Dissertation

The Cuban Missile Crisis from 16 October 1962 to 19 October 1962 is significant in the history
of the Cold War because represents the peaceful negotiation between the U.S. and The Soviet
Union for the goodwill of all humanity However, this situation was taken as an excuse for the
arms race because both countries wanted to look like the most powerful country in consequence
of the tension caused.
The Cuban Missile Crisis is significant in the history of the Cold War because represents an
important peaceful negotiation between the U.S. and The Soviet Union for the goodwill of all
humanity.
 When Russia starts to position the nuclear missiles, the USA made a standoff of 13 days
ensued as President Kennedy placed a naval blockade around Cuba and threatened to use
military force, in that time, these two sides had communicated via Backchannels to avoid
violent actions.

 On Wednesday the 24th, the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, informed Kennedy that his
country considered blockade aggression.

 President Nixon used the backchannels in 1962 to communicate with the URSS, this
represents that both parties wanted to have an agreement, and Nixon had constant
communication with the ambassador.

 It was a negotiation process, that allowed the capability of both sides to express their point of
view, which ends in the eventual agreement to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba in
exchange for the promise that the US never will invade Cuba and remove nuclear missiles
from Cuba.

 The peaceful resolution of the problem on 29 October 1962 showed to the world that
international support and the power of diplomacy to solve problems without making any
violent conflict.

 Bobby Kennedy was the main character in the diplomatic.

 The strategy was to discredit the URSS saying that is not a free world, and the USA with
capitalism is the good people.

 Even with dose strategies, there were a lot of conversations between the two countries.

 When the movements start between the USA and the URSS the international community was
at the expectation because a nuclear war represents a terrible danger to the environment and
puts at risk the safety of humanity.

 This conflict ended with the De-escalation of tensions between those countries by the signing
of the Limited Test Ban Treaty in 1963, a threat that prohibited nuclear testing in the
atmosphere, outer space, and underwater.
 There was international pressure in the way that they want to help the nations to prioritize
peaceful negotiations.

 Cuba represents a strategic point in favor of the URSS because of its near distance to the
USA and the malleability of its people, including its government.

 When the USA decides to stop buying sugar from Cuba, the economy of the island decreases,
this was a big opportunity for the URSS to manage a dictatorial government in that country.

 USA sees the new Cuban government as a disease in the communist war that leads that
country, increasing the danger when the URSS sends those missiles to the territory of Cuba.

However, this situation was taken as an excuse for the arms race because both countries wanted
to look like the most powerful country as a consequence of the tension caused.

 After the pact, USA and URSS try to get more competitive in all the aspects that represent
communism and capitalism.
 The conflict were based on the competition between both country to look more strong
militarily.

 Even whit the resolution of the problem in a pacific way, the tension increases to the top,
even making a big quantity of weapons to stock in case of emergency.

 The arms race put a strain on the resources of the countries, this was because they need
enough capacity in their field to produce food.

 On Monday, October 22, Kennedy delivered a televised message in which he informed the
American people of the existence of Soviet missiles in Cuba and of his decision to impose a
naval siege around the island. The next day, many US ships and warplanes were deployed in
the Caribbean Sea area.

 Those movements were based in produce fear in the enemies.

 Faced with the prospect of the start of open war, on Friday the 26th Khrushchev informed
Kennedy that he would withdraw his ships from the Caribbean if the US government gave up
on overthrowing the Castro regime. because the United States wanted to prevent the Cuban
government from being socialist and the union sought to support those ideals so that Cuba
would stay with the economic system that the country it dominated had.

 During the arms race, both states make a lot of developments like computers, lasers, the
internet, transistors, GPS, photocopiers, barcodes, microwaves, cell phones, video games,
etc.

 The gas, the bombs, the dirigibles, the tanks, and the submarines, those last-generation
devices, had fulfilled their mission. The tanks were the great protagonists on land.
 The arms race had implications that affect the future and waste a lot of resources that
contaminate the seas and environment.

 An American airplane was shot in the air space of Cuba, and fall into that territory, this was a
clear provocation but Bob Kennedy and Anatoly used their brain and diplomacy to wait until
they talked and had an agreement .

Reference:

Stover, W. J. (2007). Simulating the Cuban Missile Crisis: Crossing Time and Space in Virtual

Reality. International Studies Perspectives. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1528-

3585.2007.00272.x

Alphahistory. (2020). The Nixon-Khrushchev ‘Kitchen Debate’ (1959). The Cold

War. https://alphahistory.com/coldwar/nixon-khrushchev-kitchen-debate-1959/

Simmons, A. M. (2017, June 2). Back channels between rivals have a long history, though none

quite like the one Kushner purportedly sought - Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles

Times. https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-back-channel-diplomacy-20170530-

story.html

Enciclopedia de Historia. (2022). Crisis de los misiles. Enciclopedia De

Historia. https://enciclopediadehistoria.com/crisis-de-los-misiles/

Política Exterior. (2022, October 3). La crisis de los misiles en Cuba y la guerra fría | Política

Exterior. https://www.politicaexterior.com/articulo/la-guerra-fria-y-la-crisis-de-los-
misiles-en-cuba/