Lethal Trajectories - Michael Conley [99]
“Well said, Cheng, I couldn’t agree with you more,” Clayton said. “We really do need both of our countries plus our respective allies to build up the critical mass necessary to overcome the Saudi crisis; I see no other way out. May I ask what you think a collaborative effort might look like?”
“Certainly, Clayton,” Lin said with a smile, seeming to warm to the luxury of a first-name relationship. “We have two major issues that have to be addressed on the way to a partnership. We must first decide how we can best organize our strategic alliance to bring down the Mustafa regime. We would have to pit our collective abilities to live without Saudi oil against their ability to continue without the oil revenues we send them. Second, we would have to sell the deal to our people and convince them of the merits of collaboration. We have been on the opposite ends of a so-called cold war for so long that it will not be easy to explain why we should work together. I’m thinking now of my own Politburo, and I suspect Congress will be an issue for you, Clayton.”
Clayton nodded, happy to have someone who understood the exact nature of the challenges he faced.
At about 12:45, Clayton checked his watch and observed that the rain had let up. With the four participants more hungry for solutions than food, he proposed a course of action that everyone agreed was a good one.
“Let’s break into two groups for the next hour,” he suggested. “Cheng and I will go for a walk, and Peng and Jack will put their heads together to synthesize everything we’ve discussed. Then, after an hour, let’s have a working lunch and go over what we have.”
Cheng and Clayton headed down a Camp David pathway, umbrellas in hand, to discuss the mutual challenges they faced and to trade family stories and anecdotes about world leaders—just about any topic but the Saudi crisis. It was not a manufactured conversation or relationship; each enjoyed the other’s company and the mutual respect and trust building between them.
Peng and Jack concentrated strictly on the Saudi situation and synthesizing over three hours’ worth of intense discussion into a handful of digestible bullet points that would become the blueprint for a new era in international relationships.
They finished their assignment just as the two world leaders came in from their walk. After they had all helped themselves to the inviting spread of cold cuts, vegetables, and a tureen of spicy noodle soup displayed on the table, Clayton asked Peng and Jack to present the summary they had put together.
“Glad to, Clayton,” Jack responded, “but we ask that you and Lin Cheng hold your comments until we’ve covered the five points we’ve prepared.”
Cheng and Clayton agreed, and Peng handed out copies of the summary before starting at the top.
“First, the Saudi oil crisis over access to and affordability of oil is a global problem requiring the collaborative efforts of the United States and China, and their allies (herein called Allied Forces), acting in concert against the Saudis.
“Second, the Allied Forces will agree on a strategic oil protocol, with no side deals, that treats oil as a pooled global asset subject to rationing. Rationing will be based on previous usage and incorporate reductions correspondent with the global availability of oil.
“Third, the new strategic alliance will require