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The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 encompasses confrontation based on the Soviet Union’s construction of nuclear missile bases in Cuba, with the United States on one side and Cuba as well as the Soviet Union on the other side. The Crisis began on October 14 and ended on October 28, 1962. The ensuing Crisis began when President John F. Kennedy saw the U2 spy plane surveillance photos, showing the Soviet Union’s construction of nuclear missile bases.
As a solution, the United States launched a quarantine to inspect all ships destined for Cuba. Nikita Khrushchev uses back-channel communication to indicate his willingness to remove the missiles as long as the US withdraws its invasion of Cuba by October 28. The Crisis ends with Kennedy’s agreement to withdraw Jupiter missiles in Turkey and Italy. These form the events of the Film “Thirteen days,” as directed by Roger Donaldson. Based on the fact that this is a political film, various political, environmental, social, and economic issues can be identified in the thirteen days that made up the Crisis.
The crucial political issues that occurred during this period include the construction of nuclear missile bases in Cuba by the Soviet Union, subversion of the peaceful solution being sought by President Kennedy, the death of one pilot during the cover-up of the antiaircraft shooting that O’Donnel ordered to foil Curtis LeMay’s idea of sending aircraft to Cuba, calling of military exercises in Puerto Rico to prepare for an invasion by General Maxwell Taylor, the loss of two Soviet Union ships and the shooting of one of the boats using aerial clusters as ordered by Admiral George Anderson, the Johnston Island’s ignition of hydrogen bombs and the dispatch and shooting down of a U-2 spy plane to Siberia.
The key environmental issues that occurred during the thirteen days encompass water pollution as caused by the American ships plying the Cuban waters during the Quarantine, ecological degradation due to the destruction of forest cover to give way to clear land to be utilized during the nuclear missile bases construction, resource depletion under which the production of the medium-range missiles by the Soviet Union depleted all natural resources and land degradation during the construction of the missile bases.
The significant Social issues that occurred during the thirteen days are inclusive of racism that the name red bastards bring out Nikita Khrushchev use of back-channel communication when communicating to the US president, the shuffling of counter offers and offers between the Soviet and American heads of the state increasing Third World War breakout fear, poor social relationships between America and the Soviet Union due to the construction of the missile bases by the Soviet Union and installation of Jupiter missiles in Italy and Turkey by the US, brinkmanship as well as the deviance shown by the military bosses when they made individual detrimental decisions without consulting the president.
The main economic issues that occurred during that period encompass increased energy use during the construction of the missile bases culminating into an energy crisis, creation of employment opportunities in the missile bases’ construction, offshoring as evidenced by the construction of the missile bases in Cuba rather than the Soviet Union, competitive behavior evidenced by the countering of the Soviet Union Missiles by the American missiles, war’s inefficiency puzzle and the economic calculation problem that faced Nikita Khrushchev on whether distribute more resources into the construction of the missile bases or to distribute resources equally in his economy.
President John F. Kennedy and special assistant Kenny O’Donnell
The two characters selected for this part include President John F. Kennedy and special assistant Kenny O’Donnell. Leadership encompasses the social influence process under which a person enlists the support of the help of other people in accomplishing a given task. Excellent leadership skills accentuate effective leadership in the film “Thirteen Days,” both President John F. Kennedy and special assistant Kenny O’Donnell showcase exceptional leadership skills that make them influential leaders during the period of Crisis. Kennedy is authoritarian because though he seeks the advice of those surrounding him on the best cause of action, he does not allow them to make and implement their own decisions.
This is the reason why the military brasses defy his orders and order the carrying out of specific detrimental actions. He is cautious because he seeks a solution that will curb the outbreak of a third world war. Essentially, when he receives two mixed messages from the Soviet Union, he decides to respond to the message originating from Nikita Khrushchev with the aim of curbing an escalation in the already volatile situation facing the two countries. His dedication and commitment enable him to resolve the explosive problem peacefully. His commitment to this vision convinces the Soviet Union to seek a peaceful solution to the Crisis. He is competent due to his ability to identify the best solution, plan it, and implement it in such a way that he convinced his followers that he knew what he was doing.
For this reason, he removed Jupiter missiles in Italy and Turkey to ensure the removal of Missiles in Cuba by the Soviet Union. He is courageous and discerning as he is unwilling to appease the Soviet Union, which would accord them with the mandate to bully America into submission in the future. He is courageous enough to order a quarantine though he knew that this would escalate the volatile nature of the Crisis. Focus helps him to identify his priority of saving America by preventing the outbreak of a Third World War, and he concentrates on its achievement.
Kenny O’Donnell is a problem solver. This is because he accords the president with positive advice on the best course of action. Essentially, he foils General Curtis LeMay’s plan of escalating the Crisis by sending low-level reconnaissance planes into Cuba, which would be in turn shot down, culminating in military retaliation. He is charismatic because he thinks of others and their concerns before thinking about himself. In this case, the perceptibly explains the consequences of each proposed solution to the president to ensure that he makes the best choice.
This would, in turn, endear the president to the American though his leadership was facing considerable obstacles as the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. He is straight forward in the advice he accords the president. He is courageous because he subverted any escalation caused by the overzealous military bosses. He is imaginative as he thinks of the best solution to General Curtis LeMay’s problem.
Political, environmental, social, and economic issues
The information in this paper highlights both the political, environmental, social, and economic issues that people experienced during the thirteen days of the Crisis, but also the lead character and traits adopted by two essential characters in the film. This is information will significantly improve my leadership skills and styles as they are affected by the political, environmental, social, and economic issues surrounding my leadership role.
To improve on my current leadership skills and technique, I have to identify the various problems surrounding my part and the manner in which these issues can infringe upon my effectiveness as a leader. This will lead to the identification of the best solutions that I can apply when eliminating such matters and hence culminating in the enhancement of my effectiveness and efficiency.
My most preferred leadership style has always been the free rein or Laissez-faire style in which I accord my subordinates with the maximum freedom to decide on their own methods and policies. This style, however, has been detrimental in cases where I would like to make a decision that should be implemented by my subordinates.
To improve on this style, I should not utilize the authoritarian leadership style used by President Kennedy, but I should employ the democratic tone that combines both the free reign and autocratic leadership styles to ensure both the subordinates and the leader engage in the decision making process. Caution has never been one of my leadership characteristics, but due to the success that it accorded the president during the resolution of the Crisis, I believe incorporating it into my leadership style will substantially improve my performance as a leader.
I plan to increase my commitment and dedication to my leadership roles due to the positive outcomes that they accorded the president with. I plan to add competency, courage and focus on my leadership style. This is because these are the most vital traits that aided President Kennedy to resolve the Crisis peacefully. In every organization, the leader is called to identify and implement the best conflict resolution methods.
This can only be arrived at through the incorporation of courage, focus, and competency. Focus not only aids the leader in identifying his priorities, but it also accords him or her with the needed concentration that can assist him in achieving his priorities. Courage encompasses the ability to do things that one is afraid of. This is particularly essential in conflict resolution as it provides the leader with the mandate to approach the conflicts from an angle that everyone is scared of.
This, in turn, ensures the respect of the subordinates towards their leader. As a leader, I would like not only to lead my associates but also act as an effective problem solver. This will aid me in propounding essential troubleshooting solutions in the organization that I will be working in. According to the information above, becoming a straight forward leader will help me to be more efficient in my work. A charismatic leader is one that thinks about other people before himself.
In this case, he ensures that these people achieve their objectives first before thinking about himself. This is the type of leader I would like to be because it will earn me respect and loyalty from my subordinates. Inherently, due to their care and dedication, they will aid me in achieving my vision and objectives. In conclusion, the above discussion indicates that I can use the information extracted from the film to improve my leadership skills and style by utilizing the data extracted from the film.
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