Volume VIII – Number I
Phil Williams
Abstract: Crisis management is an essential part of international relations, and has become even more so in the 20th century. Yet despite its increased importance, it is a field of study within international relations that has yet to be studied adequately, an unfortunate fact given that new crises can now have the threat of nuclear holocaust behind them. The definition of managing a crisis has evolved and exists on a spectrum ranging absolute avoidance of violence, exemplified by the appeasement of Britain and France in the 1930s, to exploitation of an opportunity to further one’s political desires, as exemplified by Hitler’s exploitation of Britain’s appeasement for territorial expansion. The definition of crisis management has been forced to evolve once again with the introduction of nuclear weapons into the equation, bringing about a willingness to manage a crisis without the use of violence not seen before. This piece analyzes the evolution of crisis management from the World War I and II eras to the current nuclear era, with an emphasis on the cases of Germany’s territorial expansion and Britain and France’s appeasement, as well as the creation of the Berlin Wall and the Cuban Missile crisis. In analyzing the successes and failures in managing these international crises, these common-sense guidelines are offered to govern the future management of international crises: careful assessment of the indications of any action by either actor, as well as increased communication between adversaries in the midst of a crisis.
Keywords: Crisis Management, Cuban Missile Crisis, Nuclear Weapons, International Relations
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