CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS

Introduction:

Letter from the Secretary-General:

Esteemed Participants,

My name is Zahit Esat Koca and I am honoured to be the Secretary-General of SEVMUN’23.

We, as the Academic Team, are excited to present you with the committees and study guides
that we worked passionately and for hours on. We worked hard to find topics and to write
extensive study guides for SEVMUN’23. Because of these reasons I would like to thank the
Academic Team for their irreplaceable contributions to make SEVMUN’23 possible. I would
also like to thank the Organization Team that put effort into establishing and organising the
general structure of the committee and the always enjoyable After-Party of SEVMUN’23.
We look forward to seeing all of you working for the good of the countries and characters
that you will be representing.

Sincerely Your SG,

Zahit Esat Koca

Letter from the Under-Secretary General:

Dear delegates,

I am Nefise Büşra Kaya and as the Under Secretary-General of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Committee, I am truly excited to welcome you all to SEVMUN'23. As the Academic Team,
we put a great deal of effort into organizing this Model United Nations Conference and make
our event unforgettable for the participants. I hope all of you will gain indelible experiences
and have great fun while attending to SEVMUN'23. Since joining an MUN conference is an
effective way to improve social skills and learn about political events, I highly encourage you
to be as involved as you can. During the debates, please do not feel diffident about expressing
your ideas; your opinions matter. I look forward to meeting you all in February.

Sincerely the Under Secretary-General,

Nefise Büşra Kaya

Explanation of the Specific Committee:

The Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC) is the First Committee of
the United Nations General Assembly. DISEC deals with the armament and international
security issues which have troubled or are to trouble the international agenda and works in
collaboration with United Nations Disarmament Commission and the Geneva-based
Conference on Disarmament to maintain full sustainability and peace among the member
states along with the communities. First Committee sustains its missions in various regions
for the precise provision of security, welfare, peace consolidation, and unilateral disarmament
agreements. DISEC submits various documents and reports focusing on the establishment of
disarmament and promotion of global security to the United Nations Security Council for its
approval along with numerous resolutions.

So, what does DISEC deal with? The committee concerns itself with questions of
international importance regarding security and demilitarization throughout all countries and
regions, along with ensuring that citizens across the globe remain protected.

Summary of the Cuban Missile Crisis:

The Bay of Pigs Invasion was aimed at overthrowing Fidel Castro’s communist government,
led by the Cuban exiles militarily and financially supported by the US. It was a failed military
landing operation and this failure influenced relations between Cuba, the US and the USSR.
For many Latin Americans, the Bay of Pigs Invasion consolidated the belief that the US
could not be trusted. Additionally, Fidel Castro pursued closer relations with the USSR and
became willing to host nuclear weapons which led to the Cuban Missile Crisis. As a result of
the US deploying ballistic missiles in Turkey and Italy, the USSR deployed ballistic nuclear
missiles in Cuba. Kennedy ordered a naval "quarantine" to get the situation under control and
prevent further missiles from reaching Cuba. The USSR's denial of this "quarantine" coupled
with the USA not rolling back the quarantine led to an insurmountable rise in tensions.

1. BACKGROUND

a) Monroe Doctrine and its Prolonged Effects:

The idea of the Monroe Doctrine was first brought up to the public consciousness in one of
the annual messages of President James Monroe with the intention of protecting the Americas
from foreign global powers by implementing the use of diplomacy, economic aid and warfare
in 1823. The first instance of the Monroe Doctrine being used as a national policy rather than
a theory occurred in 1865. USA materially supported the Mexican republicans against
Mexican monarchists to thwart the colonial expansion being carried out by France and
Austria-Hungary which resulted in French troops retreating from Mexico in 1866. The
Monroe Doctrine did not have any changes or extensive applications until 1902.

The Venezuelan Affair (1902-1903):

As a result of Britain and Germany sending messages to Venezuela about “acts of

violence against the liberty of British subjects and the massive capture of British vessels”,
accompanied by Venezuela’s lack of initiative to pay off long-standing debts, the
combined forces of the Royal Navy and Imperial German Navy took naval action via a
blockade. The Royal Navy and the Imperial German Navy withdrew their forces from the
Venezuelan waters as a result of Roosevelt condemning the governments of the UK and
Germany. One year after the Venezuelan Affair ended, President Theodore Roosevelt of
the United States declared the “Roosevelt Corollary” which stated that the USA would no
longer just contain European influence in the Americas but it would also forge and extend
its own influence in the Americas. This “big stick” policy angered Latin American
countries but this anger wouldn’t be enough to stop American expansion. This policy
climaxed in “The Question of the Panama Canal”.

The Question of the Panama Canal:

The desire to build the Panama Canal to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans led to the
USA making plans to build a canal in Nicaragua or Panama. Because the possibility of
building a canal in Nicaragua was ruled out, Panama became the only choice. As a result
of continued American interests in building a canal in Panama (then a territory of
Colombia), Colombia and the French company that was supposed to provide building
materials raised their initial prices. America instigated a revolution in Colombia
motivated by their refusal to pay the heightened fees, eventually leading to Panama
revolting against Colombia with the support of the United States Navy. This resulted in
Panama being an independent country and consequently led to the construction of the
Panama Canal from 1904 to 1914 in the Panama Canal Zone which has been under US
jurisdiction from 1903 till today. The more aggressive applications of the Monroe
Doctrine continued until the establishment of the “Good Neighbour Policy” in 1934 by
Frederick D. Roosevelt which renounced interventionism.

The USA increasingly embraced an isolationist and non-aligned methodology as an indirect

consequence of the ramifications brought on by the implementation of the Monroe Doctrine
which made the US feel “safe” until America got unwillingly involved in WW2 as a direct
consequence of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii orchestrated by the Empire of
Japan. This indirectly led to the foreign policy of the United States being progressively less
and less isolationist towards countries that are not in the Americas.
 b) Cold War from the end of WW2 to the Cuban Missile Crisis

The USA and USSR have been filling the power vacuum left by the fall of the Third Reich
and the Japanese Empire coupled with the destabilization of the British and French empires
by using economic and political capital to increase their level and zones of influence since
before the end of the Second World War. Considering the fact that the US is a liberal
capitalist democracy and the USSR is a Marxist-Leninist communist dictatorship, it was
apparent that the fragile peace after the end of WW2 was not going to hold. Worried about
the aggressive Soviet desire for expansion in Turkey, Greece, Iran, Czechoslovakia and
Poland; the United States of America declared the Truman Doctrine on 12 March 1947 which
is considered to be the unofficial starting point of the Cold War. The main objective of the
Truman Doctrine was to protect Western-aligned liberal democracies against the expansion
of authoritarian communism spearheaded by the Soviet Union through the way of economic,
political and military support. The economic extension of the Truman Doctrine was the
Marshall Plan which considerably helped lift many European countries economically.
Germany was split into two parts: one being the capitalist liberal democracy of the Federal
Republic of Germany in the west and the other being the authoritarian communist
dictatorship of the German Democratic Republic in the east. The Soviet Union organized a
blockade around the already isolated West Berlin which forced the members of the newly
organized NATO to deliver essential goods through the “Berlin airlift” which firmly linked
West Berlin to the United States. As a result of the communist and Soviet-backed victory in
the Chinese Civil War, the balance of power tipped temporarily towards the Soviet bloc and
the USA adopted a more aggressive strategy that primarily aimed at rolling back Soviet
influence in all its forms. One of the more significant examples of the implementation of the
US’s aggressive containment and rollback doctrine is the Korean War (1950-1953) in which
Soviet-backed North Korea waged war on US-backed South Korea. In the first phase of the
war North Korea overran South Korean forces and occupied the entirety of South Korea
excluding Busan. However, with the US and the UN entry into the war; US-led UN forces
planned to only secure South Korean territories but this changed when UN forces gained a
crucial and total victory in the Incheon Landing which made US strategy focused on not just
the rollback of communist influence but also the pushback and destruction of it. UN forces
pushed back North Korean forces and would have occupied all of North Korea if not for the
Soviet-supported Chinese entry into the war. This intervention led to the push back of UN
forces to the pre-war border and an eventual stalemate that lasted for two years. This was the
first proxy war between the USA and the USSR in the Cold War. In an unforeseen event, the
newly declared leader of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev announced a de-Stalinization
program in 1956 which signalled a slight change in the despotic and paranoid leadership of
the Soviet Union. However, the biggest blow to communist support in the world was about to
take place with the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 in which a popular uprising overthrew the
Soviet-backed communist dictatorship in Hungary, established free elections and disbanded
the secret police which resulted in a Soviet retaliation. Soviet armies crushed Hungarian
rebels so severely that the reputation and membership of communism in Western Europe took
a tough hit which couldn’t be recovered from. In the next few years, tensions between the
USSR and the USA continued to rise exponentially mainly because of the inauguration of
John F. Kennedy as the president of the United States of America.

c) The Cuban Revolution of 1953

The Cuban Revolution was a movement against Batista’s dictatorship in the country
conducted by the young lawyer Fidel Castro and the group that he formed. After it became
obvious that he would not be elected again, Batista seized power in a military coup and
cancelled the 1952 elections. During his 2nd term, his acts allowed American companies to
dominate the Cuban economy. Most of the sugar industry and %70 of arable lands were
owned by foreigners instead of the Cubans who were disgusted by Batista’s power grab and
domination. The situation caused their standards of living to get worse. Batista’s connections
with the American Mafia were also disturbing for the Cuban people. As their first move, in
order to secure more weapons, the rebels attacked the isolated barracks in Moncada on 26
July 1953 which is regarded as the beginning of the revolution. However, most of the
revolutionaries were killed and the others were captured by the Batista government including
Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl Castro at the end of the attack. Fidel delivered his 4 hour
long “History Will Absolve Me” speech while being publicly tried. He was sentenced to 15
years in Presidio Modelo (a modern prison). However, in 1955, many of the political
prisoners including the Moncada attackers were freed by the Batista government due to
diplomatic pressure. Soon, they fled to Mexico and joined with the Cuban exiles including
the Argentine doctor Ernesto “Che” Guevara to plan their next steps. They renamed their
group as “26th of July Movement (M-26-7)” in memory of the attack. In November 1956, 82
men took action and set sail to Cuba on a yacht named “Granma”; however, the government
was aware that the rebels were returning. As they landed in Cuba, they were ambushed by
Batista’s men. With a handful of other survivors, the Castro brothers and Guevara escaped
into the Sierra Maestra mountains. The rebel group gathered more members and trained while
the other rebel groups were opposing Batista’s regime in the cities. In 1958, Batista sent his
army to flush the rebels but the 26th of July Movement carried out guerrilla attacks on the
army. Most of Batista's soldiers switched sides. Shortly after, the revolutionaries took action
with Guevara and an arm of the rebels heading to Santa Clara. Cienfuegos was leading the
other rebels and Castro was following them. The rebels were welcomed by the nation as they
were moving ahead. Soon, Batista and his inner circle saw that Castro’s victory was
inevitable and fled from Havana. Castro made his way slowly, delivered speeches to the
Cubans and entered Havana on January 9, 1959. After he took charge, he swept away all
remnants of the Batista regime. Castro’s reforms provided free education and health care to
the Cubans who were contented. Fidel also signed into a law, limited the owning of
landholdings which forbade the income gap to emerge again. The United States was one of
the first countries to recognize Castro’s government; however, the U.S. started to be disturbed
by the regime in Cuba and Cuba’s close relations with the Soviet Union, the antagonist in the
Cold War. In the next years tensions continued growing.

d) The Ballistic and Nuclear Missile Race during the Cold War
 During World War II the United States and the Soviet Union fought together as allies
against the Axis powers. However, their alliance fell not long after. The United States had
always been wary of the Soviet Union’s communism and desire for world dominance and the
Soviet Union resented the United States’ ammunition. As the distrust between the
superpowers rose the US kept their plans of dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima hidden
from the Soviet Union. In order to stop the communist expansion of the Soviet Union the US
supported the fabrication of more nuclear weaponry. In 1949 the Soviet Union tested their
first atomic bomb in Kazakhstan and the Cold War nuclear arms race had begun.
In 1952 the US tested the first hydrogen bomb on the Elugelab Atoll in the Pacific
Marshall Islands. The explosion was powerful enough to blow up an entire island. This first
test of the hydrogen bomb showed how catastrophic a nuclear war could be. The Soviet
Union responded to the US by also developing a hydrogen bomb. In 1955 the USSR also
tested their first hydrogen bomb. Both superpowers were now in the possession of such
destructive bombs and the arms race had become a potential nuclear war. The possibility of a
nuclear war had such significant influence that it prevented a shooting war between the USSR
and the US.
1958 remains as the most active year in arms race history with the USSR, the UK and
the US detonating more than one hundred devices in total. These countries then willingly
stopped testing for several years as they discussed a testing ban. In early 1960, France tested
its first bomb becoming the world's fourth nuclear power.
The main delivery method was strategic bombers at the beginning of the Cold War.
Missiles had been regarded as the ideal platform for nuclear weapons and were potentially a
more successful delivery method than bombers. Later to be advanced as intercontinental
ballistic missiles (ICBMs), starting from 1950’s medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs)
and intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) were developed for delivery of tactical
nuclear weapons. In 1957 the USSR launched Sputnik-1 the first artificial satellite into space
showing that their ICBMs had the capacity to reach anywhere on the planet. With the
development of submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) by the mid 1960’s three
methods for nuclear weapon delivery were created.
In the early 1960’s US it was pointed out that whilst the components of a nuclear
missile had been tested separately it was impossible to test them all together. The closest
event to a test was the operation frigate bird in which the submarine USS Ethan Allen
(SSBN-608) launched a Polaris A2 missile while submerged to the nuclear test site at
Christmas Island.
The Us and the Soviet Union had enough nuclear power to destroy their enemy by the
1960’s. Both sides were capable of a second strike, which is a country’s ability to respond to
a nuclear attack with powerful nuclear retaliation against the attacker. Both sides were aware
that any attack on the other side would be disastrous for themselves thus restraining them
from attacking each other. The USSR and the US wished to use nuclear weapons for drawing
out concessions from the other side or different powers but the risk that came with the
utilization of these weapons was so great that they avoided trying to achieve an advantage by
pushing this dangerous event to the brink of an active conflict.

2. CURRENT SITUATION

a) Sino-Soviet Split
After the death of Stalin in 1953 and the institution of Nikita Khrushchev as the leader of the
USSR in 1956 relations between the Soviet Union and communist China began to deteriorate
as a result of Khrushchev’s de-Stalinization efforts and the leader of China, Mao’s animosity
towards Khrushchev and his de-Stalinization efforts. Although Nikita Khrushchev
desperately tried to reconstitute and restabilize Sino-Soviet relations Mao had already made
up his mind and deemed the Sino-Soviet alliance as “useless” and “unnecessary”. The
Chinese-Soviet animosity led to an intra-communist propaganda and influence war.
Furthermore, the Soviets focused on a bitter rivalry with Mao’s China for the leadership of
the global communist movement. This was one of the most significant events of the Cold
War because of its ongoing consequences.

b) Berlin Crisis of 1961

After losing the Second World War, Germany was divided into four parts in June 1945 by the
US, the UK, France and the Soviet Union. After a short-term having the same ideology, the
Western alliance created West Germany. Hearing this, the Soviet Russians decided to
establish East Germany into their federation. East Germany whose economy was based on
socialism and which adopts caesarism could not develop. In a few years people started
escaping to West Germany because of their high welfare. Between 1949 and 1961 more than
3 million people, especially the educated and qualified youth, migrated from the East to the
West. The German Democratic Republic began the construction of the Berlin wall on 13
August 1961 to prevent East German residents from crossing to the West.

The Iron Curtain

East Germans who wanted to get through the Berlin Wall tried many methods from tunnels to
homemade sightseeing balloons. About 5 thousand people managed to make it into (cross
into) West Berlin but not everyone was as lucky. The exact number of people who lost their
lives due to (because of) the Berlin Wall is unknown. However, according to The Leibniz
Centre for Contemporary History Potsdam and The Berlin Wall Monument, at least 140
people lost their lives trying to get on the other side of the Berlin Wall. Most of these people
were shot and some died by accident. And another part of them committed suicide after their
failed escape plan.
Ida Siekmann was the first person to lose their life trying to escape. Living on Bernauer
Street, Ida’s window was looking into West Germany. After a short term after the wall was
built Ida, on 22 August 1961 first threw her blanket and personal belongings out of the
window. Then, she jumped out without waiting for the firefighters to open the jumping bed.
Falling on the pavement, Ida was seriously injured and unfortunately, she died before
reaching the hospital.

The last victim of the Berlin Wall is Winfried Freudenberg, who died on march 8 1989.
Winfried and his wife wanted to cross the border with a homemade balloon. Unluckily only
Winfred was able to get on the balloon after the couple was caught by the police. Winfred
who was found dead in one of the parks in West Germany is believed to have died by falling
from the balloon.

c) The Bay of Pigs Invasion

The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed attack covertly financed and directed by the United
States. Its aim was to overthrow Fidel Castro’s communist government. Officials at the US
State Department and the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) had the intention to push Castro
from power since 1959. At last, on April 17 1961 an attack was launched by the CIA which
they believed was the ultimate strike. They landed 1400 American-trained Cubans on the
southwestern coast of Cuba. However, the operation was to fail from the start as they were
outnumbered by Castro’s troops.
 For the first part of the plan, which was to destroy Castro’s air force, a group of
Cuban exiles conducted a strike against Cuban airfields with American B-26 bombers painted
to look like stolen Cuban planes. However, Castro was already aware of the attack and
moved the aircrafts to a safe place.
On April 17 the invasion began at the southwestern shore shores of Cuba known as
the Bay of Pigs. The operation started to break down instantly as the radio station on the
beach broadcasted every detail of the operation that CIA wanted to keep unrevealed for as
long as possible. Besides this disaster, coral reefs sank some of the ships and the backup
troopers landed in the wrong area. Alas the exiles surrendered after less than 24 hours.

d) The Beginnings of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Nearly a year after the United States' placement of nuclear missiles in Turkey and Italy,
Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev made a secret agreement with Fidel Castro and started
shipping nuclear missiles to Cuba. A while later, in 1962, an American U-2 spy plane
discovered a Soviet SS-4 medium-range ballistic missile assembled in Cuba. President
Kennedy was immediately informed. He called his advisors together and discussed the
situation with them for several days. Even though the US have missiles in Turkey and Italy,
Kennedy requested the removal of the missiles in Cuba while speaking to the nation about the
crisis; however, after his announcement, an American plane again took some clear pictures of
the nuclear missiles under construction in Cuba and it became obvious that the Soviets were
continuing to place missiles in spite of the warning. As a response Kennedy placed a naval
"quarantine" in order to prevent the Soviets from sending more military supplies. He called
this situation a "quarantine" instead of a blockade because declaring a blockade is an act of
war.
 e) Public Reaction
On October 22 in 1962 President John F. Kennedy met with Congressional leaders who were
strongly against the blockade. On the same day, President Kennedy delivered a speech to the
nation about the existence of the missiles and explained his decision to enact the blockade.
Following this public declaration, people around the globe nervously waited for the Soviet
response. Some Americans, fearing their country was on the brink of nuclear war, hoarded
food and gas. The Chinese newspaper announced that "650,000,000 Chinese people were
standing by the Cuban people". In West Germany, newspapers supported the US response by
contrasting it with the weak American actions in the region during the preceding months.
They also expressed some fear that the Soviets might retaliate in Berlin.
3. COUNTRIES

Republic of Brazil

Brazil is a federal parliamentary republic led by left-leaning Joao Goulart. Brazil is also the
largest powerhouse in Latin America even though the country has not yet fully industrialized.
Other than that, Brazil has a fragile democracy. Goulart has a dream of implementing reforms
to help the poor populace in his country but he also has to balance his already strenuous
relations with the USA and the military of Brazil. Brazil aims to take the leadership of Latin
America but this conflicts with the Monroe Doctrine of the USA.

Up until the most tense moments in the Cuban Missile Crisis, Brazil had acted neutral and
rejected the request of Kennedy to help the US militarily for a possible invasion of Cuba.
Besides that, Brazil wants to be an intermediary nation between the US and Cuba to avoid
conflicts and Brazil leads the fight in denuclearizing Latin America. Brazil’s first priority is
to deescalate the situation while being neutral although there are many influences that try to
pull Brazil to their side.

Dominion of Canada

Canada is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy led by Progressive Conservative

John Diefenbaker. Canada is a part of NATO and an ally of the United States. However, the
relations between Diefenbaker and Kennedy are tense and led to a bilateral apathy between
Canada and the US. One of the most important reasons for the tense relations is Diefenbaker
rejecting the placement of the USA’s nuclear missiles in Canada.

Kennedy has said that the USA has Canada’s full support while the Canadian government
was still undecided. After that, John Diefenbaker hesitated to raise the military and civil alert
level DEFCON to DEFCON 3 even though the US had raised its level to DEFCON 3.
Diefenbaker’s hesitation coupled with the support of Canada’s population for Kennedy
resulted in a decline of popularity for the Canadian government. Even though Diefenbaker
wants to have an “independent” foreign policy, he is heavily pressured by the Canadian
population and military to support the United States in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

People’s Republic of China

China is a unitary Marxist-Leninist one-party socialist republic led by the infamous dictator
Mao Zedong. China and the Soviet Union had disputed ideologically since the mid-1950s and
the Soviets had broken off military and economic support by the early 1960s. Under the
leadership of Mao Zedong, China developed a critical review about Soviet foreign policy that
suggested the unsuitability of Moscow for leadership of the social sphere. Chinese people are
obviously favourable to US president John F. Kennedy and his actions during the Cuban
Missile Crisis. They blamed Nikita Khrushchev for agitating the showdown in the first place
by installing nuclear missiles in Cuba.

Socialist State of Cuba

Cuba is a unitary Marxist-Leninist one-party socialist republic with nationalist tendencies

under the leadership of Fidel Castro. The country has nationalised critical companies and
industries that were formally under the control of the United States of America. This resulted
in the relations between the US and Cuba to sour greatly. The main concern for the US
though, is the possibility of Cuba being a socialist example for Latin American countries on
building and maintaining a utopia. That’s why the US acts so aggressively towards Cuba.

Then, Fidel Castro accepted the proposal from the Soviet Union to place Russian nukes in
Cuba. Fidel Castro believed that this would secure Cuban independence and the tipping of the
global balance in favor of the communist bloc. However, the US responded harshly and
enacted a “quarantine” around Cuba. This led to Fidel Castro requesting nuclear retaliation
from the USSR in the case of an American invasion on Cuba. However, Khrushchev
disagreed. Cuba will try it's hardest to preserve its independence even though Cuba’s say has
been overshadowed by the Soviet Union and the United States moderately.

Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic is a unitary presidential republic led by strongman Joaquin Balaguer. He

was sworn in as president when Hector Trujillo resigned because of illness. As General
Rafael Trujillo still held all the power, Balaguer could not do much for a change or reform.
After Trujillo’s assassination in 1961 Balaguer tried to liberalize the government and the
OAS (Organization of the American States) lifted the economic sanctions that had been
imposed during Trujillo’s dictatorship.

The Dominican Republic stands as the largest Caribbean economy, with large bilateral trade
with the US. Its proximity to the US and other Caribbean nations makes the Dominican
Republic an important partner in international affairs. Dominican Republic and the US
relations are excellent. The Dominican government has been supportive of the United States’
initiatives in the United Nations and related agencies.

German Democratic Republic

German Democratic Republic is a unitary Marxist-Leninist one-party socialist republic led by

stalinist and hardliner Walter Ulbricht. After World War 2, Germany was divided into four
parts. The western powers decided to unite their zones after tensions rose between the Soviet
Union on the one side, and the US, Great Britain, and France on the other. The USSR
responded by forming the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) to the establishment
of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) by the west block. The country is
commonly described as communist and it is called socialist worker's state by its government.

The capital of East Germany is East Berlin (Berlin is separated as west and east with the
Berlin Wall). After the government was informed about the missiles placed on Cuba, they
were worried about the outbreak of WW3 owing to Berlin being a very critical and risky
location. The Cuban Missile Crisis caused a great deal of apprehension in the country due to
the possible outcomes of a new war. The people of East Germany did not know what to
expect from tomorrow and how the situation of the world will be in the future which were the
main reasons for the panic among the country.

French Republic

France is a capitalist and liberal unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic led by the
prestigious military general Charles de Gaulle. In 1941, Charles de Gaulle emphasized that
the French government supported the USSR. In December 1941 two nations signed a treaty
of alliance and mutual assistance. In 1955 the alliance between France and USSR was
renounced after the Cold War had begun.

In 1949, France unwillingly joined the American leadership in the Cold War to involve the
Soviet Union. In January 1959, after the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro came to power on
the island-nation. Initially, French intellectuals and writers were intrigued with the new
change in Cuba. In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, French President Charles de
Gaulle supported the United States on the blockade of Cuba to prevent more missiles from
landing on the island.

Republic of Haiti

Haiti is a unitary semi-presidential republic led by populist, black nationalist and despotic
François Duvalier. He was elected in 1957 and was thought to be a break in the cycle of
presidential succession by military coup. But soon after his election he proved to be another
dictator.

The United States viewed Haiti as a counterbalance to communist leaders in Cuba. From
1957 to 1971 when Duvalier governed Haiti under a dictatorship the Us tolerated the regime
because of the anti-communist view of the country.

Italian Republic
Italy is a unitary parliamentary republic with the third government of left-leaning Amintore
Fanfani in power. Starting from 1960’s Italy improved its poor economy to one of the largest
and most advanced in the world

In 1946 Italy became a republic and a member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty
Organization). In 1949 they became allies of the US which helped the Italian economy.

United Mexican States

Mexico is a federal presidential republic led by left-wing politician Adolfo López Mateos.
Mexico has been experiencing steady economic growth. And the country has seen a political
stabilization over the past few years. Mexico shares a long border with the US and both
countries have a shared history that started about 150 years ago. The relationship between
Mexico and the USA is currently neutral.

Mexico has resisted American pressure to isolate Cuba. The Mexican government has taken
on principle the “non-intervention in the internal affairs of countries” which is why they
supported the removal of Soviet nuclear and ballistic missiles from Cuba, but not the invasion
of Cuba. This resulted in Mexico gaining bargaining power with the US, which did not want
to alienate Mexico. Although Mexico and the US’s foreign policies conflict, Kennedy’s visit
to Mexico in 1962 was a huge success.

Portuguese Republic

Portugal is a unitary one-party corporate state under an authoritarian dictatorship led by

nationalist, conservative and corporate António de Oliveria Salazar who also has capitalist
tendencies even though it is not central to his policies. Portugal joined NATO (North Atlantic
Treaty Organization) in 1949 and the country has been a member of the United Nations since
the year 1955.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was in their headlines during October 1962. The crisis directly
affected the relation between Portugal and the United States due to the American interest in
placing their military base in Portuguese islands of the Azores.

Spanish State

Spain is a unitary Francoist personalist dictatorship ruled by the infamous anti-communist

dictator Francisco Franco himself. The country has been under his dictatorship since 1939
which caused a lot of reforms to be made in the country. Spain is located in southwestern
Europe and the country joined the United Nations in 1955.
The relations between the USSR and Spain were problematic after WW2 as a consequence of
Spain being under a harsh and dominant regime. The nation and the government are highly
concerned about the possibility of a nuclear war and the international crisis due to the rising
tensions among the world.

Republic of Turkey

Turkey is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic under a military dictatorship led by

general Cemal Gürsel. Cemal Gürsel’s government has been focusing on further
institutionalizing the government, the democratization of the country and the development of
Eastern and South Eastern Anatolia. Turkey is currently a member of NATO and an ally of
the United States and Cemal Gürsel wants to make Turkey a shield of democracy and
freedom against the Soviet Union.

After significant pressure from the Soviet Union to institute partial control of the Turkish
Straits from 1946 to 1953, Turkey began to develop closer ties with the US and NATO.
These increasingly developing relations climaxed in Turkey joining NATO in the year 1952.
Turkey also houses US ballistic and nuclear missiles coupled with being the only NATO
member that has core territories in the Middle East.

United Kingdom

The UK is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy led by the pragmatist Harold

Macmillan from the Conservative Party with Elizabeth II as the current monarch. The UK is
located in Europe and it includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The capital
of the UK is London which is a metropolitan city. The UK has been a member of the United
Nations since 1942.

In 1962, after the announcement of the naval "quarantine", Kennedy notified some countries
about the crisis; however, he did not inform the UK which displeased the government of the
UK. After it became clear that the Soviets were still sending nuclear missiles to Cuba and
Kennedy placed a naval "quarantine”, the people of the United Kingdom started being
disturbed and perturbed by the crisis, some of them stayed home and avoided going to the
crowded places owing to the possibility of an attack’s occurrence. The government may have
wanted to support America’s actions about the "quarantine"; however, it would be difficult
under the blockade.

United States of America

The US is a federal presidential constitutional republic led by the young and determined
Kennedy. The US is one of the most powerful countries in the world with the USSR and
because of their very sharp ideological differences the US and the USSR has been struggling
to increase their zones of influence in the world.

The USA is an economic powerhouse thanks to its laissez-faire and capitalist philosophy. The
country also houses one of the most patriotic populations in the world which has resulted in
the US foreign diplomacy being tougher than it should be. Kennedy is a charismatic and
energetic leader that set his sights on the Soviet Union since his inauguration as president.

The US aims to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba while not hurting the national reputation
of the country. Even though Kennedy has a tough demeanor, he will act softer if it is
necessary to prevent nuclear apocalypse from happening.

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

USSR is a federal Marxist-Leninist one-party directorial parliamentary socialist republic led

by the anti-Stalinist dictator Nikita Khrushchev. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is
the largest country in the world. It was established in December 1922. The country has the
second strongest economy and the Soviet Armed Forces is commonly known as the largest
military in the world. The USSR has been producing many technological investments and it
has the biggest arsenal of nuclear weapons. The country joined the United Nations in October
1945 and the USSR is also a member of the United Nations Security Council as one of the
permanent countries.

After the Cuban revolution, due to the relationship between the Soviet Union and Cuba
getting closer, the countries became allies during the Cold War. Nikita Khrushchev and Fidel
Castro made a secret agreement after the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Soviet Union
started shipping nuclear missiles to Cuba; however, a US spy plane had discovered the
missiles being constructed and made Kennedy informed. Shortly after, Kennedy appealed for
the removal of the missiles and placed a naval blockade under the name of “quarantine" in
order to obstruct the shipping of missiles from the Soviet Union. He indicated that the US is
ready to use military force to ensure security which was clearly a threat to the Soviet Union.

Federal Republic of Germany

West Germany is a federal parliamentary constitutional republic that is currently under the
rule of the competent democrat and politician Konrad Adenauer. After Germany's division to
four parts, the United States, France and Great Britain (the west block) combined their zones
and established the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) with its capital Bonn due
to the relations becoming intense with the Soviet Union. As a response, the Soviet Union
established the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).
The government of West Germany was certainly concerned about the crisis and the risk of a
war after they were notified about the nuclear missiles being sent to Cuba. After Kennedy's
announcement of the naval "quarantine", people of West Germany started feeling anxious
owing to the fear of WW3. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, many of the newspapers
supported the American acts about the missiles and expressed people's worries.

Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia is a federal Titoist one-party presidential socialist republic led by the cunning
former general and communist Josip Broz Tito. In 1945 Yugoslavia was recognized by the
Soviet Union. At the same year -1945- in December, Josip Broz Tito emphasized "Yugoslav
people have warm and profound sympathy, friendship and brotherhood with the peoples of
the Soviet Union. But there is nothing exclusive about it." in his meeting with the Times. In
April 1945 the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia signed the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation
and also signed treaties of friendship and mutual assistance with almost all East European
countries.

Yugoslavia then split with the USSR because of a power struggle between Stalin and Tito.
This resulted in Yugoslavia becoming enemies with the USSR and Yugoslavia accepting
economic aid from the United States. Even though Yugoslavia and the US have gotten closer
over the years it is no match for the Yugoslav-Cuban relations. Yugoslavia is definitely on
the side of Cuba in the Cuban Missile Crisis but it doesn’t want to anger the USA too much.
All of these things combined make it so that Yugoslavia will support Cuba while not getting
on the nerves of the American government, Yugoslavia will be slightly opposed to the Soviet
Union and Yugoslavia will aim to create a peaceful Cuba.

Argentine Republic

Argentina is a federal presidential republic under the influence of the military led by civilian
anti-Peronist Jose María Guido. Argentina was a key ally of the United States from South
America, but it also had a history of close ties with the Soviet Union. During the Crisis,
Argentina pursued a policy of neutrality, trying to preserve good relations with both sides and
avoid getting caught up in the conflict. Argentina’s leaders did not want to be seen as an ally
for anyone in the crisis, and they worked to refrain from being drawn into the conflict.

In terms of Argentina’s broader role in the Cold War, Argentina was a key player in the
region and played a remarkable role in the political and economic developments during the
Crisis. Also, Argentina was a member of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance
(TIAR), which was a regional defense pact signed by several Latin American countries and
the United States. The TIAR was designed to counter the perceived threat of growing
communism in the region and was seen as an important part of the U.S. strategy to contain
communism in Latin America.

Argentina was also a key trading partner for the United States and the two countries had
strong economic ties. However, Argentina’s relationship with the United States was not
always smooth, there were times when the two countries had significant differences over
policy issues. In general, Argentina tried to sustain a balanced relationship with both the
United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, but it ultimately leaned more
towards the United States and the western part.

Netherlands

Netherlands, informally known as Holland, is located in North-western Europe with its

capital Amsterdam. The country borders West Germany to the east and Belgium to the south.
The Netherlands has been a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a unitary structure
since 1848. The Netherlands joined the United Nations in 1945 and Jan de Quay has been the
prime minister of the Netherlands since 1959.

The Netherlands followed a balanced policy during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and
avoided having enemies. Relations between the US and Netherlands were not great during
WW2 due to the US attitude in the 1940s, however; the US considered the Netherlands as a
potential ally during the Cold War. The country continued to follow its balanced policy
during the Cuban Missile Crisis and tried to preserve peace.

Kingdom of Belgium

Belgium, officially named as the Kingdom of Belgium, is a sovereign state and a federal
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. The current prime minister of the
country is Théo Lefèvre. Since Belgium is located in North-western Europe and borders the
Netherlands, France and West Germany; it has an important geopolitical position. The largest
city of Belgium is Brussels which is also the capital of the country. Belgium has been a
member of the United Nations since 1945.

The government of Belgium was not happy when it became obvious that there is a serious
crisis in the world about nuclear missiles. As the tensions rose among the world, the
worriment of the government about the nation being in chaos clearly increased. Belgium is
not close allies or fierce enemies neither with the US nor with the USSR.

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

North Korea is a unitary one-party socialist republic under a totalitarian hereditary
dictatorship led by strongman Kim Il-Sung. North Korean history begins with the Division of
Korea in 1945 with the USSR invading the north and the US invading the south. Throughout
the cold war North Korea was supported by the USSR China and other allies.

The Soviet Union was the first to recognize North Korea in 1948. During the Korean War
North Korea received major military support from the USSR

Republic of Korea

South Korea is a unitary presidential constitutional republic under a military dictatorship led
by authoritarian Park Chung-Hee. As the North was supported by the Eastern states South
Korea was supported by the United States, United Kingdom and other Western allies.

After the Korean War which left the Korean economy in ruins South Korea experienced
immense growth in economy and military. Relations between the US and South Korea started
in 1950. South Korea has a long military alliance with the US since the Vietnam War to the
most recent events. South Korea has been regarded as a major non-NATO ally by the US.

Japan

Japan is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy led by brilliant economist Hayato

Ikeda. After the devastation of WW2, Japan steadily and quickly rose as a democratic,
Western-aligned and wealthy powerhouse of the Far East. Hayato Ikeda has been
instrumental in the economic miracle of Japan for the last couple of years.

Although Japan has close ties with the US, Japan is reluctant in acting in foreign matters
which is partially caused by the fact that Japan cannot have a national military as stated by its
constitution. Also, Japan has cold and strenuous relations with the Soviet Union and China.

Japan, even if it is not considered as an ardent supporter of the USA, is on the side of the
USA in the be-all and end-all issue of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Japan, while not being a
major actor militarily, still holds considerable political power thanks to its booming economy.
But it should not be forgotten that Japan wants the Cuban Missile Crisis to end peacefully at
all costs.

Republic of India

India is a federal parliamentary constitutional republic led by national hero and modernist
Jawaharlal Nehru. India is a rising power on the world stage and the biggest power in South
Asia. Its population is on the brink of reaching half a billion people.
Jawaharlal Nehru’s efforts have led to the political stabilization and industrialisation of the
country. Along with that, he democratized and secularized the country substantially. Nehru
also made India one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement which aims to
stand as a third way for countries seeking to not choose a side in the Cold War.

The participation in the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement resulted in India having
stable and neutral relations with the USSR and the USA. India and Nehru aim to build,
maintain and prosper peace in the world through diplomacy. And this is what they would like
to achieve in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Pakistan is a federal Islamic parliamentary republic under a military dictatorship led by the
ruthless Ayub Khan. Pakistan is a regional power in South Asia that is developing rapidly in
economy and military. It has a very large Muslim population which increases the strength of
the country.

Having organized a coup on the previous democratic government, Ayub Khan has become a
ruthless dictator that does not care about human rights. But its economy has seen a steady and
quick rise since Ayub Khan took over. However, strenuous relations with India became more
strenuous as a result of Ayub Khan’s tendency to showcase his power.

Pakistan, thanks to Ayub Khan, has gotten a lot closer to the USA in the last couple of years.
Which in turn resulted in the souring of Pakistani-Soviet relations. Pakistan currently
supports the US position in the Cuban Missile Crisis but it cannot rally the full extent of its
political power because of their ongoing standoff with India. This may result in Pakistan
leaning neutral.

United Kingdom of Libya

Libya is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy led by the leader of the Senussi
Order, Idris I. The country houses one of the biggest oil reservoirs in the world.

Libya has been a poor country for a long while because of its lack of arable land and natural
resources. However, oil has been found in the country very recently which immediately
boosted the economy of the country greatly.

Libya can be considered a neutral nation in the world of geopolitics. Although the country
has economic ties with NATO countries, the relations are cold between the sides because of
the ongoing support of Israel by NATO countries. Libya aims to cool off the Cuban Missile
Crisis.
Kingdom of Morocco

Morocco is a unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy led by autocrat Hassan II.

In reality though, the monarch is the most powerful person in the country by far. The country
is one of the most powerful Arab countries in the world.

Morocco currently deals with the issue of Western Sahara along with the countries of Spain
and Algeria. It is a somewhat poor nation that is struggling to fight the democratization
movement in the country. Hassan II is a controversial leader as a result of his authoritarian
practices and numerous breaches of human rights.

Morocco currently enjoys fruitful relations with the US and Israel. This has resulted in
Morocco favoring the US side in the Cuban Missile Crisis although Morocco is wary of the
Soviet Union fearing the potential aid that can be provided to democracy supporters by the
USSR. This has resulted in Morocco acting more neutral although not to the point of
becoming fully neutral.
Questions to be Answered

1. How should the council proceed in order to agree on a ceasefire?

2. What should be done about the Soviet missiles in Cuba? Should the removal of the
missiles be publicized?
3. What should be done about the US missiles in Italy and Turkey? Should the removal
of the missiles be publicized?
4. Should Cuba, the US and the USSR be paid war reparations? If so, by whom and how
much?
5. What should the council do on the matter of the independence of Cuba?
6. What decision should the council take on the matter of foreign intervention in Latin
America? Should it be stopped to preserve the independence of Latin American
countries?
7. How should the council proceed in order to prevent any potentially apocalyptic
disasters in the future?
8. What should be done about militaries and ballistic missiles? Should the countries in
the world demilitarize?
9. Will the council reach a consensus to decrease the number of nuclear missiles, to ban
nuclear power only for military uses or to ban nuclear power altogether?