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Kennedy's Fixation with Cuba by Thomas G. Paterson
Thomas G. Paterson's essay, "Kennedy's Fixation with Cuba," is an essay primarily based on the controversy and times of President Kennedy's foreign relations with Cuba. Throughout President Kennedy's short term, he devoted the majority of his time to the foreign relations between Cuba and the Soviet Union. After the struggle of WW II, John F. Kennedy tried to keep a tight strong hold over Cuba as to not let Cuba turn to the Communist Soviet Union. Kennedy seen Cuba and the Soviet Union as a major threat to the United States. As Castro fell farther and farther into the Communist party, he inched his way closer and closer to becoming a close ally with the Soviet's, As Kennedy seen this happen before his eyes, he was astonished. Kennedy, a newly formed president, did not want to seem like the kind to just sit back and roll with the punches, he wanted immediate action taken for these measures. "As someone said, Cuba was one of the four-letter words of the 1960s" (268). Cuba was not viewed as a very potential power before Fidel Castro took office. It was viewed more as a neutral country that we sent aide and military supplies to in exchange for sugar and other products. When Castro took office, things drastically changed. He started taking back land that we had set aside for military bases, he wanted the American forces no more than what they had in Washington, and he openly defied orders from America. Unknown to Kennedy Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union, was also watching everything that played out between Cuba and the United States. President Kennedy, later realizing, would make a few decisions for the worst. These decisions would haunt him for the re...
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...ity of the blame went onto Kennedy's record as not being the one that had planned it out and not giving the go ahead for the second air raid. It was later proven that no matter what the outcome of the second air raid would have been, it would not have mattered. The CIA also released a document taking the full responsibility and blame for the incident at the Bay of Pigs. The Cuban Missile Crisis not only worried the U.S. but also worried the rest of the world as to how it would turn out. The Soviet's backed Cuba as an ally and fed them missiles and the supplies to build the missile silos in Cuba. The Soviet's said they did this as a counter measure incase we did in fact invade Cuba. Between these two major conflicts of the time, it can be said that the two countries were not battling over Cuba in itself, but more or less battling over the belief of Communism.
Casablanca was directed in an era almost entirely dedicated to propaganda, as far as the film industry is concerned. The movie promoted America and the Allies similar to most films of the time, but it did so in a much different manner. The story told in Casablanca follows the main character, Rick, through his personal affairs and love tango with another lead character, Ilsa Lund. The film begins with Rick alone running his saloon based in Casablanca, in which he seems very indifferent to other people’s affairs, and comes off as very exclusive. He is delivered letters of transit by a man named Ugarte, which are nearly priceless to any refugee desiring to flee to the United States or another unoccupied country. Rick continues to act disinterested, reluctantly agreeing to hide the documents. He holds onto them even after Ugarte is killed for having stolen the letters, although there did not seem to be an...
In January of 1959 , Communist dicator Fidel Castro took over Cuba. The United States in 1961 tried to overthrow Fidel by arming rebels and attempting to support them. This was the failure known as the Bay of Pigs. In October of 1962 , The US finds evidence that medium range nuclear sites had been installed in Cuba. They annonce that on the twenty-third that a quatntine was being Cuba and that any ship carrying offensive weapons to Cuba wasn’t allowed. Five days later , the crisis was averted when the Soviets began to remove the
The main reason for the Bay of Pigs attack on Cuba was the change to communism. The January 1, 1959 , the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista fled the country for the safety of the Dominican Republic ( Goode, Stephen 75). Fidel Castro and his guerrilla warriors overthrew the former government dictated by Batista. Over the next couple of weeks , Castro established a new government and on February 16 was officially declared premier ( Finkelstein , Norman H. 127). The United States accepted this new ...
The U.S.’s relationship with Cuba has been arduous and stained with mutual suspicion and obstinateness, and the repeated U.S. interventions. The Platt agreement and Castro’s rise to power, served to introduce the years of difficulty to come, while, the embargo the U.S. placed on Cuba, enforced the harsh feelings. The two major events that caused the most problems were the Bays of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis.
The account is told from Robert F. Kennedy's point of view. Kennedy was a key player in the decisions made during the thirteen days of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy believed that the United States should try and resolve The Cuban Missile Crisis peacefully and that the United States needed to try and avoid resolving to violent measures. Kennedy took over for his brother, the President on many occasions. He led important meetings and tried to negotiate an understanding with the other cabinet members who were involved. At first he believed that a blockade around Cuba would be the right maneuver and his proposal was supported by the majority of the other members. Soon he realized though that the Russians were not planning on negotiating or dealing with this matter in any peaceful manner. Though apposed to it Kennedy moved for an air strike. He was very uncomfortable with the idea and he showed this with his remark to the president of "I now know how Tojo felt when he was planning Pearl Harbor.
Kennedy took full public responsibility for the Bay of Pigs disaster though secretly he blamed the CIA. Kennedy fired three of the CIA?s top men whom were responsible for the operation: Director Allen Dulles, who was later a member of the Warren Commission (Lifton 176), General Cabell, and Richard Bissel. (Morrissey) After the CIA lost time, effort, and people in the attempt to secure Cuba, the CIA became hostile and wanted to get rid of Kennedy to prevent him from losing more ground, especially in Vietnam.Adding to the fire were Kennedy?s secret commitments to pulling out of Vietnam and his threat to?Smash the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter them in the wind? (Belzer 79)
The scene that I will be analyzing takes place towards the end of the movie in which all the racial tensions that were boiling over erupted like a volcano and spewed out. This particular scene is about five minutes in length and is composed of about 25 shots. It takes place at the end of the day after Sal’s Famous Pizzeria has closed. We see that the pizzeria is closed and Sal is having a conversation with his sons Vito and Pino about him wanting to change the name of his store to Sal and Son’s Pizzeria. He also tells Mookie, “You are like a son to me.” The suddenly we here banging on the door, it’s the neighborhood kids wanting to get a slice of pizza. Although the pizzeria is closed, Sal tells a reluctant Mookie...
A key and enduring topic of debate regarding Cuba’s global role in Cold War international politics centers on Cuba’s relationship with the Soviet Union: to what extent were Cuban actions independently determined, and to what extent were they dictated by her Soviet patrons? Simply posed, was Cuba little more than a satellite mercenary of the Soviet Union, or was Cuba an independent actor pursuing autonomous foreign policy goals in the Cold War world?
Spike Lee is brand name when it comes to the film industry. When you try to ask any group of people their opinion about this man, you will probably receive numerous positive responses from the film community as well as the African American community. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989) is a film that illustrates how racial conflict can become a reality while showing the repercussions that come with racial segregation. Spike Lee uses a number of tools to write and produce the film in order to ensure the message reaches his intended audience in the best way possible. The use of location, soundtrack, and dialogue is abundant in this film. Therefore, this film analysis paper is for Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (1989). It is a film in which racial segregation ignites riots in a neighborhood dominated by the black population. The heightened scene of this film analysis is where Spike Lee throws a trash can and it is from this that hell breaks loose and riots begin.
This is shown in one scene as Strasser and his men sing Die Wacht am Rhine in the café. Rick gives permission for Victor to sing La Marseillaise which shows a changing attitude from his previous disinterest in the situation at hand. This is again shown in a later scene in the film where Rick fixes a round of roulette to help a young Bulgarian couple obtain visas from Renault in a way which would not corrupt their marriage. Adopting the roles of shapeshifter and ‘false enemy’, Renault closes the café at the order of Strasser. Rick’s ‘Road of Trials’ began with the fall of France and Isla’s abandonment. However, in obtaining the visas and a married Isla returning into his life, Rick’s moral compass is tested, and his ‘Road of Trials’ continue within the film. Rick’s allies and enemies (real and false) meet. The allies, Victor and Isla, go to ‘false enemy’ and shapeshifter Renault’s office where they encounter the ‘real enemy’ Strasser. Strasser states that the venture of escaping Casablanca is impossible for Victor and he will not allow him to do so alive. Afterwards, Victor and Isla learn of Rick’s possession of the letters which prompts Victor to request them from him. Being confronted with his past ‘Road of Trials’ and his ‘Inmost Cave’, Rick recluses and refuses to sell the letters up saying, “ask your wife” when questioned as to why not. Rick is then forced to come to terms with his inner pain and himself as Isla holds him at gunpoint, making him to listen to her explanations. As conversation with Isla continues, Rick’s acceptance of the truth is brought forwards and a new intimacy with Isla is created through this ‘Meeting with The Goddess’. By allowing himself to approach his ‘Inmost Cave’ and deal with his inner demons, Rick begins the true turning point of his journey as the hero in the special world, his ‘Ultimate Boon’. Using his experience from the journey thus far,
The first point that made John F. Kennedy responsible for handling the Cuban Missile Crisis, well, was his way of managing the public. In every crisis, a leader must always keep in mind of the reactions of the people because if it is ill dealt with, disastrous and chaotic consequences could ensue. Thus, even though nuclear warfare was prevented; credit should also be given to how the public of the United States did not end up in turmoil. To access how the public did not end up in chaos, one has to look into the genesis of when the majority of the American citizens received the news of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the first place. This leaves with only one source, which was the public address from President John F. Kennedy on October 22, 1962.1
During the 20th century, racism was a prevalent issue throughout the country. It often caused social tensions between people of different races living in the same community, resulting in violence and disruptions. In the film Do the Right Thing, the director, Spike Lee, portrayed racism accurately by addressing the discrimination against black people. Throughout the film, characters were transformed, stereotypes were broken, and the audience knew more information than the characters in the movie. Lee’s theme was to show people that blacks should “fight the power,” or superiority, caused by racial supremacy of white people by establishing a balance of power, fighting the stereotypes, and uniting together against the white people.
The failed invasion of Bay of Pigs had extensive repercussions. It advanced Castro’s political stature in Cuba and also allowed him to establish a more prominent relationship with the Soviet Union. Even though U.S. - Cuban relations were strained since the Spanish-American there was a small possibility that Castro would have been opened to working with the United States considering that Castro did not declare his allegiance to Marxist-Leninism till 1961. The Bay of Pigs invasion served as a catalyst for more bold Cuban-Soviet relations. The more bold Cuban-Soviet relations were seen in the Cuban Missile crisis in 1963.
Regardless of that, he continued to make films that spoke of the true nature of the lives of African Americans and the struggles the face .One of his most successful films Do The Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989), the film that solidified his place as the leading African American director, explores racism in a neighbourhood in New York. ‘Spike Lee had done an almost impossible thing. He 'd made a movie about race in America that empathized with all the participants,’ (Ebert, 2001 cited in Leopold, 2009). Lee heavily exaggerates stereotypes of all the races shown within his film as a way to show the audience just how ridiculous stereotyping is. Although, another theme throughout the film is the representation of all the races relations with each other rather than the stereotypes given to
The story is set in French Morocco in December 1941, in which war refugees are seeking a way out of the Third Reich to the American safe haven. The protagonist in the movie, Tick Blaine, operates a café and boasts of not taking any sides stating that “I stick my neck out for nobody”. However, his apparent ignorance and nonchalance changes after a Nazi resistance leader Victor Laszlo and Rick’s old flame Ilsa Lund. Not only does rick start recognizing the war that is happening within and around his café but also he is prompted to make an immense sacrifice for the good of all.