Present Day Cuban Missile Crisis

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Present Day Cuban Missile Crisis
On the morning of October 16, 1962, President John F. Kennedy received confirmation that Russia has placed missiles and atomic weapons on the island of Cuba. The ensuing 13 days would become an extremely intense and dangerous period for the American people. Fast forward 51 years and it would seem as though the American government is dealing with a very similar set of circumstances. The North Korean government has embarked on a very serious journey to develop and usenuclear weapons,with the primary target being South Korea and the United States bases within that country. Comparing these two events is difficult because the situation in Korea has not been resolved. However, by using the Cuban missile crisis as a blueprint, the United States government can avoid potential pitfalls and avoid entering in another armed conflict with the unpredictable North Korean government.
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Pre-Announcement
On October 16, 1962,some of the highest ranking officials within the government of the United States where sitting in a state of astonishment, as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) briefed the current situation in Cuba. The overwhelming understanding for the preceding several months was that the government of Russia would not turn Cuba into a strategic operating base, capable of employing ballistic missiles against the United States. However, there they sat looking at photos taken by a U-2 reconnaissance aircraft telling a completely different story. The president was now faced with the daunting task of interpreting the Soviets intentions and figuring out a way to get these missiles removed from Cuba without sparking the start of World War III. Additionally, with congressional elections ju...

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... nations into a war. The unpredictability of the young North Korean leader also brings a new dimension into this conflict. Kim Jong Un might very well follow through with his assertions to attack the U.S. in South Korea. All we can do is hope that President Obama is taking the threat serious and perhaps creating his own version of the Ex Comm. Thus, ensuring all options for a peaceful resolution are on the table and no decision is taken without careful consideration for the second and third order effects.

Works Cited

Kennedy, Robert F. (1969). Thirteen Days. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Kimball, D. (2013). Chronology of U.S.-North Korean and Missile Diplomacy. http://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/dprkchron

Kwon, K.J. (2013). North Korea video shows imagined attack on Washington. http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/19/world/asia/north-korea-us-relations/index.html

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