The Cuban Missile Crisis Analogy

Remember when Vladimir Putin compared the current proposed U.S. shield plans to the Cuban missile crisis? Some don’t quite agree with the analogy:

Comparing U.S. plans to put defensive missiles in Eastern Europe to Khrushchev’s placement of offensive missiles in Cuba 45 years ago is like saying arsonists and firefighters both pour liquids on flames. … The Soviet placement of offensive nuclear missiles in Cuba was a brazen attempt to establish missile bases in a former Soviet satellite 90 miles from our shores. That would have given Moscow the ability to launch a first strike virtually without warning. The Kremlin planned and undertook the construction of those bases in secret. And when the bases were discovered, it lied about their existence and purpose to President Kennedy and the world before the United Nations. That forced a U.S. naval blockade that brought the world to the brink of war. By contrast, the U.S. has been very open about its defensive plans in Europe to deal with a growing Iranian threat aided and abetted by Russia. We have negotiated publicly with our allies and kept Moscow in the loop. Unlike the Soviet missiles in Cuba, which threatened our existence, our 10 missile interceptors don’t threaten Russia or the thousands of warheads in a rapidly growing Russian arsenal.

Full article here.