Cuban Missile Crisis

In October 1962, the U.S. and Soviet Union brought the world to the brink of nuclear war during the thirteen days of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Today, we can look to the crisis as a prime example of the threat nuclear weapons pose to global security. Following is analysis and opinion from Ploughshares Fund staff, grantees and guests about the Cuban Missile Crisis.

  • The Lost Art of Compromise: Sustaining American Security in the 21st Century

    On the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Foreign Policy published two compelling, yet opposing, viewpoints by Leslie Gelb and Stephen Sestanovich concerning the lessons learned from those thirteen fateful days.

    December 3, 2012 - By admin

  • What the Cuban Missile Crisis Failed to Teach Us About Iran

    With the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis at hand, a re-examination of the thirteen days of confrontation between the United States and Soviet Union has led to new interpretations of “the most dangerous moment in human history.”

    November 27, 2012 - By admin

  • Cuban Missile Crisis: Where Could It Happen Today?

    Things have changed since 1962. Hippies have given way to hipsters, cellphones give you the news faster than the local news team can, only two Beatles are left, and the Soviet Union doesn’t even exist anymore. The Cold War atmosphere has evaporated and the risk of all-out nuclear war has dramatically decreased. However, a similar type of nuclear crisis that happened in Cuba in 1962 unfortunately could still happen today.

    October 25, 2012 - By Jessica Sleight

  • Cuban Missile Crisis: Five Things You Didn’t Know

    Welcome to 1962. Slick back your hair, grab a scotch, and don’t forget to triple check that route to the nearest Fallout Shelter. It is October after all, the month in which the US and the Soviet Union came closer to nuclear war than any other time in history. The nation held its breath as President John F. Kennedy faced off with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in waters just offshore of Cuba.

    October 15, 2012 - By Jessica Sleight