Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 is widely regarded as the most dangerous moment of the Cold War, and one which, "brought the world to the brink of the unthinkable" (Blight & Welch, 315). Although the successful resolution of the crisis led to an immediate improvement in relationship between the superpowers, and focussed the world's attention on the issues surrounding nuclear capability and deterrence, it also led to the development of a new method of 'crisis management' known as brinkmanship. This diplomatic theory, which involves using the threat of war in order to coerce an opponent into backing down, would have less celebrated consequences for America in the decades that followed the Cuban crisis. On October 16th, two days after American surveillance planes had discovered Soviet medium-range missiles being installed in Cuba, the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (ExCom) met to plan a strategy that would resolve, what the American government regarded as, a direct threat to its security. President Kennedy favored some form of military action, and the chosen strategy was to initiate a blockade that would prevent any further missiles from reaching Cuba, accompanied by demands for the removal of all existing missiles. This was an astute decision by the President as, in addition...
An added benefit was that, if Khrushchev then continued with his course of actions, then he would be seen as responsible for the escalation of the crisis. President Kennedy had, in effect, issued the Soviet leader with an ultimatum which offered a 'last clear chance' to avoid the conflict spiraling into a confrontation which would end in a nuclear war
American President John F. Kennedy's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis played an important role in averting nuclear war between the Soviets and Americans. While critics (often rightly) accuse Kennedy of making mistakes, including creating the conditions for the crisis in his mismanagement of the Bay of Pigs, his overall performance during the crisis was helpful. Kennedy's choice to avoid a military attack on Cuba was especially important, as was
Cuban Missile Crisis: Why we need more balance of power in the world. Cuban Missile crisis in 1960s may raise a serious political question in retrospect i.e. should America be allowed to exist as the sole superpower and what could be the repercussions of such an existence? Now fifty years or so later, we are in a much better position to answer this question. United States or any other nation for
Soviet missiles were only powerful enough to be launched against Europe but U.S. missiles were capable of striking the entire Soviet Union. In late April 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev conceived the idea of placing intermediate-range missiles in Cuba. A deployment in Cuba would double the Soviet strategic arsenal and provide a real deterrent to a potential U.S. attack against the Soviet Union." (ThinkQuest Team, 1) This provides us
Cuban Missile Crisis In October 1962 the world came closest to a nuclear holocaust than it has ever done before or since in a critical standoff between the two major nuclear powers (the U.S. And the U.S.S.R.) over the deployment of missiles in Cuba by the Soviet Union. This paper discusses the causes and consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis and assesses President Kennedy's handling of the crisis. Causes After the Spanish-American War
In the tense days that followed, Khrushchev offered to withdraw the missiles in exchange for a U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba and to remove U.S. missiles deployed in Turkey. Kennedy privately assured the Soviets about withdrawal of missiles from Turkey but publicly gave only a non-invasion pledge. The crisis was averted when Khrushchev, also wary of the danger of a nuclear confrontation, announced on October 28 that he
Soviet Perspective of the Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban missile crisis -- that is also referred to as October crisis in Cuba as well as the Caribbean crisis within the Soviet Union -- was the clash between USSR/Cuba and the U.S. states for a total of 13 days. The crisis or what most people refer to as a crucial part of the Cold War at the time, primarily happened in October
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