The Cold War and Expansionism

Danger from nuclear weapon was more imaginary than real:

Although the United States of America (USA) and the erstwhile Soviet Union were allies during World War II against their battles with the Axis powers, the two of them shared an uncomfortable relationship, built on mistrust and doubts, than a more accepting one for each other’s ideological differences.

For one the USA was ‘the poster boy’ of Capitalism whereas the USSR were built in with the ideologies of communism, which was exemplified by their more tyrannical ruler Joseph Stalin, of whom the Americans found themselves to be wary of always. The Russians though had their own set of grievances against the Americans. There was bitter resentment from the Russians of the decade long refusal by the Americans to treat them as a legitimate part of the international community.

When the Great War ended, The Soviet developed an unnatural hunger for expansion, particularly throughout Eastern Europe, which made the Americans wary of the Soviet’s intention of global dominance. The Soviets though had a counter that USA was investing more heavily in arms and ammunition itself. USA’s strategic growing International Policies, aimed directly to undermine the Soviets plan for expansion was also a growing cause of discord between them. So much so that it seemed quite natural and inevitable for them to come to blows. The two big boys, The USA and The Soviets, had a point to prove to each other and the world at large as to who the bigger bully was and so War seemed the most natural outcome.

Throughout the period between 1947-1991, there was a tense atmosphere between the two countries and the most volatile situation that developed as a result of each trying to pre-empt the other’s next step came in the face of the Cuban Missile Crisis (16 October 1962 – 28 October 1962).

It all started with an American U-2 spy plane which secretly photographed the nuclear missile sites constructed by the USSR on the Cuban Island. John F. Kennedy, the then President of The USA wanted this to keep this knowledge as a secret from both Cuba and the Soviets. President Kennedy went into extensive discussions with his advisors, albeit secretly, to discuss this terrifying problem. In the end in accordance with his advisors, President Kennedy declared that he would be placing a blockade in Cuba through its navy.

This step was taken to stop USSR to bring its military troop into Cuban region under the expense of America. On October 22, amidst mounting tension between the two superpowers, President Kennedy addressed the nation on television, in which he explicitly demanded the removal and destruction of the nuclear sites from Cuba.

The then leader of The Soviets, Nikita Khrushchev, was expected to respond to the naval blockade in equal measure, if not more belligerently. The two leaders would eventually realise that a nuclear war would become a devastating possibility for both the countries, and the world at large, if they didn’t deescalate the mounting tension. The two heads would then proceed and freely consent to an arrangement, expressing that The Soviets would destroy the weapon locales in return for a guarantee from the United States, to not attack Cuba. Covertly the USA likewise consented to expel its Nuclear Missiles from Turkey. By 1963, there were signs of easing tensions between The Soviets and the USA, hence Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty on July 25, 1963 was signed.

But how close did the two power hungry beasts really come to annihilating each other, and the world with them? Was it more smokes and mirrors than more credible threat of an actual Nuclear War?

Let us see some key events that would help us understand what really was happening in this game of cat and mouse between the two Superpowers.

The Bay of Pigs Invasion – It was a USA sponsored effort by the USA, to remove Fidel Castro from power. But it backfired and it would lead to further solidify Castro’s popularity in Latin America, pushing Cuba firmly away from USA and into The Soviet’s bloc. The USA imposed economic sanctions on Cuba and hence it turned to Soviet for oil and other necessities and also as a buyer for its burgeoning Sugar production. Khrushchev, recognising the importance of a communist ally so close to USA was all too eager to provide it with financial and military aid.

The Soviet’s gave the Cuban mission the code name, Operation Anadyr. Anadyr was the name of a river that flowed into the Bering Sea in the Arctic, north of the Soviet Republic. The Soviets, initially claimed that the military built up in Cuba was for defensive purposes only. Meanwhile, The CIA gathered intelligence on Soviet activities in Cuba.

On 18th October, 1962, two days after President Kennedy first learnt about the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba, he decided to keep a previously scheduled appointment he had with Soviet foreign minister, Andrei Gromyko. He decided to pursue Gromyko with guile and hence rather than confronting him of photographic evidence of the missile sites, President Kennedy continued to play the fool and acted as if he was in the dark regarding the same. Gromyko would further try and misinform, President Kennedy by stating that the Soviet Union had only stepped in to help Castro from being invaded by the USA, which President Kennedy would vehemently deny of any intention towards it.

The most dangerous moment and perhaps and perhaps even more ironic moment of the Cuban Missile Crisis was one which President Kennedy’s administration would find itself completely unaware of. Soviet submarine captain V.G. Savitsky was sent to observe the USA naval blockade. The Americans dropped depth charges to force the Soviets to the surface. Savitsky thought he was being attacked and he had orders to retaliate with a nuclear strike. The Soviet captain, though, stopped at the last moment, when he realised the depth charges were harmless.

With lack of diplomatic progress President Kennedy decided to prepare for an airstrike on The Soviet Missile sites, along with a possible armed invasion of Cuba. An American U-2 spy plane was shot down over Cuba by Soviet Missile batteries. The American officials urged President Kennedy to retaliate and destroy The Soviet air defences in Cuba.

President Kennedy found himself under immense pressure. The Soviets were sure that the USA would not hesitate much to drop an atomic bomb, after all they had proven themselves quite the trigger finger, when it had decided to unleash the cataclysmic weapon in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What was it there to stop The Americans from doing so against them? If they didn’t react pre-emptively the USA would annihilate them quite readily. But President Kennedy was deeply concerned with the repercussions of a nuclear war. There was also this to consider that despite of all their braggadocio The Soviet had restrained itself from a Nuclear Strike.

The entire situation that President Kennedy and The Soviet leader Khrushchev faced can be surmised with the help of Game Theory, in what can be considered a classic case of The Prisoner’s Dilemma.

If The USA decides to attack and The Soviets decides to attack as well, they would both end up destroying each other.

If The USA attacks and The Soviets withdraw, the Soviets ends up being the loser and get destroyed for trusting the USA to not do so.

If The USA decides to withdraw and The Soviets decides to attack then the USA ends up being the loser and gets destroyed.

If The USA and The Soviets both decide to withdraw then they both end up winning as they both live to see another day.

The problem though is that neither knows what the other would do and so it would be safer for each to pre-empt an attack from the other as it would safeguard them. But this would be catastrophic as both would inevitably decide to attack and hence end up being losers as they both will get destroyed.

With such a dilemma between them, President Kennedy and Khrushchev showed extraordinary resolve as they both made one last ditch attempt to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the crisis. Although President Kennedy was the initiator, Khrushchev too understood the significance of avoiding a nuclear war at all costs.

To surmise then that the danger from Nuclear Weapons was more imagined than real in the Cold War, does not hold much ground. The Two Superpowers, each feeling slighted by the other, and each eager to prove its dominance on the global scale, would have inevitably succumbed to the use of Nuclear weapons had it not been for saner minds to prevail. And such the world was spared from the horrors of the nuclear weapons.