The Deputy Secretary of State rubbed his temples: "The President's directive is to avoid direct conflict, but containment is necessary. What's the European stance?"
"France and Germany want to negotiate with Mexico to establish new rules, but they're not aligned internally. Eastern European countries are very worried, afraid of being the next target. We can leverage this to reinforce NATO's eastern flank, while... secretly supporting the hardliners in Europe against Mexico."
"What about resources?" a think tank advisor asked. "Where will the money come from? Congress won't approve massive new funding."
