In the conduct of foreign policy, a President must never utter threats he can't-or won't-enforce, make promises he can't-or won't-keep, or renege on commitments to his allies. This classic political thriller by Pulitzer Prize-winning master Allen Drury is as insightful and relevant today as when it was first published. Secretary of State Raymond Cass Stanley struggles to help the U.S. President avoid a potentially disastrous head-on collision with Sidi bin Sidi bin Sidi, President for Life of All the Peoples of Lol m , a tiny Middle Eastern country. Sidi has recently acquired several nuclear weapons and threatens to deploy them against his even tinier neighbor, Lesser Lol m , and the President is determined to take him down. This clash among proud and defiant leaders, and the repercussions worldwide among US allies and enemies, forms a sophisticated and fascinating novel of present-day politics and international tensions. No author has ever portrayed American and world politics with more vivid reality and understanding than Allen Drury.