The individual level of analysis focuses on the personality, perceptions, and actions of individual participants in the political system (Mingst & Arreguin-Toft, 74). While the individual level is seen with varying degrees of importance by political scientists (183), there are times when an individual may have greater influence on the outcomes of events particularly in times of crisis or when dealing with ambiguous situations (185). The film Thirteen Days offers an excellent view into the decisions made by the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, during the 1962 incident known as the Cuban Missile Crisis and highlights the importance of a state’s leader to affect foreign policy.
The Cuban Missile Crisis had the potential to lead to a thermonuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union (Haupt 2016 T5L1, 2016), however diplomatic solutions were found to avert a full fledged war. Several of Kennedy’s personality characteristics play important roles in the strategies taken by the United States during the crisis and guided the foreign policy of the country. As a confident and charismatic leader, Kennedy displayed a high need for power and a high perception of control. Kennedy’s confidence in his own ability to choose the correct path for the nation is exemplified in two scenes. When his military staff advanced their …show more content…
Kennedy’s personal characteristics and ability to avoid self-serving biases in information processing were important to determining the the outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy’s ability to maintain control of the situation and project his influence over those involved aided the state in remaining focussed on diplomatic answers until forced into other options. Had the President been less willing to stand by his belief system that non-military options should be employed before launching airstrikes towards the missile systems the conflict would most likely have escalated into a nuclear
The Cuban Missile Crisis had the potential to lead to a thermonuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union (Haupt 2016 T5L1, 2016), however diplomatic solutions were found to avert a full fledged war. Several of Kennedy’s personality characteristics play important roles in the strategies taken by the United States during the crisis and guided the foreign policy of the country. As a confident and charismatic leader, Kennedy displayed a high need for power and a high perception of control. Kennedy’s confidence in his own ability to choose the correct path for the nation is exemplified in two scenes. When his military staff advanced their …show more content…
Kennedy’s personal characteristics and ability to avoid self-serving biases in information processing were important to determining the the outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy’s ability to maintain control of the situation and project his influence over those involved aided the state in remaining focussed on diplomatic answers until forced into other options. Had the President been less willing to stand by his belief system that non-military options should be employed before launching airstrikes towards the missile systems the conflict would most likely have escalated into a nuclear