Magnotta- BLOG TWO
Kim Magnotta
Professor Shirk
March 1, 2022
The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Ukraine-Russia Dispute:
In a recent conversation with my parents, the topic of the Ukraine-Russia Conflict was mentioned, and my father aptly suggested that there are notable similarities between the current uncertainty and the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Just as the Cuban Missile Crisis represented the power struggle between the USSR and the United States, the present situation sees Russia be against much of the western world. In the Cuban Missile Crisis, the influence of allies played a significant role in the unrest that was incited between the United States and Russia. While the United States had placed missiles in Turkey, the USSR decided to form an alliance with the Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, where missiles could be stationed just a few miles away from the southernmost point of the United States. At the time, the United States and the Soviet Union were in the midst of the Cold War, and the threat of actual violence perhaps became most compelling during this altercation. Both the Soviet Union and the United States possessed nuclear weapons that could have easily annihilated a significant segment of the world’s population. While the United States and the Soviet Union were brought to the brink of war as a result of this disagreement, President Kennedy and Russian leader Nikita Khruschev were eventually able to come to an agreement, after two weeks of negotiations.
Just as the Soviet Union and the United States were dangerously close to engaging in direct combat, the Russia-Ukraine situation sees two countries quickly approaching a full-scale war. While one cannot know exactly what Vladimir Putin is thinking, it is safe to assert that Ukraine’s desire to join NATO is significantly influencing Russia’s decision to invade. While Ukraine, and other western forces, are attempting to diffuse the situation, Russian officials remain convinced that invading Ukraine is necessary. Now with the threat of nuclear weapons becoming a possibility, the world is currently on the brink of a full-scale war. Perhaps the only true way to diffuse the situation is to come to an agreement that requires both parties to make sacrifices. For instance, the Cuban Missile Crisis resulted in the United States removing its missiles from Turkey, in exchange for the missiles to be removed from Cuba. While the implications of doing so may be dangerous, perhaps Ukraine should vow to not join the NATO force, in exchange for Russia to acknowledge Ukraine’s borders and withdraw all military forces. While this is certainly not an ideal proposition in the eyes of the Ukrainian government and the supporting Western powers, perhaps the world has reached a point where making a less-than-favorable agreement with Russia would be better than starting World War III. Countries will have to make a decision about how imminent a threat Russia poses, and if the words of Putin will match with his military’s actions.
*I based this blog post on our class discussion of the Ukraine-Russia conflict. I also used the following sources for additional information:
https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/the-journal/why-nato-is-at-the-center-of-the-russia-ukraine-conflict/e02c8cbc-5357-40c2-a252-ba4d306b0ef1
I really enjoyed this post as it was super thoughtful and interesting. The Cuban missile crisis is one of the biggest what ifs in world history so it is really fascinating to see a similar situation in our lives currently. Your comparisons are spot on and your analogization between Turkey Ukraine and Cuba are really important ones that people overlook. While this may not be a necessarily nuclear threat this comparison is great nonetheless and I enjoyed the read.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog post! You were able to explain a complex topic really well as well as compare it to our current events. I also enjoyed how you brought your own insights into what Ukrainian leaders may have to do next, since a similar agreement was able to diffuse the situation during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Maybe next time if you discuss an opposing argument on what Ukrainian leaders should do, you would be able to critique with the argument that you presented here. Again, I think your argument is really strong, and I learned from your blog post!
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