Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the important pages of American history as well as of the history of the world. It was the time that the world was put at the brink of nuclear war that surely would wipe out millions of lives on Earth and would render the many areas inhabitable or useless. It was a series of historical event known as the; Caribbean Crisis in Russia and October Crisis or Missile Scare in Cuba and was an intense confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States in October of 1962 that lasted for 13 days.
In the Cuban Missile Crisis, the two superpowers of the world, the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics which were regarded as the two leaders of the two camps of countries in the world that almost started the Third World War in their confrontation off the Cuban coast. It was a direct and dangerous confrontation between the United States and Soviet Union during the era called Cold War and was the moment when the superpowers came closest to firing nuclear warheads at each other. The crisis was unique in a number of ways, featuring calculations and miscalculations as well as direct and secret communications and miscommunications between the two sides.[1] For some Americans like Noam Chomsky, the event was when the country played Russian roulette with nuclear war taking for granted the repercussions of their actions and possible Soviet reactions. Clearly, on the part of some Soviets like Fomin, which a KGB agent, did not want to escalate the confrontation and bring mutually, assured destruction to each thus offering a win-win solution by mutually getting rid of nuclear warheads at their rival’s door step. The Soviets took their nuclear missiles in Cuba and the Americans took their nuclear missiles to Turkey.
To look at the Cuban Missile Crisis, it is necessary to look at the Cold War which is the bigger picture of the event. The Cold War is synonymous with the bipolar global politics that characterizes the years after the Second World War until the fall of the Berlin Wall event in 1989.
Cold War refers to the post war world era where the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics emerged as the two mightiest countries competing against each other as representatives of two different worldviews, economy and government. The former represents the capitalist economy and liberal worldview, while the latter represents the socialist or planned economy and Marxist worldview. The United States economy follows that of the teaching of Adam Smith that there should be Laissez Faire, which means the government, should not regulate the economy and let the invisible hand of the market do the balancing duty in the society. This belief is not acceptable to the Marxist countries like the Soviet Union. Marxist criticizes capitalism is oppressive to the toiling and working classes of the society, where in the bourgeoisie or the higher class will only perpetuate themselves in power and prosperity at the expense of the poor; thus the government should regulate the economy hence called command economy. America became the so called leader of the capitalists’ camp while USSR was for the socialist block. Relations between these two nations had never been friendly, but they had been wartime allies against Germany.[2] Their philosophies are innately opposites, which greatly manifested right after the World War when the international stage made them the global leaders. Their relationship was termed Cold War since their bitter relationship was not marked with direct confrontations. Instead, it was expressed through proxy wars and arms race as deterrence to each other’s aggression.
The first phase of the Cold War was fought in Europe. The division of Europe that resulted from the defeat of Germany 9the Soviet Red Army having advanced from the east and the USA, which the UK and their allies having pushed forward from the west quickly became permanent: in Winston Churchill’s words, an ‘iron curtain’ descended between East and West. This process was completed in 1949 with the creation of the ‘two Germanies’ and the establishment of rival military alliances, consisting of NATO and, in 1955, the Warsaw Pact. Thereafter, the Cold War became global. The Korean War (1950-1953) marked the spread of the Cold War to Asia following the Chinese Revolution of 1949. During the 1960s and 1970s, international crises throughout the world from the Middle East to Latin America and from Africa to Indo-China, were incorporated into the struggle between the USSR and the USA, which represented the broader clash between communism and capitalism.[3]
In 1989 the fall of the Berlin Wall marked the collapse of the socialist world concluding in the collapse of the Soviet Union. Same year President Reagan announced a new world order. The Berlin Wall was both the physical division between West Berlin and East Germany from 1961 to 1989 and the symbolic boundary between democracy and Communism during the Cold War.[4]
Many see that the conclusion of the Cold War saw the triumph of the United States. In fact, Francis Fukuyama, a US social analyst and political commentator, concluded the end of history of ideas when the Soviet Union collapsed. He concussed that the history of ideas had ended with the recognition of liberal democracy as the ‘final form of human government.’ Nevertheless, the conclusion of the Cold War saw the uncontested power of the United States reinforcing its self declared title, the policeman of the world.
However, following the concept of the ‘world police,’ the United States has been very active in interfering with governments and domestic affairs abroad in the last century all in the name of democracy. For many American patriots, the rhetoric would always fall on the duty of the United States to bring democracy. This American democracy is what the Soviets and the socialist world abhorred because for them it means more profits for the capitalist and more miseries for the small countries while at the back of the mind of many Americans they are doing humankind a favor. This concept of America being the policeman of the world is basically maintaining American hegemony. To maintain hegemony, before the people of third world countries take the burden the American people carry the burden first. More than the thousands of American servicemen in flag-draped coffins returning home every time the country went to war as part of its so-called duty to bring democracy to every corner of the world, maintaining the American war machine itself is a greater burden for every American. Almost all of the national revenue of the country goes to military spending at the expense of other important social services like health.
The Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the important pages of American history as well as of the history of the world. It was the time that the world was put at the brink of nuclear war that surely would wipe out millions of lives on Earth and would render the many areas inhabitable or useless. It was a series of historical event known as the; Caribbean Crisis in Russia and October Crisis or Missile Scare in Cuba and was an intense confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States in October of 1962 that lasted for 13 days.
In the Cuban Missile Crisis, the two superpowers of the world, the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics which were regarded as the two leaders of the two camps of countries in the world that almost started the Third World War in their confrontation off the Cuban coast. It was a direct and dangerous confrontation between the United States and Soviet Union during the era called Cold War and was the moment when the superpowers came closest to firing nuclear warheads at each other. The crisis was unique in a number of ways, featuring calculations and miscalculations as well as direct and secret communications and miscommunications between the two sides.[1] For some Americans like Noam Chomsky, the event was when the country played Russian roulette with nuclear war taking for granted the repercussions of their actions and possible Soviet reactions. Clearly, on the part of some Soviets like Fomin, which a KGB agent, did not want to escalate the confrontation and bring mutually, assured destruction to each thus offering a win-win solution by mutually getting rid of nuclear warheads at their rival’s door step. The Soviets took their nuclear missiles in Cuba and the Americans took their nuclear missiles to Turkey.
To look at the Cuban Missile Crisis, it is necessary to look at the Cold War which is the bigger picture of the event. The Cold War is synonymous with the bipolar global politics that characterizes the years after the Second World War until the fall of the Berlin Wall event in 1989.
Cold War refers to the post war world era where the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics emerged as the two mightiest countries competing against each other as representatives of two different worldviews, economy and government. The former represents the capitalist economy and liberal worldview, while the latter represents the socialist or planned economy and Marxist worldview. The United States economy follows that of the teaching of Adam Smith that there should be Laissez Faire, which means the government, should not regulate the economy and let the invisible hand of the market do the balancing duty in the society. This belief is not acceptable to the Marxist countries like the Soviet Union. Marxist criticizes capitalism is oppressive to the toiling and working classes of the society, where in the bourgeoisie or the higher class will only perpetuate themselves in power and prosperity at the expense of the poor; thus the government should regulate the economy hence called command economy. America became the so called leader of the capitalists’ camp while USSR was for the socialist block. Relations between these two nations had never been friendly, but they had been wartime allies against Germany.[2] Their philosophies are innately opposites, which greatly manifested right after the World War when the international stage made them the global leaders. Their relationship was termed Cold War since their bitter relationship was not marked with direct confrontations. Instead, it was expressed through proxy wars and arms race as deterrence to each other’s aggression.
The first phase of the Cold War was fought in Europe. The division of Europe that resulted from the defeat of Germany 9the Soviet Red Army having advanced from the east and the USA, which the UK and their allies having pushed forward from the west quickly became permanent: in Winston Churchill’s words, an ‘iron curtain’ descended between East and West. This process was completed in 1949 with the creation of the ‘two Germanies’ and the establishment of rival military alliances, consisting of NATO and, in 1955, the Warsaw Pact. Thereafter, the Cold War became global. The Korean War (1950-1953) marked the spread of the Cold War to Asia following the Chinese Revolution of 1949. During the 1960s and 1970s, international crises throughout the world from the Middle East to Latin America and from Africa to Indo-China, were incorporated into the struggle between the USSR and the USA, which represented the broader clash between communism and capitalism.[3]
In 1989 the fall of the Berlin Wall marked the collapse of the socialist world concluding in the collapse of the Soviet Union. Same year President Reagan announced a new world order. The Berlin Wall was both the physical division between West Berlin and East Germany from 1961 to 1989 and the symbolic boundary between democracy and Communism during the Cold War.[4]
Many see that the conclusion of the Cold War saw the triumph of the United States. In fact, Francis Fukuyama, a US social analyst and political commentator, concluded the end of history of ideas when the Soviet Union collapsed. He concussed that the history of ideas had ended with the recognition of liberal democracy as the ‘final form of human government.’ Nevertheless, the conclusion of the Cold War saw the uncontested power of the United States reinforcing its self declared title, the policeman of the world.
However, following the concept of the ‘world police,’ the United States has been very active in interfering with governments and domestic affairs abroad in the last century all in the name of democracy. For many American patriots, the rhetoric would always fall on the duty of the United States to bring democracy. This American democracy is what the Soviets and the socialist world abhorred because for them it means more profits for the capitalist and more miseries for the small countries while at the back of the mind of many Americans they are doing humankind a favor. This concept of America being the policeman of the world is basically maintaining American hegemony. To maintain hegemony, before the people of third world countries take the burden the American people carry the burden first. More than the thousands of American servicemen in flag-draped coffins returning home every time the country went to war as part of its so-called duty to bring democracy to every corner of the world, maintaining the American war machine itself is a greater burden for every American. Almost all of the national revenue of the country goes to military spending at the expense of other important social services like health.
Endnotes
1. Office of the Historian, "The Cuban Missile Crisis," United States Office of the Historian, https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/cuban-missile-crisis, (accessed April 3, 2014).
2. Perry, Marvin, A History of the World, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989.
3. Heywood, Andrew, Politics, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 1997.
4. Rosenberg, Jennifer, "The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall," http://history1900s.about.com/od/coldwa1/a/berlinwall_2.htm, (accessed April 3, 2014).
5. The LIFE Picture Collection, US aerial reconnaisance pic of buildup o, Photograph, 1962, Gettyimages.com, http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/aerial-reconnaisance-pic-of-buildup-of-russian-supplied-news-photo/50584332, (accessed April 15, 2014).
6. The LIFE Picture Collection, End Of The Crisis, Photograph, 1962, Gettyimages.com, http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/american-destroyer-uss-vesole-escorts-the-russian-freighter-news-photo/103109228, (accessed April 15, 2014).