The Warfare of Genghis Khan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“The Warfare of Genghis Khan”
The West Wing episode
Episode no.	Season 5 Episode 101
Guest stars	Armin Mueller-Stahl Gary Cole Jay Mohr Anna Deavere Smith Terry O'Quinn Steve Ryan Christina Chang Renee Estevez Thomas Kopache Ryan Cutrona Christopher Maher
Written by	Peter Noah
Directed by	Bill D'Elia
Production no.	176063
Original airdate
Season 5 episodes
7A WF 83429 The Dogs of War Jefferson Lives Han Constituency of One Disaster Relief Separation of Powers Shutdown Abu el Banat The Stormy Present The Benign Prerogative Slow News Day The Warfare of Genghis Khan An Khe Full Disclosure Eppur Si Muove The Supremes Access Talking Points No Exit Gaza Memorial Day
List of The West Wing episodes

"The Warfare of Genghis Khan" is episode 101 of The West Wing.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Plot

When the flash of a secret nuclear detonation is detected over the Indian Ocean, Bartlet calls upon his people to investigate which nation now has the atomic bomb — and since conventional thinking favors Iran, Bartlet orders bombers into the air to destroy that nation's most likely uranium-enriched targets. Meanwhile, Josh chides NASA personnel on the future of space exploration — until he is introduced to an attractive female administrator. C.J. fumes when a combative television talk-show host, Taylor Reid, denigrates her on the air, and Will discloses to Vice President Russell that Russell is considered a buffoon by the White House staff. However, it is Russell whose smarts come to keep the President from bombing the wrong country. In light of the international situation, Toby wonders why they don't utilize the U.N. in times like this.

[edit] Behind the scenes

The nuclear test plotline may be based on the 1979 Vela Incident, in which a flash was detected in the Indian Ocean that was suspected to be an Israeli or a South African nuclear test.