read Henry Kissinger's 'Diplomacy' for a wonderful account of how the Europeans shagged each other, inc Britain dipping its oar in....through to the 1st WW, the epitome of late 20thC politics, the message being to keep a guarded position but when the moment strikes, then let the guns blaze. And this maybe just one such moment now.
It's brilliantly written - and when you think about the way he slurred his words, the man is a genius when it comes to his pen.