Biden should treat the Ukraine situation like the Cuban Missile Crisis
There is an absurd conundrum at the heart of the Russia-Ukraine standoff. Russia wants a guarantee from the United States that Ukraine won't become part of NATO. NATO probably isn't going to include Ukraine in the alliance anytime soon. But nobody is willing to make that guarantee, certainly not while Russia is massing troops along Ukraine's border as a possible prelude to invasion. And so the standoff continues.
Maybe it's time for a Cuban Missile Crisis deal.
For much of the last 60 years, the 1962 Cuban crisis was told and retold publicly as a story of steel-jawed U.S. resolve. The Soviet Union deployed nuclear weapons to the island nation just 90 miles off the American coast. President John Kennedy ordered a naval "quarantine" of Cuba to prevent the delivery of additional weapons. The world stood at the brink of a massive war for a few days before Soviet premier Nikita Kruschev backed down, withdrawing his country's missiles. American determination carried the day.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Only that wasn't the whole story. Starting in the late 1980s, declassified documents revealed the full truth — that the U.S. had done a secret deal with the Soviets to remove American nuclear missiles from Turkey in exchange for the removal of weapons from Cuba. (Why secret? So Kennedy couldn't be accused of appeasement.) Both sides got something. Sensible dealmaking, not bluster and threats, kept them from waging a nuclear war that would end civilization.
Right now, though, there seems to be no shortage of bluster and threats. While Biden said Wednesday morning that sending U.S. troops to Ukraine is "not on the table," on Thursday he also warned Russian leader Vladimir Putin that the U.S. would impose economic consequences if Russia invades Ukraine — unlike 2014, when America largely stood by during the Russian invasion of Crimea. "I will look you in the eye and tell you, as President Biden looked Putin in the eye and told him today, that things we did not do in 2014 we are prepared to do now," said national security adviser Jake Sullivan, signaling America's steely resolve — this time.
All of this is ridiculous. If America really has no plans to go to war over Ukraine — and nobody has offered a good reason to do so, save for tired warnings about U.S. credibility — then surely an accommodation can be found. Maybe that deal has to be kept private, in order to placate Ukraine's leaders. That's fine. Admittedly, Putin has other reasons for wanting to seize Ukraine that can't be so easily defused. But if Biden can help avoid a war in Eastern Europe with a little bit of sensible, secret dealmaking, he should do it. It's OK if we don't find out for a few decades.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
'Being more nuanced will not be easy for public health agencies'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Where did Democratic voters go?
Voter turnout dropped sharply for Democrats in 2024
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
4 tips to save as health care costs rise
The Explainer Co-pays, prescription medications and unexpected medical bills can really add up
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
The North Korean troops readying for deployment in Ukraine
The Explainer Third country wading into conflict would be 'the first step to a world war' Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned
By The Week UK Published
-
Experts call for a Nato bank to 'Trump-proof' military spending
Under The Radar A new lender could aid co-operation and save millions of pounds, say think tanks
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
What happens if Russia declares war on Nato?
Today's Big Question Fears are growing after Vladimir Putin's 'unusually specific warning' to Western governments
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Missile escalation: will long-range rockets make a difference to Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Kyiv is hoping for permission to use US missiles to strike deep into Russian territory
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Atesh: the Ukrainian partisans taking on Russia
Under The Radar Underground resistance fighters are risking their lives to defend their country
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Iran and Israel: is all-out war inevitable?
Talking Points Tehran has vowed revenge for assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, but Gaza ceasefire could offer way out
By The Week UK Published
-
'Second only to a nuclear bomb' – the controversial arms Russia is using in Ukraine
The Explainer Thermobaric bombs 'capable of vaporising human bodies' have been used against Ukraine
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The peaceful archipelago that may take up arms
Under The Radar Russia's invasion of Ukraine has left the Åland Islands 'peculiarly vulnerable'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published