Master America's Foreign Policy 2025 - Ace the Exam and Shape Global Futures!

The Cuban Missile Crisis had a profound effect on U.S. and Soviet foreign policies, primarily resulting in the buildup of nuclear forces and heightened distrust between the two superpowers. The crisis, which unfolded in October 1962, brought the world to the brink of nuclear war as the U.S. discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from its shore. In the wake of this confrontation, both nations recognized the necessity of enhancing their military capabilities to deter each other.

The immediate aftermath led to an arms race where both the United States and the Soviet Union escalated their nuclear arsenals, driven by the fear of being outmatched. This race was fueled by the perception that mutual vulnerability had not eased the geopolitical tensions; instead, it underscored the urgent need for both states to solidify their defenses.

While there were later attempts to address nuclear arms through treaties such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and strategic arms limitation talks (SALT), these measures emerged from the decade of distrust that followed the crisis rather than from a foundation of cooperation established during it. Thus, the Cuban Missile Crisis fundamentally shaped the trajectory of U.S. and Soviet foreign policies towards a more confrontational and arms-focused approach.