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  But military conflict drains a country. It destroys a nation and changes its destiny. It opens the opportunity for instability, and wherever you have instability you have forces that jump into adventurism. We are achieving world dominion by a combination of economic might and political stealth and without a single loss of a Chinese life.” He chuckled. The others around the table laughed with him.

  The chairman, a smile on his face, waved his hand for quiet. Silence descended like a dropped curtain. “The Americans did it to the old Soviet Union, and ironically, they fail to recognize their own method turned against them. I ask you, when was the last time someone in America brought something that did not bear the imprint

  “Made in China’? Remember the EP-3 incident years ago when their reconnaissance aircraft collided with our fighter? When the families of the crew members circled their trees and houses with yellow ribbons, what did they discover when they reached the end of the roll? “Made in China’ was what they found.”

  Applause erupted as the withered Dao Chu Shai draped the bright red ribbon around General Xing’s neck. An oval gold medal with the profile of Mao Tse-Tung hung from the ribbon. Xing bowed with genuine modesty to the crowd, who smiled broadly at the chairman. The portly general bowed several more times in appreciation to hide his apprehension.

  When adulation focused on one in China, there were only two ways to go.

  As the applause dampened, Dao waved everyone to be seated. He waited for the noise of scraping chairs and rustling clothes to stop before he asked, “And now, General, have we pulled our lackeys, the dog-eating Koreans, back into their hole? Have we tightened their chains?” He curled his withered gargoyle like hands into shaking fists, the long four-inch fingernails on both thumbs clicking against the other nails like caged crickets.

  Dao deliberately turned his back to the general and began his unaided journey back to his seat at the other end. Hopefully, this would put a stop to rumors about his ill health.

  “I am honored, Mr. Chairman,” General Xing replied to the chairman’s back. “This morning I issued orders to the Koreans, thanking them for their cooperation and confirming delivery on our promise. I have personally passed my thanks to the Korean General Staff, and asked them to notify me immediately when they have commenced moving away from the border area. This will defuse the crisis with the southern puppets of the United States. Normality will return to the Korean Peninsula. Our brothers in the north will demobilize and send their reserves home.

  When this has happened, our trains and truckloads of food will cross the border and the loans promised to support their agriculture programs will be deposited in appropriate bank accounts in Hong Kong.”

  “General Xing, this, too, will be used to our advantage,” the chairman said as he continued his trip to his seat, his breathing noticeably heavier. “I have instructed our foreign ministry to immediately inform the American government when the Koreans begin demobilizing. We will deliver the news quietly, without much fanfare, but in such a venue that the Americans can hardly fail to recognize that it was our direct intervention that defused the Korean crisis. In the balance sheet of geopolitics they will owe us. The Americans will give credit to the People’s Republic. America will be honor bound to continue their most-favored-nation trade status with us.

  It is unfortunate that our success cannot be told to the world, but someday, when we assume our rightful role as the true world leader and only superpower, it will be.” He reached the end of the table. The two assistants helped the chairman to sit down. “Give us ten more years.”

  Everyone waited quietly while Chairman Dao Chu Shai refilled his glass and caught his breath. Several minutes passed before he raised his head. “Of course, the food and agriculture support offered to the North Koreans to pull back must not be borne solely by the People’s Republic. We will ask America to provide the financing to pay for such a humanitarian gesture and, I daresay, they will jump at the chance.

  It’s in their genes to be over helpful He laughed, and the others joined. “They are so naive.”

  When the laughter ceased, General Xing replied, “You have great insight, Mr. Chairman. I would also add that we must be thankful that when Hong Kong rightfully rejoined the rest of China, its treasure of Western computers and information technology remained in place. Without Western technology combined with Eastern wisdom and integrated into our military operations, we would have never achieved this pinnacle of success.”

  Everyone in the room nodded in agreement.

  “And we must thank the Americans for their freedom of sharing information. The Internet has provided so much help in our transformation and progress.”

  On the wide-screen television to the left of the chairman, the Algerian ambassador began his walk down the aisle of the United Nations.

  “Now to enjoy the fruits of your efforts, General,” Dao Chu Shai said.

  He patted his pocket several times. An assistant leaned forward and extracted a nitroglycerin tablet from a small pharmaceutical bottle. Chairman Dao weakly grabbed the tablet and placed it shakily beneath his tongue.

  * * *

  “My fellow members, the ambassador from the Islamic Republic of Algeria, Mr. Ahmid Tawali Mintab,” the presiding officer announced. To polite applause he stepped down and nodded to the balding, middle-aged man waiting nearby. The Spanish presiding officer shook the offered hand politely as he walked past.

  Ahmid stepped up to the stand, reached up, and bent the microphone lower. He cleared his throat, the sound echoing in the chambers to simultaneously silence the audience. He waited several seconds for various ambassadors to position their earphones. He wanted to ensure they received the near instantaneous translations of his remarks, which were to be given in modern standard Arabic — the language of the Koran.

  When the wave of motion, caused by the movements of the audience, eased, he began. “My fellow ambassadors to the United Nations. Today, I announce a most glorious moment in the history of the Arab people and the Islamic world — the formation of a new country, a new government, a new beginning. This new government that I represent intends to fight in promoting freedom from fear and hunger. It intends to give everyone the right and access to the resources needed to live a fruitful life under the benevolent protection of Islamic laws as prescribed by the Holy Prophet Mohammed in the most holy of books, the Koran.” He paused to take a sip of water from the glass in front of him. “I, Ahmid Tawali Mintab, have the honor to explain the events of the past days and reassure those who view with concern what is happening in North Africa.

  “To address the most important issue, I direct my comments to the great Western powers of the United States, England, France, Italy, and the other countries who worry over their citizens’ well-being in Algiers. Even as I speak, your citizens, who voluntarily sought refuge in the American Embassy in Algiers, will be offered free access to the harbor area—”

  * * *

  “Sought, hell,” Bob Gilfort said. “They were rounded up and shoved into the Algerian version of the Black Hole of Calcutta.”

  * * *

  “—where they can be picked up by your governments. We will provide the necessary security and protection to those who wish to avail themselves of this opportunity. For those who wish to stay, they may petition the new government. Friends of the Islamic Republic will be welcomed with opened arms. Enemies will be crushed.”

  * * *

  “Crushed! Tortured to death, more likely,” Roger Maddock added.

  * * *

  Ambassador Mintab paused to allow the murmur that buzzed through the crowd to fade.

  Satisfied, he continued. “The Arab countries of North Africa and the Middle East have been treated as Third World nations in the eyes of the West. And have been since the collapse of the corrupt Ottoman Empire.

  For many reasons our economic growth has been slow in comparison with the industrialized nations of the West. We have had little influence on Western culture and world events
. Even though the Islamic religion is larger than Christianity, it has always been misrepresented as a militant religion of intolerance with radical, inflexible ideas.”

  He looked up from his notes to find that he held the attention of his audience. Good.

  “The Jewish stranglehold on the financial capitals of the world coupled with their adept manipulation of political opinions and policies must be admired. The Arab world, with so much more economic clout, has never been able to match the astute wiliness of our Semitic brothers in controlling the West. The Jews have kept moderate Arab views from being objectively considered in every venue and in every forum.

  Never has the Arab world been permitted to have a moderate voice in politics on the world stage.

  “Today, the Arab world stands on the threshold of renewed greatness. A threshold to where the Jewish problem that threatens a free world can be met. A threshold where moderate perspectives can be expressed objectively and considered with thoughtful analysis before unilateral decisions are made that adversely affect over one quarter of the world’s population.”

  Ambassador Mintab’s spirit bubbled when he noticed the Israeli ambassador engaged in a hand-waving, dynamic conference with his assistants at the Israeli cubicle. He paused unintentionally.

  Realizing he was staring, he looked down momentarily to force his eyes away from the Israelis and to give himself a couple of seconds to regain his momentum. He shuffled the notes in front of him for a moment. This address was more important than enjoying their discomfort.

  Mintab looked up. “Because of the intransigence by the Israelis, there are more Arabs today as refugees than any other ethnic group in the history of mankind. We have Islamic babies and children living in squalor while their parents beg and dig through garbage to keep their families alive. The Arab and Islamic world have a refugee problem that is now generations old because no humanitarian country has stepped forward and said, “We’ll take them.” Even our own Arab countries have refused to step forward.

  “We are committed to changing that. The Arab world has been remiss in meeting its Islamic duty of charity by failing to give these refugees an opportunity for a full life. Just as we have failed to help them regain their homeland, so have we failed to resolve their misery. The children of Allah must have the opportunity to grow and mature in a stable environment. An environment where they may study the lessons of Mohammed and strive toward their righteous destiny.

  “The Arab and Islamic nations have a duty to continuously review their moral obligations as well as their laws and politics to ensure that as the world changes, their governments evolve accordingly. For that reason, we are forming an Islamic Republic to meet those moral obligations. This new Islamic Republic will be built on an architecture that guarantees individual freedoms within a framework of religious and traditional social precepts.

  “That is our responsibility, just as it is the responsibility of every true Moslem. Today, I have the honor of presenting to you, the nations of the world, a decision taken by Arab and Islamic leaders that will have far-reaching impact on Moslems everywhere. It will impact the world, as you will see,” Mintab emphasized. He paused, wanting the anticipation to grow.

  He was pleasantly surprised to discover that he had captivated the audience. He knew he was not a skillful speaker. Only a few quiet conversations continued in the audience, with the Israelis being the most noticeable.

  Another sip of water, a deep breath, and he continued. “I ask for the ambassador from Morocco, the ambassador from Tunisia, the ambassador from Libya, and the ambassador from Egypt to join me on the podium.”

  The low background murmur increased in intensity as those named turned the nameplates of their countries facedown and marched proudly to the podium.

  The phone on Alex Cannets’s desk blinked. He picked it up. What did the turning down of the nameplates mean? He racked his mind, trying to determine the reason.

  “Alex, what’s going on?” President Crawford asked.

  “I don’t know, sir, probably Arab posturing. We’ll have to wait and see.”

  “When they’re done, I want your opinion.”

  “Yes, sir,” he replied as the phone clicked off.

  When the four other representatives reached the podium, Ambassador Mintab shook hands with each. They stood side by side behind the lectern as the Algerian ambassador returned to the microphone.

  He tapped the microphone lightly. The noise in the gallery tapered off and stopped as he cleared his throat. Now the finale — the crowd-pleaser.

  “My fellow United Nations brothers and sisters. As of this time today, the countries of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt cease to exist as independent countries. As of today we are the Islamic Republic of North Africa and Barbary.” He paused to permit the import of his words to sink in.

  The noise level in the chambers rose to a crescendo before Mintab raised his hands for quiet. He felt his eyes watering. A minute later the hubbub subdued sufficiently.

  He cleared his throat and continued. “We have asked Sudan to join our republic, and expect it to accept within the next two weeks, and there is a strong probability that Somalia may follow.”

  At the Sudanese table the ambassador stood and shouted, “Never! Sudan is independent and will remain so.” But without the speakers to carry his voice, only the nearby representatives heard him. The Somalia cubicle was empty, as it had been for years.

  “For the near term,” Mintab replied. Sudan had little support from the West; therefore it had little choice in what its neighbors decided. “I will be turning over my role as the United Nations ambassador for our new nation in the next few days. Those behind me will serve as deputies to whomever we desinate as my relief. We will build a capital for our new nation near the ancient site of Carthage in what was Tunisia. As we consolidate our position to firm up a central government necessary to support this New World Order, we ask for your indulgence and patience. As the United States discovered over two centuries ago after its revolution, a new birth requires patience and wisdom. Many will find this incredulous, but we intend to model our new nation along the lines of the United States of America. I will address this later.”

  Isolated applause, mixed with shouts from Third World representatives, greeted his comments. He held his hands up. Several seconds passed before the cheering stopped.

  “Let me tell you some of the things we will do now. Effective immediately, the Islamic Republic of North Africa and Barbary will accept any Arab refugee as a citizen, wherever they may be or however they may come. The way to greatness is through Islam. Our country will accept all true followers of the Islamic religion. The Islamic Republic of North Africa and Barbary will be an Arab home where any Moslem or Arab can come and live as citizens in search of their own destiny. It will be a bright beacon of righteousness for the world.

  This new nation will assume its rightful place in the community of nations as the true representative of the Islamic faith and Arab world. We intend to work politically and faithfully to achieve that aim as we build an Islamic empire.”

  The four deputies behind Mintab applauded, bringing additional shouts and cheers from the majority of the Third World countries that made up the General Assembly. The roar drowned out Mintab’s words, forcing him to stop until it tapered off.

  “We will establish a government much like the United States, but with necessary modifications to reflect the Islam religion. The Lower House to be determined much like the Lower House of Congress in the United States. This should make the people of America happy.”

  A few chuckles, followed by applause, came from the gallery. Mintab nodded toward the American delegation, who sat expressionless with their arms folded.

  “Population will determine the number of representatives. The difference will be in the Upper House of our Congress. The Upper House will consist of Islamic holy men from throughout the Barbary nation.

  They will provide judgment on the government to ensure that the n
ew nation adheres to the true religion. In this Dar Al Hikma — House of Wisdom-these senior religious leaders will elect one hundred religious senators to interpret and approve the laws proposed by the Lower House.

  “We see a moral country growing from this small seed. A country where religion guides the day-to-day lives of its people as they enjoy the fruits of their freedom.”

  Mintab stopped, opened his mouth to say more, and then decided against it. The next step was up to Walid. If he accomplished his part, then the new country had a chance.

  He bowed to the audience. “My fellow ambassadors, that concludes my remarks. Thank you for the honor to address the General Assembly.”

  He stepped down from the lectern as a multitude of indecipherable conversations and discussions erupted on the floor of the chamber.

  A runner handed a note to Ambassador Mintab, who read it. He hurried back to the lectern. He tapped the microphone, and when some semblance of order returned, spoke. “My apologies, my fellow ambassadors. But I would like to take this quick moment to say thanks to the People’s Republic of China.” He held aloft the slip of paper. “Which has become the first country to formally recognize the Islamic Republic of North Africa and Barbary.”

  He stepped down once again. Mintab and his deputies hugged and kissed each other on the cheeks before he led them to the Libyan table. There, Mintab removed the sign with “Libya” on it, and from beneath the table, brought out a bright bronze plaque bearing the name of the new country engraved in Arabic, English, and French in deep, black script against a green enameled background.