So if I'm understanding this correctly, I can use this in the following way: I'm playing as Greece, and my two closest neighbors are Rome and Egypt. I'm middle of the pack, Rome and Egypt are is pretty far ahead. I feel threatened by one or the other. I declare war on Egypt, war a little with them, and then bring Rome into the fold. I then make peace with Egypt (once the appropriate number of turns have passed) and let Rome and Egypt duke it out and feel less threatened. Does that make sense to anyone? Is that how this mechanic could work?