Cuban Missile Crisis - A War Diverted

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"Let us call a truce to terror. Let us invoke the blessings of peace. And as we build an international capacity to keep peace, let us join in dismantling the national capacity to wage war." – John F. Kennedy, United Nations Address of 1961

The Cuban Missile Crisis can presumably be regarded as the time of highest military tension between the Soviet Union and United States and is undoubtedly the closest the world has ever come to global, full-scale nuclear warfare. The crisis, which occurred in the middle of October, 1962, was a thirteen day standoff between the date of the 16th , when it became known to President John F. Kennedy that the USSR had placed nuclear missiles in nearby communist Cuba, and the night of the 28th when the Soviets agreed to remove their offensive missiles from the island. Fortunately for the inhabitants of the involved nations and surrounding areas and nations, the resolve between President Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev of the USSR dissolved and denied a near catastrophic outcome: nuclear warfare.
The United States has always been regarded as a nation fully capable of showing and utilizing powerful military tactics, but that does not mean that other nations, especially the Soviet Union, are not capable of the same displays of power. In 1962, the American military had the capability to deploy nuclear missiles that could reach the mainland of the USSR without trouble, however the Soviets could not say the same. They possessed and utilized the necessary technology to enrich nuclear material and construct nuclear missiles, but with the combination of their effective cruising range and location of launch in Europe, they would be unsuccessful in reaching the United States. Therefore, Soviet leader, Pre...

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...as reached. Most previously, the dispute within North Korea and their attempted display of nuclear power also could have resulted in terrible aftermath, but with a precedent such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, it was apparent to the national leaders that large military intervention was inappropriate and unnecessary. Previous disputes such as the Bay of Pigs or the American embargo on Cuba required some use of military force and these occurrences could have been escalated to unnecessary heights. The Cuban Missile Crisis just further proves the point that it doesn’t take power to be able to launch missiles or engage in warfare, but the true power comes from the responsibility and trust the citizens of the nation put in the leader in hopes that they will make the necessary decision for resolution, although they may not always be the most popular or attractive solutions.

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