Washington, D.C.
August 29
President Tayler had read the full report over breakfast. Although it was forwarded to the White House by the Secretary of Defense, the report was authored by Lieutenant Ellen Lacey of the Strategic Global Intervention Team. Taylor knew of the remarkable results the SGIT team consistently achieved on issues of deep national security.
Lacey had written that the motivation behind Guan-Yin Lim’s elaborate plan was pure and simple—revenge. She and her family had suffered horrendous crimes and brutality at the hands of the occupying Japanese Imperial Army when she was a child. Those scars never fully healed - instead, they festered as time passed. The fact that Japanese military officers were never held fully accountable for their war crimes, added to Japan’s refusal to completely acknowledge its criminal actions during their conquest of Asia, further fed her rage.
So when Guan-Yin’s life took a rare twist and she married into the royal family of Brunei, she began plotting. In her mind, the objective was nothing short of financial ruin for Japan. With China surging economically and militarily, the timing was right. But the U.S. military was the sole obstacle in the way of achieving success. If the United States could be driven out of the Western Pacific, China would be free to dominate the region as it had for centuries before.
The door to the Oval Office opened and Paul Bryan entered. “Have a seat, Paul.” He planted himself on a Chippendale sofa and Taylor sat opposite in a leather club chair. “What do you think of the report on the China affair?”
“As usual, Colonel Pierson’s team at SGIT completed a very professional operation. If the Sultan had not been in the Middle East on an extended trade mission, perhaps the situation would not have spiraled out of control.”
“Perhaps, but his youngest son did initiate and oversee the operation, and manage to keep it secret from the Sultan for some time—probably months if not years.”
Paul Bryan raised his eyebrows. “As the Head of State, the Sultan is very busy. An alliance between the Director of Security and the Sultan’s mother would be formidable. It will take time to fully investigate the extent of the collusion and determine if all the traitors have been arrested.”
“Yes… There are a few things bothering me, and I wanted to get your opinion before we meet with Ambassador Gao.”
“Of course, sir.”
“Lieutenant Lacey wrote in the report that it is likely this Lim person—”
“Guan-Yin Lim. She’s the mother of the Sultan.”
“Right. So Mrs. Lim probably did not believe that sinking a few, or even several, of our warships would force our retreat from the Western Pacific. Instead, her strategy was to trigger a war between the United States and China. Lacey goes on to theorize that the U.S. would quickly fail to aggressively prosecute a war in Asia because of the expense, the difficult logistics, but mostly due to a lack of public support.”
“That’s correct. I am inclined to agree with her reasoning.”
“Even after some of our naval vessels had been sunk? Please explain.”
“I’m hardly in a position to comment on the details of military logistics as they relate to a possible Asian campaign. However, several polls point to the growing reality that the voting public is weary of conflict. We’ve been at a near-constant state of warfare in Afghanistan and the Middle East since 2001. The expense has been enormous, not only in dollars but also in lost American lives.”
“We had to respond forcefully following 9/11. No one can fault the U.S. for retaliating against the Taliban.”
“Of course. But then we invaded Iraq, and we destabilized Libya and Syria, making a general mess out of the Middle East. Not to mention a humanitarian crisis of Biblical proportions.”
Taylor stood and walked around the Resolute desk, gazing out the window with his arms folded across his chest. “I’m afraid I have to agree with you, Paul. So, we’re going to make a major shift in our foreign policy. Beginning today, with our meeting with Ambassador Gao.”
With trepidation, Paul said, “Yes, sir. What do you have in mind?” Having a substantial change to foreign policy sprung on him without warning was not how he preferred to conduct business. He wanted to help formulate policy, not simply be a tool for its implementation.
“I keep going back to our conversation about how the United States turned over control of the Panama Canal and yet still maintains enough presence—through negotiated treaties—to preserve our national security. I want to achieve the same goal with China. I want this administration to treat China as an equal.”
Paul Bryan shifted in his seat and raised his eyebrows. “Well, that will take some work.”
President Taylor turned to face the Secretary of State. “Yes, it will. I fully realize that. And I also know you are the best man for the job. We’ll begin today, with the Chinese Ambassador. And I want to invite President Chen to a summit at Camp David, to work through the details of a treaty that ensures freedom of navigation through those contested waters.”
“President Chen will sense weakness on your part. He will demand nothing short of recognition by the United States that China has sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and the Senkaku Islands. Japan and Taiwan in particular will be very displeased with our pivot. Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines as well, but that should be manageable. How do you propose we explain this shift to our allies?”
“We all know that this dispute is mostly about projecting an image of strength. Those outcroppings of coral and sand are mostly uninhabited, and other than fishing rights, what intrinsic value do they really hold?”
“Point taken, but what about the possible mineral wealth—oil and gas—in the waters surrounding those islands?”
Taylor shrugged. “So? Do we really care? The U.S. is the leading global producer of oil now, and we have enough natural gas to last for dozens of decades. Besides, we have no claim under any legal theory to whatever riches may be under those waters—if any. At the present, this is all hypothetical. It could turn out that the expense of recovering oil and gas from offshore wells there is prohibitive.”
“What you are proposing is a huge pivot in U.S. policy. President Chen will be suspicious that we are hiding an alternate agenda. The messaging will be very tricky.”
Taylor smiled. “An understatement. We will present our new policy honestly and openly. And we’re not softening our stance on fair trade. Yes, at first Jinghui Chen and his advisers will doubt our sincerity. I have no illusions that this negotiation will be easy, but for the benefit of humankind, we’ve got to do our best. This path we’ve been following…” The President shook his head.
“We didn’t seek a path of war,” Bryan said.
“No, we didn’t. But I’m convinced we could have adopted policies following the fall of the Iron Curtain that would have made it less likely we end up there.”
“I’m not sure I understand. Are you suggesting that the long-term foreign policies of the U.S. have been a net destabilizing factor in geopolitics?”
“It’s a theory I’ve been formulating since before I was voted into office. Now, more than ever, I am convinced we need to act more like a good neighbor than like an overbearing parent. Our foreign policy should be recognized for tolerance, for embracing other political perspectives and religions. For truly supporting freedom of choice, even if that choice is disagreeable to our thinking.
“I mean, why is it that we feel compelled to insist that our way of life is the model everyone should follow? Why do we assert our right to militarize remote outposts and then vociferously object and stomp our feet when other countries do the same? When did it become our charter to not only influence who is the leader of sovereign nations but, in many cases, to use force to effect the change we want?”
“Mr. President, you know my position on these issues, and you know that I fully support you. But I must urge caution. Rapid changes, radical changes, in our foreign policy may have unexpected, and unwanted, consequences.”
“Maybe. But change is needed. As long as I am the leader of the free world, we are going to work hard to start making these changes. Quite simply, we must. We’ve been on a course of self-destruction for decades. Thank God, we’ve been able to pull back from the brink of annihilation more than once. But our luck won’t hold out indefinitely.”
The Secretary of State stood. “I knew this job wouldn’t be easy.” He took a deep breath and locked eyes with the President. “I will do everything within my power to affect this change, beginning with Ambassador Gao.”
Paul Bryan was at the door when President Taylor addressed him. “Paul, this will take time and an enormous amount of hard work. Critics will doubt us. Don’t lose faith. This is our destiny.”