Topic:

"Negotiating the Removal of Soviet Missiles from Cuba" and "Establishing Long-term US-Soviet Communication and Conflict Prevention Mechanisms"

 Topic Summary:

Topic A:

In the very peak of the Cold War, when tensions were at their highest between the U.S. and Soviet Union, U.S. troops learned that the Soviet Union had placed nuclear weapons in Cuba. This was very worrisome for America because it brought the threat of nuclear weapons closer to home. The sudden appearance of nuclear weapons added to the immense fear that the U.S. were living with. It is important to make sure that the missiles in Cuba are not used, for the likelihood of a nuclear war following it.

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Topic B:

Once World War 1 ended, the U.S. and Soviet Union became opposing powers in the world, fighting for their ideologies, democracy and communism respectively. This led to a Cold War, where neither country actively fought each other but did compete in the ‘Arms War’ and ‘Space Race’. This was a period of extreme fear for Americans, of nuclear war, communism, and the Soviet Union itself. For the Cuban Missile Crisis to be properly ended, there must be less animosity between America and the Soviet Union, even if their philosophies don’t align.