Georgii Kornienko was a Soviet diplomat who was an attaché at the Soviet embassy in Washington during Cuban Missile Crisis.
- Comprehensively prepare foreign policy decisions, taking into account all “objective and subjective factors;” also, understand your adversary’s position.
- In times of crisis, one should neither rush decisions nor stall.
- Do not to corner your opponent while trying to find the most appropriate way out of it for yourself.
- The personalities of leaders are of great importance. As much as they differed, both leaders were guided by common sense and political will to find solution
Lesson: Need to prevent these types of crises in future, as they could easily escalate into a major war.
The Cold War: Testimony of a Participant, 2001. (translated from Russian)
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