Case Study: Cuban Missile CrisisANALYSIS AND REVIEW

Abstract

This chapter presents a case study and analysis that serves as a review of ideas presented in the book. This study, particularly its review, may have historical significance as it is based on the responses of President Kennedy's advisors during the Cuban Missile Crisis: Theodore Sorensen and Robert McNamara, and Sergei Khrushchev, son of Nikita. The chapter begins by asserting that the Cuban Missile crisis was the most dangerous moment in human history. An introductory background section on the Cold War led to the thirteen-day crisis that began on October 16, 1962. This is followed by a day-by-day account of the crisis taken from various source documents. Following the case is an analysis, which employs recent definitions of players as “hawks,” “doves,”, and “owls.” Schelling's views on rational choice and game theory are considered the standard for wise decision-making and are used to evaluate the decisions made. The chapter reviews the material presented in the text. Ideas are brought up in context to refresh recollection and to apply them to various decisions during the crisis. This is an effective way to make the review interesting, as it continually combines it with observations from Sorensen and S. Khrushchev.