Shame and Humiliation in the Cuban Missile Crisis: A Psychoanalytic Perspective

Abstract

This paper examines the major explanations for deterrence failure and proposes an additional explanatory variable drawn from psychoanalytic theory-the experience of shame and humiliation by foreign policy leaders. Decision-makers who have undergone such experiences may be inclined to challenge the status quo, in order to restore their sense of self-esteem, even when such behavior violates the precepts of rational deterrence theory. The foreign policy behavior of Nikita Khruschev and John F. Kennedy, during the Cuban missile crisis, is examined in detail to demonstrate the way in which feelings of shame and humiliation are frequently followed by narcissistic rage that expresses itself in acts of aggression in an attempt to alleviate those painful affects and increase feelings of self-worth. The evidence suggests that placingforeign policy leaders in positions of humiliation may stimulate their desire for revenge, invite retaliatory behavior, and, particularly in times of crisis, run the risk of all-out war.