How was the Cuban Missile Crisis perceived in the USA and Cuba Essay

How was the Cuban Missile Crisis perceived in the USA and Cuba - Essay Example The U.S. and Cuban governments were each compelled to action by the fear of each other. Both countries posed a threat, real and implied, to the other. Nuclear bomb paranoia swept the post World War II world. In no place or time was this fear more apparent than during the Cuban Missile Crisis. During the 1962 crisis, Fidel Castro, Nikita Khrushchev and John Kennedy jockeyed for the upper hand, each employing bold moves that brought the world to the brink of possible annihilation. Prior to the Cuban Revolution in the mid to late 1950’s, the tropical island of Cuba was a favored tourist attraction of U.S. citizens. The United States government held substantial control in Cuba’s economic and political dealings. However, Castro, a leading political figure in Cuba, refused to be controlled by the United States. The United States government suspected that when Castro assumed power on January 1, 1959, his communist government would pose a close threat to America. Castro further raised concerns when he seized property belonging to prosperous Cuban Nationals and foreigners in an attempt to improve conditions for working-class Cubans. Many of these properties belonged to businesses owned by U.S. companies and individuals. U.S. suspicions and concerns were heightened in December, 1960 when Castro officially and openly aligned Cuba with the Soviet Union. Less than one month later, in early January, 1961, the U.S. severed diplomatic relations with Castro and imposed a trade embargo on Cuba that remains in effect to this day. The embargo stopped the flow of oil to Cuba and the sale of its major cash crop, sugar, from Cuba.

Severe Storm exam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Severe Storm exam - Assignment Example It is because of this movement that a derecho is referred to as a; â€Å"straight-line wind damage†. Derecho winds originate from downbursts. They possess almost similar characteristics. The inherent difference is that; derechos assume a curved shape, while downbursts maintain horizontal dimensions of approximately 4 to 6 miles. Winds in a derecho have must be greater than 57mph for them to be considered as severe wind gusts (according to the National Weather Service). There are three different types of derechos: serial derencho, progressive derencho, and boundary waters-Canadian derencho. The serial derencho originates from multiple bow echoes in a wide squall line. The progressive derecho originates from single bow echoes in short line of winds and thunderstorms. The Boundary Waters-Canadian Derecho develops from a narrow progressive derecho in the bow echo system. The ‘derecho triangle’ is extensive; from Minneapolis to Dallas to Pittsburgh. Derechos occur mostly in the late spring and summer seasons. They take place along two axes: the extensive â€Å"corn-belt† region; from the upper Mississippi Valley to the Ohio Valley and from the mid Mississippi Valley to the southern plains. They are not common during autumn and winter. If they occur during these seasons, they are experienced in eastern Texas to the south eastern states. Isolated derecho have been experienced in the western United States during the spring. In the mid-Atlantic, derechos are mostly experienced in the warm season. They take place on the fringes of great heat waves. Large-scale heat waves provide conditions that are conducive for the development of derechos. The heat waves and derechos are linked by an Elevated Mixed Layer (EML); mid-tropospheric layer of air that develops over the elevated arid terrain. Emls exhibit steep reductions in temperature with height. These temperature differentials enhance