Nikita Khrushchev

The warnings in Cold War history.

The secret history and unlearned lessons of the Cuban missile crisis.

A new history of the Cuban missile crisis emphasizes how close the world came to destruction—and how severe a threat the weapons still pose.

In the nearly sixty years since the Cuban missile crisis, the story of near-catastrophe has only grown more complicated.

The bullshit, the truth… and Trump.

To avoid catastrophe, Kennedy turned to diplomacy. Trump would be wise to do the same.

What it means, why it matters, and where it started.

Pope Francis is the only world leader who seems prepared to denounce war.

On the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Japan, we should remember that deploying the bomb wasn’t necessary to win the war.

Russia’s recent nuclear threats have revived Cold War animosity with roots in the Cuban missile crisis.

The type of quiet, personal, informed diplomacy advocated by George Kennan can reduce tensions with China and Russia.

The president's Nantucket nuclear fallout shelter could become a National Historic Landmark—but efforts to preserve its history have stalled.

Viewed as public memory, the Crisis has an extraordinarily useful function today: a nuclear warning for the future.

The missile crisis led Cuba’s leaders to distrust their Soviet ally—an attitude that ultimately helped their revolutionary system to outlast the USSR’s.

The standoff 60 years ago has newfound relevance for handling the Ukraine crisis today.

In the wake of economic crises, liberal democracies proved most adept at imposing austerity.

For 80 years, wieners have been an essential component of foreign policy.

As the war in Ukraine worsens, there’s little debate about Western policy choices. This is a mistake.

Why our nuclear fears faded – and why that’s dangerous.

My policy was to work for the best, while expanding NATO to prepare for the worst.