Short Papers:  Students are also required to write 3 papers, no longer than 4 double-spaced pages each. Papers should be 12 pt type, with one inch margins. Please make sure that your name and student ID number appear on the first page of the document, and that the pages are numbered.  

You will be given no additional credit for writing more than 3 short papers or for more than one paper written during each of the time periods.  

An electronic copy of the paper must be submitted to the Turnitin link on Canvas no later than 12:30 pm on the day it is due. Papers submitted late (after 12:30 pm on the day due) will not be graded.  

You are free to use whatever outside sources are available to answer the short-paper questions. Note, there are good and bad sources of information on the internet. Some of the best sources for current international reporting are the major newspapers: the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Financial Times, and the Guardian. In addition, the Economist has excellent coverage on a wide range of countries and international events. For more in-depth analyses see Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the New Yorker, and the Atlantic. You should be familiar with all of these sources and be reading extensively about a particular event before writing your memos. 

Memos must follow all conventions of attribution and notation. Quotes and paraphrasing must be explicitly cited. Memos found to include plagiarized material will be given an automatic zero and no make-up paper will be allowed. The plagiarized paper will then be reported to 

UCSDs Committee on Academic Integrity for whatever additional punishment the University would like to add.  

HERE’S THE QUESTION: 

Case:  Ned Lebow, The Cuban Missile Crisis, CIAO Case Study.  

Memo and Discussion Questions:

Some of President Kennedys advisors suggested he launch a targeted military strike against Cuba in order to eliminate Russias nuclear missiles. Ultimately, he chose a different strategy. What strategy did Kennedy choose and why did he prefer this strategy to every other strategy including a military strike? Briefly discuss each of the other strategies and explain why Kennedy believed his choice was better than the others (Hint: assume that Kennedy, like all politicians, wanted to be re-elected.)