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International Relations & Diplomacy vocabulary · Negotiation & Summit Language

Red line

Meaning in international relations & diplomacy, with examples

nounCommon term

In international relations & diplomacy, red line means: A limit that a government says must not be crossed, often with a warning that crossing it will lead to a serious response.

In Turkish: kırmızı çizgi

How it is used

Governments 'draw', 'set' or 'announce' red lines, and others may 'cross' them. In negotiations it also means a position that a delegation will never give up. Turkish 'kırmızı çizgi' is used in exactly the same way.

Example sentences

  1. Access to the port is a red line for our delegation.

  2. The minister warned that any change to the border would cross a red line.

  3. Analysts say too many red lines can make compromise impossible.

Common collocations

  • draw a red line
  • cross a red line
  • red lines in negotiations
  • set out red lines
  • concessionSomething that one side in a negotiation agrees to give up or accept in order to move closer to an agreement with the other side.
  • negotiationFormal discussion between parties who are trying to reach an agreement, in which each side presents its position, makes proposals and may accept compromises.
  • deterrenceThe strategy of preventing an attack by making a possible attacker believe that the costs, such as a strong response, would be greater than any gain.
  • compromiseAn agreement in which each side gives up part of what it wanted so that both can accept the result; the same word is a verb meaning to reach such an agreement.

More terms: Negotiation & Summit Language

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