Now is a time for serious reflection, negotiation, seeking of meetings of minds, and dedicated efforts to diffuse what could be the overtures of World War III
A few days ago I watched the 2000 movie "Thirteen Days" about the Cuban missile crisis.
It was the third or fourth time I had seen it and given the current situation with Russia and some of the outlandish talk (assassinate Putin, use first-strike nuclear missiles) I thought Thirteen Days would be timely.
It was.
Thirteen Days is set in October, 1962, and dramatizes the agonizing decision-making of President John Kennedy, closely accompanied by his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and Kenneth O'Donnell, the president's political advisor.
The Cuban missile crisis was the real deal
The Kennedys and O'Donnell are shown wading with advisors through various options stemming from the recently-acquired knowledge of nuclear missiles being readied in Cuba that would be capable of reaching Washington within five minutes.
The thrust of the movie is that two world rivals on the verge of nuclear war are ultimately made up of human beings. The solution is finding the key to reaching that humanity to stop the runaway train racing toward nuclear destruction.
Each option the administration considers seems to be leading to an inevitable showdown with the Soviets which would probably lead to all out war. The president wrestles with legalities, ethics, and political and military strategies while taking personal slights against his leadership from some of his advisors, especially those in the military.
Above all, the president recognizes the realities of the risks and eventually he and his team develop ideas allowing both sides to save face and back down from the brink.
In the Thirteen Days movie – not based on the Robert Kennedy book of the same name -- Bruce Greenwood gives a convincing performance as John Kennedy as does Robert Culp as Bobby. While over the top on his contrived Boston Irish accent, Kevin Costner is an intriguing O'Donnell.
The Cuban missile crisis was the real deal -- I was 14 at the time and recall the fear we had that at any moment we would be annihilated in nuclear mushroom clouds.
While diminished since the fall of the Soviet Union, Russian, of course, remains a nuclear power, has a war that is going badly, and is undergoing sanctions increasingly boxing it in.
Questions are not treason. Any more than other recent questions were anti-science
While the plight of the Ukranian people is sad, the situation is more complex than everyone just reflexively waving a blue and gold flag.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is cruel. What act of war isn't? But a question raised in Thirteen Days and relevant to Russia today is what is the other guy thinking?
While we may disdain Putin's action, can we have an understanding of suggestions Ukraine join NATO or the European Union? Given NATO defense pledges against Russia, Putin has long signaled he won't stand for it in Ukraine. Is this, for him the Cuban missile crisis in reverse?
Sadly, as we've seen in the COVID situation, propaganda is a problem. Someone has said raising critical questions about the Ukrainian situation is the new ivermectin.
Given the plight of the Ukrainian people, any attempt toward a somewhat objective analysis of the apparent realities of geopolitics subjects one to accusations of having a cold, cold heart.
Worse, not going along with the drumbeats of war against Russia may cause one to be labeled a Russian agent or of promoting Russian propaganda. Ask Fox's Tucker Carlson or former member of Congress Tulsi Gabbard about that as they raise questions about Eastern Europe and are accused of treason.
Questions are not treason. Any more than other recent questions were anti-science.
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One of the things that struck me about Thirteen Days was the portrayals of the overall gravitas of the men dealing with the problem: the Kennedys, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, United Nations Ambassador Adlai Stevenson, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, Kennedy advisor and former Secretary of State Dean Acheson, and others.
Without making any accusations regarding some players in the current crisis (you know who they are) it would be nice to see some serious reflection on where this all might go.
At least Joe Biden, perhaps under the direction of his handlers, has pledged not to directly go to war with Russia. We'll see if that promise remains.
Also, realpolitik does not involve memes, approved Facebook statements, or the fractured portrayals of reality available through a multitude of cell phone cameras.
Now is a time for serious reflection, negotiation, seeking of meetings of minds, and dedicated efforts to diffuse what could be the overtures of World War III.
It's been done before.
Retired business professor Mike Landry, Ph.D., has been a journalist, broadcaster, and church pastor. Living in Northwest Arkansas, he writes on current events and history and is a commentary writer for The Western Journal.
