The “leverage” thing in terms of playing enemies against each other was something the Israelis worked on from the beginning.
I can see the short term benefits from the Kissinger perspective on China but long term with China for example a military conflict seems likely at some point.
In the interim business dealings and the ‘relationship’ with China have meant looking the other way at the tyranny in charge there.
The Iraq thing was the wrong thing, what dictated it was the need to look like something was being done after 9/11 keeping in mind multinational business relationships with the Saudis and Gulf Arabs prevented them from being dealt with more firmly. I think they went back to the old playbook to go after Saddam Hussein.
Pakistani intelligence created the Taliban that ruled Afghanistan and gave the Saudi Bin Laden a base. But Pakistan has nukes negating a military response to them.
Bin Laden was hiding right in the middle of Pakistan and when he was taken out the Pakistanis had a fit.
General Curtis Lemay was the Air Force Chief of Staff who retired in 1965 and became running mate of third party presidential candidate George Wallace.
It was said Lemay was leaving because he could not agree with the nonsensical bombing policy in Vietnam.
A biography of Lemay was published in the last decade or so
saying that for getting into politics in 1968 Lemay believes he was audited by the IRS during Richard Nixon’s first term.
Warren Kozak was the author of the book titled “Lemay: The Life and Wars of General Curtis Lemay”.
Balance of power geopolitical strategy predated the Israelis by several centuries at least. It was key to the British Empire—how a relatively small island nation could rule so much of the world.
The U.S. is the natural inheritor of this strategy. Our major strategic weakness as a world power is limited manpower.
Pakistan is a U.S. ally. It was part of the encirclement of the USSR and retains its strategic importance. I don’t think their nukes have anything to do with their U.S. relationship. More of a deterrent, in their minds and politics, against India.
Do you really believe the bin Laden story? I think it is fishy as Hell, including the alleged burial at sea. I think he was dead long before, probably not long after Battle of Tora Bora.