Lethal Trajectories - Michael Conley [78]
“Yes he is, Jack, and I still remember the great discussions the three of us used to have over beer on our front porch. Those were the best days of my life,” Wang said. The thoughtful look in his eyes suggested he wished those days could happen again.
“Thanks, Peng. I think you know that Clayton and I feel the same way about you.” There was an awkward silence as Jack seemed to struggle with what he was about to say.
“Peng, I know and respect you too much to not be totally honest with you.” Wang, puzzled, waited patiently for his friend to find the words he needed.
“We are both in a unique situation, and there’s no precedent for it that I can recall. We’re each close to one of the two most powerful men on Earth, and we represent countries that have not always seen eye to eye. The Saudi situation, however it turns out, could easily widen the gap. Both the president and Clayton thought it was important to maintain a relationship with you that went above and beyond normal diplomatic channels. I guess that, under the rules of full disclosure, I wanted to be up-front with you about that.”
Laughing loudly, Wang said, “I’m relieved to hear you say that, because my boss had roughly the same thing in mind with respect to you. This was even before he knew about the president’s health and Clayton’s ascendency to presidency. I felt terribly uneasy about it, but it made good sense.”
With this unspoken barrier lifted, they started to reminisce about the old days. The doorbell rang, and Wang motioned Jack into the other room, knowing that it was the dinner cart.
Their steaks were great, and the bottle of wine they split made for more intimate conversation on a number of topics. They kept returning to the most recent climate-change data and the world energy crisis, and they adjourned to the easy chairs in the living area after dinner to continue their conversation.
“Jack, this whole Saudi Arabian thing could get ugly. We both know how precarious the global oil situation is, and if the new Saudi leaders take their oil production out of the equation for any length of time, this will become a very dangerous world.”
“I couldn’t agree more. This could bring our two countries closer to war than at any other time in history. The last great crisis the United States had with a major adversary was the Cuban missile blockade back in 1962. Cooler heads prevailed, but both nations were on the brink of nuclear Armageddon. Who knows, maybe everyone learned to coexist better after that crisis.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Wang replied emphatically, “We live in a zero-sum world, I think. Solutions crafted in black-and-white terms produce only winners and losers. In the final analysis, the winners put so much of their national treasury into winning that it becomes, at best, a Pyrrhic victory. Not to throw stones, but what did America really win in Iraq or Afghanistan? For that matter, what will either China or Japan gain from a war over Chunxiao? The truth is, both countries would be far better off sharing the Chunxiao gas, but national pride gets in the way.”
Jack nodded. “Do you see any way around it, Peng, or are we constrained by the chains of national pride and the heck with everything else?”
Wang rubbed his eyes as he thought about his question. It was such a relief to be able to share such things openly with a friend others might consider an adversary.
“I’ve often wondered,” he responded, “what would happen if world leaders sat down in a room like we are now doing, and conversationally approached problems with an eye to finding mutual solutions? Instead, we waste our time playing the game. Your president has to satisfy his Congress and party, and my chairman has a hardline Politburo and party to satisfy. Both sides work so hard to satisfy their own constituencies that they lose sight of the greater, common good that might come about if