The Door to Annihilation: Who Dares to Open it?

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In October of 1962, the world came close to annihilation for thirteen days. It is caused by the Soviet Union’s clandestine action of putting nuclear missiles in Cuba, which the United States perceived as an offensive and dangerous move. The two countries know that they are capable of destroying the entire world with the nuclear weapons, so they plan each step slowly and carefully. If there is any mistakes in the process, the price is destruction of every human civilization. Policies like brinksmanship, nuclear arms race, and spies made the Cuban Missile Crisis unavoidable. After the Crisis is finally resolved, the United States and the Soviet Union each wrote about their experiences. The account of Sergei Khrushchev from the Soviet Union differs from that of John F. Kennedy from the United States, as they wrote their memoirs years after the event, they have different point of views, and it was written during the 1968 presidential campaign. In the memoirs, readers are able to understand some of the problems that could be changed, which could have made the Crisis more avoidable. If I become the president of the United States, I would make sure there is effective communications with other countries, so there can be no misunderstanding and everyone can be on the same page.
Brinksmanship made the Cuban Missile Crisis inevitable, as it forces both sides to create extremely dangerous situations in order to acquire the goal they want. Both President Kennedy and Chairman Khrushchev practiced this policy, hoping that no one will attack and that the world can stay safe. As an act of brinksmanship, the Soviet Union put strategic missiles, tactical missiles, and nuclear warheads in Cuba (Khrushchev par. 18). The United States is within the s...

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...voided. If I become the president of the United States, I will make sure there is efficient communication with other countries so that we understand others fully. Hopefully, the door to annihilation will always remain closed.

Works Cited

Khrushchev, Sergei. "How My Father And President Kennedy Saved The World." American
Heritage. American Heritage, Oct. 2002. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. americanheritage.com/content/how-my-father-and-president-kenedy-saved-world>. "Sputnik and the Space Race." Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and
Boyhood Home. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
.
Thirteen Days. Dir. Roger Donaldson. Prod. Kevin Costner, Peter O. Almond, and Armyan
Bernstein. Perf. Bruce Greenwood and Kevin Costner. Beacon Pictures, 2000. DVD.

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