept racking up the numbers, too. But he also built the tension in other ways, as he talked about each of the players - the Syrian scientist who, in the 1990s, passes information on his work making sarin and other chemical weapons as a sort of ‘brag’ about his own talents and who eventually is betrayed by his own greed; the young Syrian Doctor who was turned into an activist by the death of friends; a young student who witnessed violence and was radicalized by it; the American who conceived of and built the “Margarita Machine.” And each individual is brought to life in a snapshot incident that had me on the edge of my seat - literally!

His description of the first team going in there to do the technical research was quite interesting. Åke Sellström, the Swedish scientist who led that mission was so professional, so truly organized. It was thanks to the evidence he brought out that years later the bombings of the Syrian civilians were brought home to the Assad regime. Warrick really captured the length of time that it took to negotiate the access with the Syrians, to push through attacks on the road, and to secure their evidence once they had it. My favorite moment was in the early meetings with the Syrians, there was one brigadier general, Hassan Al-Sharif, who spoke virtually no English. He had a tremendous mustache and bushy eyebrows that he apparently used to communicate a wealth of information. He was described as “a man of few words, but much eyebrow!”

Two parts of real interest to me were the actual destruction of the weapons and the creation of the council to assign blame. Thanks to the spy scientist, we knew the quantities of poison we had to process. The lumbering, ancient “ro-ro,” for “roll on-roll off,” called “Cape Ray” was selected in the end as the site for the destruction. No country would allow the UN to bring the deadly nerve agents onto its territory to do the work on land. The U.S. government had already invented the so-called Margarita Machine and it was carefully installed on the boat, which then was steered into a gale in the North Atlantic as a test of its stability at sea. Equally complex were the negotiations with countries to allow a swap from the ships that picked up the nerve agents in Syria to the Cape Ray. Finally Italy agreed to give them the use of a port at the absolute tip of Italy’s boot. It was closed down tight for the duration. Before the nerve agents could even make it to the boat, there are painful negotiations and obfuscations with the Syrians. There are hair raising dashes through the countryside to make it safely to the port. More seriously, there are battles against the Islamic rebels who threaten to seize the agents and start their own version of chemical warfare. Later in the book these threats become more significant and the rebels start using their own home-made chemical weapons.

When Åke Sellström first went to Syria one of his commitments was that he would not assign blame. That commitment applied to all subsequent investigative teams sent by the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and ended in causing huge frustration on the part of many Western nations who felt Assad was escaping justice for murdering and harming his own people. Even after he gave up the materials in 2013, he started using lower-tech weapons like chlorine bombs. Under the Obama Administration, and in collaboration with the Russians, a UN entity, the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM), finally was created to assign responsibility for these attacks. The “fingerprints” of the Syrian sarin provided in the ‘brags’ of the long-ago spy and the samples provided by Sellström and the Cape Ray crew were enough to categorically prove that Assad was guilty. Unfortunately, Russia vetoed the publication of the paper and refused to allow the JIM to continue its work. To his credit, Trump later saw the threat and sent highly targeted, incendiary bombs to completely wipe out the Syrian chemical weapons-making capabilities.

Warrick did his homework. He had researched events from the Iran-Iraq war related to Saddam’s use of nerve agents then. (I remember that happening.) Then he traced the way that different players in the region chose to use - or not use - these weapons. Interesting that Iran specifically said in the 2000s that using them wasn’t part of their military strategy because it would guarantee a big intervention by the West.

What Warrick ends with is the point that nations no longer pose the biggest threat. Individuals do. Terrifying that, in the final vignettes Warrick draws on, it was careful intel gathering, combined with downright luck that prevented two potentially catastrophic terrorist attacks in Australia by young men who unenthusiastically accepted the demands for action by their more radical Syria-based brother. Who naively texted photos and rah-rah messages back to Syria. And who thus ultimately triggered police interest in themselves.

But this world seems to work a lot like that. It’s one in which I’ve spent a good portion of my life. Interesting to read about people I knew and events that had touched my own life. Truly scary to think how easily it could all go wrong.

Note: I see a piece in the Washington Post from April 12, 2021, two days ago. Byline is the author, Joby Warrick. He’s reporting that the OPCW now has been formally accused Syria of using poison gas against opposition forces in 2018, in an attack that occurred a day after militants shot down a Russian warplane in the same area. After lengthy investigations, the group filed the charges. They may decide to refer Syria to the UN Security Council.

[Christian Corwel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great dive into a lesser known story about the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons. Very well researched and thoughtfully written. It was very moving hearing these stories which I felt like were not evident in the media while the efforts were underway. The author does a great job using a mix of direct Syrian sources and American sources to flesh out different viewpoints.

[Cedric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book about the complex situation in Syria. Although it can be difficult to read sometimes, it provides enough information to follow the cumbersome bureaucracy linked to the aspect of chemical weapons.

[John R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent analysis of Syria tragedy, free of political bias. Investigative reporting at its finest - truly a magnificent book.

[Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a review, just a thought. One fascinating aspect of Warrick’s account is the role women play in strategizing and de-escalating this quagmire. From Sigrid Kaag to Samantha Power (and many others), women played crucial roles in removing the chemical weapons stockpile and keeping the pressure on the Syrian government. I just happened to be reading this book during a time when the U.S. government was being criticized by its own leaders for being soft and for “feminizing” its military recruitment. Comparisons were drawn to other countries that use more “masculine” marketing to show strength. I’m not sure what the ultimate goal of war is, but when it comes to proving might, saving lives, defending the vulnerable, and administering justice, I put my money on women. Read this book and you’ll see why.

[Ubah Khasimuddin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, heavily researched, a searing tale and look behind the scenes of trying to disarm Syria from its deadly chemical weapons, I highly recommend for anyone interested in this subject or the current Syrian civil war.
Warrick takes us to the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, we get a brief history on why the United States didn't intervene but did do covert operations. Quickly we move to Assad's first use of chemical weapons on his citizens and the so-called "Red Line" that President Obama had mentioned in passing but which got taken as canon. When it came to pass, President Obama was ready to bomb Assad and some critical Syrian weapons caches but what started as a gung-ho spirit quickly got killed by the Defense Department, fellow U.S. Allies (Europe wanted to try diplomacy) and most importantly Congress. Instead what happened is behind the scenes, America worked with Russia to try to disarm Syria.
Warrick's book focuses mostly on that - the disarming process and the tedium of trying to get the Assad regime to comply at the same time United Nations teams are trying to prove that the Assad regime was using chemical weapons on its people. That is the part of the book that I found fascinating - how the scientists had to find an airtight connection otherwise Russia, China and Syria would argue it was lies.
The book is not for the faint of heart, it is tragic how these weapons are used on innocent people, all in the name of keeping power. And the saddest part, as we know, despite the international communities best efforts, Syria still has chemical weapons.
This book is eye opening, for me in particular, I had always been disappointed by the Obama administration's response after the chemical weapons usage but now I know he was between a rock and a hard place. I still wish there had been a better alternative than to let Assad literally get away with murder, but this book shows how hard finding that alternative really is.
Highly recommend for those interested in this subject.

[Ralph Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Betrayal, Courage and Failure in response to Assad’s Use of Chemical Weapons

An eye opening account of the betrayal of the Syrian people by all of the major players in the Middle East, the courage of many individuals to bring the atrocities to light and finally the failure of the UN, the United States and the West to stand up to Assad, Russia and Iran.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, since reading Black Flags, Joby Warrick's books are Must-Reads. I try to stay in touch with what is happening in the world (International Relations major), but I've been wanting to know more about what has been happening in Syria over the last decade. It's such a tragedy. I'm so sad for all the Syrians that have had their lives uprooted and have had to endure such atrocities over the last nine and a half years. I'm grateful for Mr. Warrick's reporting on this. Also, amazed by all of the brave people out there, dedicating their lives to try and make the world safer.

[LNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good review of part of the Syrian Civil War and ISIS. Warrick breaks down the chemical weapon usage pulling from lots of sources, interviews, the UN, and American politicians and he also informs about the collecting of chemical weapons.

[Gerald M. Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that is almost impossible to put down. From beginning to end it is a gripping history of the use and control of war gasses in the Syrian area over a number of years, including the actions of U.S. Presidents from Bush II through Trump.

Included is information of the development of war gasses, their results, and disposal, all in a readable form.

I can't recommend it more highly.

[Ernst · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the end of the Trump administration, Russia was holding trilateral talks with Turkey and Iran to decide what to do about Syria. None of the Western countries had done enough with consistency to be worth talking to about this subject. None were invited to the talks, and none seriously protested. Underlying the entire book is a history from Obama’s Red Line comment to the resignations of James Mattis and Brett McGurk explaining how the United States got to that point.
Most of the book is the story of a few heroes who managed to accomplish one important triumph in Syria during that time – the destruction of at least nine tenths of Assad’s supply of the most lethal chemical weapons. After that Assad switched, with a couple of exceptions, to the use of the less deadly chlorine gas in his chemical attacks. The book letw us spend most of our time thinking about people in dangerous situations taking desperate chances and ultimately saving a lot of lives. But the melancholy of the overall situation shines through – when the crew of the ship which accomplished the longest and most harrowing of all the missions finally got home, they were immediately furloughed because Congress could not pass a budget that paid them. An exciting read about a tough topic.

[Kati · Rating 3 out of 5]

The bulk of the book didn't grab me as much as the intro did, and it seemed like the narrative didn't come together quite as well as the author would have liked, but it was a solid read with good information.

[Cihan Kızılcık · Rating 1 out of 5]

A good and readable story but ultimately lacks the depth and analysis. Could be the basis for a 3 hour Holywood movie but lacks the discussion of why things happened the way they did

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joby Warrick's latest geopolitical work is an accomplishment in nonfiction that often reads like a thriller. Reknowned for his investigative writing (and twice awarded the Pulizter Prize), Warrick exhumes a subject that has apparently disappeared from the forefront of Western politics: the Syrian government's employment of chemical weapons on its own people. Most Americans recall President Obama's firm declaration in 2013 that Syria's use of chemical weapons crossed a "red line." So what happened? Why didn't the US go in and kick butt? The book focuses on events that occurred around 2013-2018 primarily through four different perspectives: the Syrian people, UN weapons inspectors, US diplomats/politicians, and the US military-led coalition to locate, remove, and destroy the lethal agents. Warrick effectively weaves the different perspectives and events together to form a fast-paced narrative explaining how this catastrophe occurred as well as the heroic efforts from so many individuals and organizations to help the victims and bring the Assad's Syrian regime to justice. My key takeaways were the horrifying consequences of a chemical attack, the flippant attitude of the Assad government and its complete disregard for international norms, Russia's shameless support for Assad and denial that the toxins employed came from the Syrian government, and frustration over the impotence of the UN to effectively punish those responsible (which is unfortunately nothing new). Overall a great read! If you liked Joby Warrick's award-winning Black Flags or Bob Woodward's works, you'll definitely like this.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

​Author Joby Warrick is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author, and an expert on the Middle East, terrorism, and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). His earlier book, "Black Flags", was an excellent examination of ISIS and the rise of militant Islam. Having enjoyed that earlier book, I was eager to read this most recent book, Red Line: The Unraveling of Syria and America's Race to Destroy the Most Dangerous Arsenal in the World, and I was not disappointed.

​Warrick describes the CIA's insights into Syria's chemical weapons program and uses, as well as US and UN efforts to provide the evidence of Assad's stockpiles, then to identify manufacturing and storage sites, and ultimately to remove Syrian stores of Sarin, VX, and mustard gases. As the author makes clear, removing these toxic weapons proved to be an extremely difficult task, especially during a civil war and the rise of ISIS. One couldn't simply go in and destroy the gasses without risking the uncontrolled release of the toxins, but couldn't leave them behind lest they fall into the hands of the terrorists. The development of a means to neutralize the gasses, handle, process, and remove them was a massive problem, as was finding an ultimate disposal site for the materials. Warrick did an excellent job or researching the problems and demonstrating the scope and scale of the problems and solutions.

[Nicola C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reads like a Tom Clancy techno thriller except it's not fiction but fact & it's incredibly scary & sobering & now I understand why with the war in Ukraine that there had been serious concern to possible use of chemical warfare in the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian forces,if every time you make a loud bang and nothing happens then each bang can be louder till something does happen this is like what using chemical weapons is like no one does anything till it's so loud you have to do something but what exactly do you do Red Line exposes the fragility and difficulty of government & policy makers and the complex world of dealing with a regime & conflict to rid the world of a regimes chemical weapon arsenal.
Well done to Joby Warrick for shedding the light into this world and for Syria exposing this crime against humanity and I hope justice will be done to those that took part in these war crimes.
A must read for anyone interested in this subject of politics policy and current affairs & history.

[Dennis Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Red Line: The Unraveling of Syria and America's Race to Destroy the Most Dangerous Arsenal in the World by Joby Warrick is a depressing image of the impotence of American power when confronted with a human rights tragedy in a country where there is little political capital or will to spare. The framing for the novel is about the use of chemical weapons, but it is framed by the mass uprisings of the Arab Spring, the brutality of Assad's regime, and the rise of ISIS. The way the US and Russia dictate the course of events from the sidelines is frustrating to read about, especially as the reader knows how everything will end. There was the vaguest whiff of something potentially being done with Trump's presidency, with at least one person saying they would name their son Donald if he intervened, but nothing came of it. This book is depressing, but also a thoroughly good read. Joby is good with this type of subject matter.

[Budd Margolis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always wondered what was behind the decisions by President Obama concerning Syria's use of WMD poison gas attacks. This book lays out the case that Obama was restrained and accomplished a great deal more by his actions, saving countless thousands of lives, than any predecessor or successor.

The detail concerning the many aspects of removing and destroying Assads toxins is truly amazing and one can now appreciate the role of many who worked so diligently, against such odds, to succeed.

Not all, but most was destroyed and the destructive antics of Russia and Iran, their fanatical support of the despot Assad, as well ISIS are all revealed for what evil they are. Trump's policies are also revealed and shown to be ill-conceived, disastrous, inconsequential and flamboyant without much credible impact. Boltons actions are also revealed and we can only imagine the harm and danger he would have taken the region and many innocents to.

[Tijs Broekhuis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joby Warrick kan wel schrijven, zoals ook blijkt uit zijn gewonnen Pulitzer prijs voor Black Flags. Warrick neemt je in dit boek mee in één van de grootste geopolitieke thrillers van de jaren 10. Alsof het een film is, maar dan echt. Twee dingen zijn me bijgebleven na het lezen van dit boek. Ten eerste is de ontmanteling van Syrië’s arsenaal chemische wapens een ongekend complexe operatie geweest, waar een buitengewoon ingenieuze en vernuftige oplossing voor is gevonden. Ten tweede toont dit boek wat de geopolitieke machten kunnen bereiken wanneer deze hun verschillen opzij zetten, en hun overeenkomstige belangen laten gelden. In die laatste zin biedt dit boek een (enigszins) hoopvol bericht in de vaak grimmige wereld van de internationale betrekkingen.

[Zach Schab · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5

While the books get a bit bogged down at times when covering information about the US “Cape Ray” ship that would eventually transport and destroy many of Syria’s chemical weapons, Joby Warrick does an excellent job at presenting information in a way that is easily visualized.

Overall, Red Line is a fascinating and succinct source of information about Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons in Syria, the response by the United Nations, the USA, and Russia, as well a very brief bit of information about Syria’s various rebel factions, especially the rebel group that would eventually become known in the West as ISIS and how they tried to adopt al-Assad’s strategy of using chemical weapons.

[AJ De Vido]

This book is helpful to understand the decade long war in Syria. Chemical weapons were manufactured in Syria and stockpiled in huge numbers. One victim was taken across the border to Turkey and that enabled European researcher to perform autopsy and eventually led to UN documentation of chemical weapons war crimes. Some of the chemical weapons labs and depots were finally destroyed in 2018 in a Coalition airstrike. There was no UN condemnation resolution of the Chemical weapons use by Syria. The death toll in Syria has been estimated as 500k over the last decade, which is 136 people per day without any end in sight. Chemical and Biological warfare is illegal in the Geneva Convention.

[Bryn D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and well written book about the Syrian chemical weapons program and the challenges of securing it as the country imploded in civil war. The author discusses the in-depth logistical, diplomatic and military complications involved as well as the successes and failures of the UN and our last two administrations in trying to keep the most dangerous weapons out of the hands of not only al-Qaeda affiliates and offshoots like ISIS but the regime of Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian enablers. Good read. Pretty sad but ultimately an eye opening glimpse behind the scenes and through the eyes of UN diplomats and White House national security policy makers.

[Andrew Walls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joby Warrick is one of the best writers on Middle East conflict and affairs.
From msm, you will learn nothing.
From guys like Warrick and Lawrence Wright, you will learn much.

Like so many events in history, it takes time and reflection with a multiplicity of views and voices to “get it right”. That’s what Warrick and others like him add to the historical narrative. Perspective. Well researched, unbiased (that I can see), measured perspective.

Excellent addition to his oeuvre and would recommend as an perfect companion to his Black Flags - The Rise of ISIS.

[Emylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched and well written book on a distressing topic. It amazes me how many hands were on deck to handle this issue. The Red line comment always bothered me and now that I know more I spread the blame widely rather than square on Obamas shoulders (even though ultimately the buck stops with him) it’s shameful that the Russians keep stopping any measures to stop Assad. And Assad is using fake news and other bullshit to deflect. For the Syrian people, I hope there is an end in sight.

[Matthias Noch · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the book doesn’t reveal any new facts about this topic, it adds to the debate by bringing together all the little pieces of information around the UN and US reactions toward the use of chemical agents by the Syrian government and later ISIS in one place. It is very well written and even manages to help the reader over some longer, dryer episodes when the findings were discussed and handled in the UN. Of course, it gives the view mainly of the West/UN, but the facts published by the different UN missions are pretty consistent.

[Hael K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book kind of glorified the U.S and the UN work in Syria while they actually and utterly failed the Syrian people and the world to that matter.
It also did the mistake of focusing so much on ISIS and the multiple attempts they made to make and orchestrate a chemical attack. The focus should have stayed on the main reason this book is about, Assad and his regime.
However, it was a good collection of events and thoroughly researched. The previous book by the same author, Black Flags, remains among my favorite.

[Serge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be made into a movie. Highly thriling account of the heroic actions that prevented mass casualties during Syrian Civil War by neutralizing chemical weapon compounds including binary sarin and VX. The Obama administration gets to little credit for the work of JIM and the many scientists, military leaders , and diplomats who contributed to this herculean effort. Most impressed by the outrigging of the Cape Ray and its near critical systems failure at sea. Blades was nothng short of a miracle worker and the Margarita Machines proved their mettle

[Laura B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wanted to read this following the fall of the Syrian regime and it did not disappoint. The author weaves the events of the civil war, the US and UN members attempts in evaluating possible cases of chemical attacks on Syrian civilians, and the constant disappointment of Russian vetos that prevented the ability to hold Assad accountable. I wonder now if he’ll forever be protected by the Russians or if one day, karma will have a way of coming back for him. For the sake of the Syrian people who have long- suffered under him and his father, I hope the latter is the case.