Can Biden get from a no-win position to a some-win situation over Ukraine?
The threat of cutting Russia off from Western economies may convince Putin to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means in exchange for some American concessions.
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DURING the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, then-US president John F Kennedy threatened to employ military power to force Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to withdraw its nuclear missiles, even if that meant risking a nuclear war between the two superpowers that could have ended up in the death of millions of Americans.
Kennedy's ultimatum was credible and it was backed by the American people who, 17 years after the end of World War II, were willing to fight in another military conflict in order to defend their country from what was seen as a clear and present danger.
Now, 60 years after the Cuban missile crisis, as another occupant of the Kremlin challenges the current American president, the political and geo-strategic conditions have changed. They also explain the major difference between the realities that had confronted President Kennedy and the position that current president Joe Biden is facing today.
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