Chapter Five. The Place of International Law in State Behaviour During the Cuban Missile Crisis

Abstract

This chapter examines a case study that focuses on the Cuban Missile Crisis (CMC). It first outlines the historical background to, and geopolitical context of, the CMC. It then examines the historical record of the influence of international law on American and Soviet State behaviour during the CMC. The chapter compares the historical record against existing empirical studies of the CMC and its theoretical underpinnings to assess the adequacy of rival theoretical explanations in accounting for the relationship of international law to US and Soviet Union foreign policy behaviour during the CMC. Finally, it analyses the historical record from an International Law as Ideology (ILI) perspective, to assess the relative empirical efficacy of an ILI approach in explaining the historical record.Keywords:Cuban Missile Crisis (CMC); International Law as Ideology (ILI) perspective; Soviet State behaviour; Soviet Union foreign policy behaviour; US foreign policy