THE GREAT GAME. see history
SPYGATE WAS BRITS vs RUSSIA (start WW III)
Perhaps 9/11 Afghanistan reference, too. British involvement?
"The Great Game" was a political and diplomatic confrontation that existed for most of the 19th century between the British Empire and the Russian Empire over Afghanistan and neighbouring territories in Central and Southern Asia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Game
The Great Game — also known as Bolshaya Igra — was an intense rivalry between the British and Russian Empires in Central Asia, beginning in the nineteenth century and continuing through 1907 wherein Britain sought to influence or control much of Central Asia to buffer the "crown jewel" of its empire: British India.
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-was-the-great-game-195341
And, for you WoT and GoT fans: Great Game in WoT = Great Game (Daes Dae'mar) aka Game of Houses analogous to Game of Thrones