The Cuban Missile Crisis: Realpolitik During The Cold War

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The Cuban Missile Crisis was the most dangerous passage of the Cold War. It was a tense thirteen day stand down between the United States and the Soviet Union. The world held its breath as these two hegemons teetered on the brink of nuclear war. The events of the crisis reflect the ideals and values of realpolitiks.
In order to fully understand the events of Cuban Missile Crisis, one must first appreciate the essence of Realpolitiks. Realpolitik, better known today as realism, is a diplomatic approach that is largely concerned with the acquisition of power. The term realpolitik was coined in the mid 19th century by Ludwig von Rochau, a German writer and politician. He described it as , ” The study of the forces that shape, maintain and …show more content…

Both the United States and the Soviet Union were the hegemonic powers of the world. The United States was being led by President John F. Kennedy while the Soviet Union was being led by Premier Nikita Khrushchev. During the crisis, each nation created respective allies. The United States had ties with Turkey and Italy while the Soviet Union became increasingly friendly with Cuba. This was a way of balancing power. These allies had a lot in common and were therefore able to link cohesively. First, The Soviet Union was interested in allying with Cuba because both nations resented the United States in some type of way. The next reason that the Soviet Union was eager to ally with Cuba was due to geopolitics. Considering Cuba is only ninety miles off the coast of Florida, it made for a perfect place to put nuclear missiles. Finally, the Soviets were quick to ally with Cuba because they both shared a common political identity, communism. This loyalty is obvious when Fidel Castro declared, “I am a Marxist-Leninist and I will be one until the last day of my life”. In no way was this bond a one way street. This alliance was mutually beneficial to both countries. Cuba was thrilled to be allying with the Soviets as it had plans to advance its own communist agenda. There’s no better nation to do this with than the Soviet Union, a communist hegemony. Similar to the Soviets, the Cubans also …show more content…

First, the United States used escalation when it imposed the “quarantine” and other various trade embargos. The U.S. also used a form of deterrence when President Kennedy declared that any missile fired from Cuba would warrant a full scale retaliatory attack towards the Soviet Union. This mutually assured destruction (MAD) mad the international arena extremely volatile. Deterrence is dangerous as there is always the risk of a nation’s second strike capabilities. However, Kennedy’s threats would be made in vain, as it was ultimately reciprocity that resolved the crisis. On October 28th, 1962, the Soviets agreed to immediately disarm and remove their nuclear missiles from Cuba so long as the United States agreed to remove its missiles from Turkey and Italy over a six month period. The United States also agreed to never again attempt to invade Cuba. All in all, the crisis was diffused due by a combination of statecraft

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