The Cuban Missile Crisis Analysis Essay Example

the control over its local area and over the world, in contrast, Soviet Union was aiming to dispose of the Jupiter missiles located in Turkey and Italy, to increase its power in the world’s political area, supporting Cuba in order to maintain its regime, which contradicts with its rival United States. On the other hand, Cuba was trying to sustain both its economical and diplomatic growth.

While the crisis was continuing and getting harder to solve, United States officials were keeping on negotiations both with Soviet Union and within themselves. In order to get new options, within the Executive Committee of The National Security Council (ExComm), President Kennedy created three working groups to work on crisis communications, on advance planning and on Berlin contingencies?. With this action, Kennedy got support and made all members to participate, which proved good political and communication skills of Kennedy.

Mainly US officials and Kennedy were broad focused principled negotiators, they focused on interest rather than position, developed multiple options by brainstorming; however the Military officials were intransigent negotiators. They were both hard on the issue and the Soviet Union, and do not concentrate on the long term issues. They wanted to utilize their military force and get the quick result even if it is nuclear war. Thus their style can be called as distributive and hard. Although United States' officials and military could not reach an agreement during the crisis, the government had the right to make the last decision.

So they did not jump into the war and waited until the last moment, with holding its military force to be ready for war. On the other hand, Kennedy made informal coalitions

with France and England as well. Before the quarantine started, United States informed France and England by sending some notifications and these countries declared that they were fully supporting United States. The officials of the parties have different perceptions and emotions during the Cuban Missile Crisis, which affects directly in actions of negotiations.

There were also many situations of misunderstandings between parties; for instance, United States’ military forces and government officials had different perceptions against the danger, and the military forces have acted more emotionally than Kennedy and his officials. When United States have informed that a U2 had been shut down in Cuba, Secretary of Defense, McNamara perceived that as a start of war and wanted Kennedy give the order to start the attack on Cuba immediately, but, Kennedy was quite calm and tried to evaluate the situation more deeply to find another action other than jumping in a war, which shows us different perceptions.

Furthermore communication played a crucial role during the crisis; on October 26 Castro made to an ambassador a critical statement which demands Soviet Union to employ nuclear power, which led United States change its attacking plan. However, 30 years later he altered his statement by telling that it was translated wrongly at that time and he was misunderstood?. Consequently, perceptions, emotions and communications were very significant that changes the results of the crisis

In my opinion, United States’ BATNA was without building a blockade, only with a diplomatic pressure to persuade Soviet Union to remove missiles, which also avoids a war. For the WATNA, having a deal with Turkey to dispose the Jupiter missiles and making an official agreement with Soviet Union

to remove missiles simultaneously. The BATNA for Soviet Union was the WATNA for United States which is an official agreement to remove missiles in Turkey in exchange for the missiles in Cuba and the WATNA for Soviet Union was without removing the missiles in Cuba, waiting the action from United States and getting to ready for a possible war.

During the Crisis, United States officials made lots of attempt to be creative, they made new options in every step of the crisis, they put themselves to the other party’s situation and thought about their possible moves. However, Soviet Union was not acted in a creative way; they were stick on position generally and did not offer new solution. Their strategy was to wait the actions of United States and to react responsively. On the other hand, United States made use of media, businessmen and their ambassadors in every step to be more powerful in negotiations.

Throughout the crisis, Kennedy seemed very calm and he thought twice every time before he made a decision, also in the movie “Thirteen Days”, Kennedy’s behaviors towards their officials was quite cool and decisive and whenever he gathered together with his officials, he tried to hear all options and do not express his ideas until the last moment. During the whole crisis he did not stated his bottom line as well. In my opinion, although he was worried and stressed sometimes, he managed the general situation very well. The Cuban Missile Crisis, 2008, p 376

At the end of the crisis, a win-win situation has occurred, United States convinced Soviet Unions to remove the weapons near to them and Soviet Union succeeded to

get rid of the missiles from Turkey although it is not in the way they had wanted and the Cuba was prevented from an invasion. The negotiation between US and Soviet Union was position bargaining at the beginning of the crisis. They were hardly defending their positions, but, through the end of the crisis, United States made a broad focused principled negotiation to solve the problem and thought the long term issues as well.

On the other hand, Soviet Union became also softer in negotiations and started to negotiate principled, however they were short term and bottom line oriented, which is narrow focused principled negotiation. After the agreement has reached, Soviet Union obtained what they wanted, but, Khrushchev had lost his respect and reputation due to his short term focus and he had to quit, in contrary Kennedy gained prestige, since he seemed as a hero who has prevented the world from a nuclear war.

The agreement reached was not completely a wise one, although it satisfied the US and Soviet Union’s interests, it did not take Turkey’s and Cuba’s interest into account. Moreover, the agreement did not resolve the conflict fairly; Soviet Union was not seemed to be equally treated as a result of the agreement, since the removal of the missiles located in Turkey and Italy was not made public. On the other hand, the agreement was peaceful and comfortable for the whole world that did not give a way to a nuclear war. The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962, was a very threatening and dangerous situation for all parties and for the rest of the world.

After the parties has reached an agreement which was the

end of the cold war, the countries considered deeply about the regulatory issues of the nuclear weapons and they made over country agreements, which was very crucial for the world peace and another consequence of this crisis is that the role of communication has been understood. Turkey has a very important geographical location between these two super powers of the world. From the Turkey’s point of view, there was a severe risk of a Soviet Union nuclear attack if the parties could not reach an agreement.