On 10/21/11 9:45 AM, Eisboch wrote:


"X ` Man" wrote in message
m...

On 10/21/11 9:29 AM, Eisboch wrote:


"X ` Man" wrote in message
m...


I was in my first year of college when the Cuban missile crisis took
place. Kennedy was smart enough to go for the blockade instead of
bombing the missile sites, which would have resulted in the deaths of a
lot of Russian personnel.

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Harry, your comment above is sorta the point I am trying to make about
Monday morning quarterbacks.

If JFK had instead opted for some of his advisor's recommendations to
bomb the missile sites (which according
to historians he seriously considered) and:

the operation had been successful and:
Khrushchev had ordered the delivery ships home with their tails between
their legs,
he (JFK) would now be credited with making "the right decision".

Eisboch


The right decision, which Kennedy made, was to not get into a shooting
war with the Russians.

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Ah, come on. Kennedy threatened a shooting war by imposing the blockade.
There's no purpose in a blockade if you don't intend to enforce it.

It was a roll of the dice. Credit also has to be given to Khrushchev
because he
actually benefited more in the end with regard to our missile sites in
Europe.



Threatening a way without starting one...
*Brinkmanship*

From wiki:

Brinkmanship (or brinksmanship) is the practice of pushing dangerous
events to the verge of disaster in order to achieve the most
advantageous outcome. It occurs in international politics, foreign
policy, labour relations, and (in contemporary settings) military
strategy involving the threatened use of nuclear weapons.

This maneuver of pushing a situation with the opponent to the brink
succeeds by forcing the opponent to back down and make concessions. This
might be achieved through diplomatic maneuvers by creating the
impression that one is willing to use extreme methods rather than
concede. During the Cold War, the threat of nuclear force was often used
as such an escalating measure.