Lethal Trajectories - Michael Conley [206]
Chapter 26:
Ambassador’s residence in Riyadh: The official U.S. ambassador’s residence in Riyadh is the Quincy House, located in the Diplomatic Quarter. The Quincy House was named after the historic meeting between President Franklin D. Roosevelt and King Abdul-Aziz aboard the U.S.S. Quincy on February 14, 1945. Roosevelt made the trip after the Yalta Conference; the visit helped open the door to Saudi Arabia. In addition to the embassy in Riyadh, the U.S. ambassador has offices in Jeddah and Dhahran.
Mossad: The Mossad—the Hebrew word for institute or institution—is known in full as the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations. Formed in 1949 under another name, it gained operational traction under Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion in 1951. Ben-Gurion saw it as Israel’s first line of defense: it was built to do whatever it had to do to protect Israel, functioning and fighting in asymmetric ways. Its operational effectiveness and reputation for ruthlessness is well earned. Engaged in underground operations, paramilitary activities, technology and resource acquisition—including nuclear advancement—and working against nuclear proliferation by those not friendly to Israel, its covert methodologies, determination, and effectiveness are legendary.
The motto of Mossad, taken from Proverbs 11:14, is roughly translated as, “For lack of guidance a nation falls; but many advisors make victory sure.” Imbued with an almost fanatical passion to see the state of Israel survive, the Mossad has taught many adversaries the hard lesson that it is not an organization to be trifled with.
Chapter 27
Royal palace in Riyadh: While the official residence of a head of state may often be the same location at which they conduct their official duties, as with the White House, several official sites are listed for King Abdullah. In a rare televised address on March 18, 2011, King Abdullah addressed the nation from his “official office” at the royal palace in Riyadh, though it is unclear whether it is also his official residence. Leaders like Saddam Hussein were known, in fact, to change residences often for security purposes. For purposes of this book, the official office and residence of the Saudi king in 2017 is assumed to be the royal palace.
Chapter 29:
Détente and treaties of convenience: Détente involves easing strained geopolitical relations between adversaries. It is often a surprising development, as it means breaking down barriers and opening doors with former adversaries. The Cold War thaw between the Soviet Union and United States in the 1970s was a classic example of détente. There are many examples in the twentieth century of traditional adversaries getting together in an alliance of convenience for a cause greater than the barriers that kept them apart. In 1939, for example, Stalin and Hitler signed a nonaggression pact that stunned the world and sharpened knives for carving up Eastern Europe. Later, Great Britain and the United States formed a “grand alliance” with the Soviet Union to defeat Nazi Germany. President Nixon broke the Cold War ice with the People’s Republic of China in his 1972 visit with Mao Zedong, inaugurating a longstanding economic relationship with China. Given the above examples, it is not inconceivable that two adversaries would unite in a common alliance if their geopolitical survival was threatened by an outside force, as China and the United States are in this book.
Chapter 31:
Israeli war cabinet: During the Yom