Essence Of Decision: Explaining The Cuban Missile Crisis

Essence Of Decision: Explaining The Cuban Missile Crisis Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis, by Graham Allison and Philip Zelikow examines the momentous Cuban Missile Crisis, which was one of the most successful acts of diplomacy during the Cold War. Allison and Zelikow explore through three different conceptual lenses accommodating the reader to look further into common methods of foreign policy analysis. Allison and Zelikow evaluate the events of the thirteen days in October 1962 to demonstrate the models of policy analysis from different perspectives. The authors provide ample historical reviews, evidence and documents of the events, and offers thorough analyses of the crucial time of the nuclear age by also presenting new methods to consider with foreign policy actions. The three conceptual models, which can be used to analyze policy actions; the Rational Actor, Organizational Behavior, and Governmental Politics Models are described and applied to the Cuban Missile Crisis case. Each model demonstrates different fe atures and areas of the fundamental decisions made by both the United States and the Soviet Union during the crisis. Allison and Zelikow clarify that even though there is no whole understanding of the situation as it happened at the time, and it will never be likely, however using these three theoretical lenses it will help gain a closer understanding and more of an awareness of all of the elements and the choices that were made at the time. In this essay I will attempt to draw some understanding of the decisions the United States made towards the Cuban Missile Crisis by using Allisons three conceptual lenses from the Essence of Decision, which is an analysis of the crisis itself and the decision making in the resolution procedure. Graham Allison and Philip Zelikow present Model I as the most commonly used method of evaluating foreign policy actions, this method is titled the Rational Actor Model, also known as RAM. RAM is a way of understanding policy actions taken by states, by considering the country as a rational unitary actor. The rational framework is also the most frequently used method in determining decisions between policy choices in the adoption and evaluation stages of the policy cycle. Whilst analysing an action undertaken by a state towards another state, the RAM presumes the actions taken place are intended, value maximising and strategic. The authors quote for each explanation an act consists of showing what goal the government was pursing when it acted and how the action was a reasonable choice, given the nations objective (Allison Zelikow, 1999, p. 15). This allows us to understand how people go about making decisions, as it is done implicitly, without the person unintentionally realising the y are doing it. The main questions in the Essence of Decision book that were answered in regards to the crisis are; Why did the Soviet Union place offensive missiles in Cuba? Why did the US respond to this action with a blockade around Cuba? And why did the Soviet Union withdraw missiles in response? Looking at the situation in understanding the US decision-making reaction to the actions, the RAM analysis considers after evaluating a number options, and considering Kennedys goals, by assessing the quality of the search for options and their respective outcomes, and check whether the final choice promised to achieve his original goals to the extent that the decision-making process comes close to this ideal model, we can say that it was rational (Allison 1999, p.33), and a blockade would have the best chance of sending the desired message to Moscow without provoking a military response. Allison and Zelikows Rational Actor Model, examines the question of whether we can understand clea rly the move made by a country in the international policy arena as a rational choice? For instance, the concept of bounded rationality appears clearly in foreign policy decision making, even when there is a central decision maker of a state, for example a leader or president who has supreme choice over all courses of action, their rational decision making will be hindered by the fact that they have no idea what the opponent is thinking. This can be referred back to the Cuban Missile Crisis; where President Kennedy and his advisors, the ExComs failed attempts at trying to understand why Khrushchev made certain decisions and actions. Since the international policy arena often deals with competitive oppositional opponents who keep their true intentions hidden as a means of accomplishing what they want (Lindbolm, 1959, p.113-127). President Kennedy becomes the driver of the debate by making sure his team cautiously takes each step of the crisis to probe deeper implications of each opti on and to stretch their imagination (Allison Zelikow, 1999, p. 357) as the mass of diverting nuclear war cascades upon him. Thus helps us understand why the US made a rational decision with the blockade as it had several advantages, one being it did not constitute direct attack, secondly it placed the burden of the next move on Khrushchev, and also kept other options open. This is when the USSR decided to withdraw, that is because it recognised US strategic superiority. The book argues that in fact the USSR backed down in face of US warnings that further actions would follow if the missiles were to become operational. The second Model, Allison and Zelikow presents are the Organisational Model of foreign policy. In this model, it is understood that countries and governments are not unitary actors but are stated as vast conglomerate(s) of loosely allied organisations, each with a substantial life of its own (Allison Zelikow, 1999, p. 143). The authors state that Governments perceive problems through organisational sensorsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦they define alternatives and estimate consequences as their component organisations. And process information So, the government movements are not so much logical choices decided upon by one central decision maker, but are the productions of many organizations all functioning according to standard patterns of behaviour. The effects to consider with this organisational model illustrate that the importance of looking at governmental actions this way gives us a clear understanding of why the United States made the decisions in this crisis. For example, nearly all govern ment actions in foreign policy are carried out by organizations, whether it is the Forces or the CIA, in this case, the government carrying out the policies are divided with the military and intelligence agencies. Furthermore, organizational actions are also limited and known by standard operating procedures, with what has been done before. The model which the authors present provides us with a curious opportunity to look at the role of bodies that play in foreign policy making in different ways. In Model II, Allison and Zelikow present a way of looking at policy decisions that are completely well ordered by the bureaucracy, although it may not be the government that makes the decision. In understanding the United States decision-making process with Model II, the deliberations of the EX-Com that produced possible alternatives were alternatively answered by the organisations, What specifically, could be done? (Allison Zelikow, 1999, p. 225). President Kennedys actions were limited b y what the military organisations could do, since their actions and decisions made were backed up with experience and previous choices in foreign policy. Essence of Decision illustrates that organisational capacities are fundamental in international policy making. Model II also allows us to understand examples of how organizational behaviours shake the implementation of certain policies. For example, the situation by the Soviet troops lack of camouflage of the missiles in Cuba, and President Kennedy rushing to control with the test flights over Soviet air space. If this occurred after the crisis had begun, there might have started a nuclear war due to wrong interpretation other than a test flight. This example suggests that there is always more to the situation of a rational decision. The authors allow us to look through other lenses to give us more of an understanding of how the US made certain decisions throughout the crisis. The third model that Allison and Zelikow illustrate in the Essence of Decision is the Governmental Politics model also known as the Bureaucratic model. Model III consists of policy actions as a process where state actors bring their personal thoughts, opinions and ideas together to achieve separate goals and decide upon a course of action collectively, which may conflict with each other. In Essence of Decision the authors explain why it is necessary to identify the games and players, to display the coalitions, bargains and compromises, and to convey some feel for the confusion (Allison Zelikow, 1999, p. 257). In this case, various individuals, representing various organisational interests engage in a process to achieve a negotiated group decision, which will represent the policy of a state. During the Crisis all US decisions were created by ExCom, President Kennedys inner circle of advisors that were composed together specifically for the missile crisis. Allison and Zelikow discusse d the Ex-Com members and their ideas, the significance of the Cuban issue to Kennedy, and generally try to illustrate an overall political atmosphere behind the U.S. decisions. Allison proposed in the book that because of the failure of Bay of Pigs invasion, the Republicans in the United States congress made Cuban policy into a major issue for the upcoming congressional elections later in 1962. Therefore President Kennedy decided on a strong response rather than a diplomatic one. Although the majority of ExCom initially favoured air strikes, those closest to the president, (his brother Attorney General, Robert Kennedy and Special Council General Theodore Sorensen) favoured the Blockade. At the same time Kennedy got himself into disputes with supporters of the air strikes, such as Force General Curtis Lemay. After the Bay of Pigs fiasco, Kennedy also distrusted the CIA and their advice. This combination of push and pull led to the implication of a blockade. (Essence of Decision Prese ntation, u.d) Because of the nature of many foreign policy decisions and the ultimate importance of the decisions they attempt to make, the public and congress can generally defer any decision-making powers to the president even if they know the situation. For instance, in Essence of Decision, we see that the president makes his decision very quickly and through complete blankness, where there were no influence from Congress, or the public as they were unaware of the actions until the White House made the statements. Allison and Zelikow mention a few times in Essence of Decision how different the situation of the Missile Crisis would be if it had happened in todays world with the immense public knowledge forcing decisions within hours rather than days. As it was, the president only had to challenge with the rivalry of ideas of his team of advisory. They brought in organizational and political thoughts from the head of agencies such as the military, which all had their own aims and o bjectives within the whole situation. As Wildavsky states, the president can nearly always gain support for his foreign policies, however his problem is to find a viable policy (1966, p. 237). For many parts of the politics Kennedy had to perform, were very limited in comparison to the domestic policy situations that occur. This model in comparison to the first two models may not illustrate an informative policy analysis, however it does offer a strong case in understanding why Kennedy came to the decision of a blockade. With essentially no opinion from the populous, the small governmental group made their decisions that could have meant life or death of millions of people. Thankfully, the Cuban Missile Crisis was settled by USs decisions. Graham and Zelikows Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis helps us understand USs decision-making throughout the thirteen days by allowing us to look through three distinctive conceptual models. The three models shown throughout the book can be used to help understand policies at any level, from domestic to foreign. Looking into actions by governments through a rational, organisational and political lens seems necessary to fully understand the moves that Kennedy took and the game Khrushchev played. I believe we are used to taking a more full approach to accepting domestic and local policy decisions because we are more alert of the aspects going into the decisions. This book helps us understand why Kennedy and ExCom made a rational decision after evaluating options ranging from doing nothing to a full invasion of Cuba, and then finally a blockade was selected because it wouldnt necessarily escalate into war, as well as forcing the Soviets to make the following move. The organisational process model allowed us to understand how Kennedy operated under time and information constraints whilst engaging in satisficing behaviour. Kennedy and Excom never really considered any other options besides the blockade or air strikes, and initially were almost solidly in favour of the air strikes. However, such attacks created huge doubt because of the US Air Force, as they could not guarantee it would disable all nuclear missiles. The blockade felt to be the safest option in that case. The bureaucratic politics model also helped us understand Kennedy and ExComs different level of power based on charisma, personality, skills of persuasion and personal ties to the head of the decision maker. Even whilst sharing the matching goals, the leaders contrast in how they accomplish it because of elements such as personal interests and background. These all have an impact on why the US made certain decision on choosing the blockade. This book constructs us to comprehend why international decisions are made, and helps simplify why rational reasons are behind certain actions. Applying the organisational process model and the governmental model to the foreign policy actions it gives us an insight to the possibilities of miscommunication, misunderstandings and disagreements that can also happen in such situations more than what we believed. Overall, Essence of Decision has helped to an extent with relevant information and evidence to support Allison and Zelikows three conceptual models, with an understanding of why the United States decided to choose the blockade option.

Rationale for Ptlls

Rationale My topic will be based around Employability Skills: Why is a CV so important, what should it include and how to put your CV together. I am currently not in a teacher/tutor role right now but I work in recruitment and I find and place suitable candidates within the training and WBL arena. As this is what I currently do for my job I am comfortable delivering this subject to a group of learners. My aim is for my learners To Understand the Importance of Putting Together a Good CV and How to Do it.My learners will make up of 3 of my fellow colleagues from my PTLLS course and will be delivered on the 26th November in a classroom at college. Prior to the session I will prepare a PowerPoint presentation which will include aims and objectives of the session, the CV examples, the group task and the final outcome. I will back up this presentation on a USB stick. I have chosen this resource to enable the learners to engage immediately and digest the subject matter whilst I am introduci ng myself, the aims and objectives.By having a visual resource at the beginning of the session the learners can start to digest the information whilst I am delivering it aurally. This will appeal to the two preferred learning styles and gain interest and engagement from the start. The PowerPoint will keep me and my delivery on track and not veering off the subject. The aim and objective will also be written on my white board or flip chart which will remain up during the whole session. This is to remind the learners of the subject and they can refer to it during the group work task.I will arrange the room so the group can sit together and can see the presentation and can see the whiteboard. I will ask the group to leave their bags and coats at the back of the room to avoid any trip hazards or distractions. As the group already know each other I will not need to introduce an ice breaker. I do not yet know whether they have any special requirements. In preparing for my micro teach I dr aw on information and research around my current employment.I will research the criteria that are needed for a CV, what the prospective employers want to see a CV and the most effective format to use. I will prepare in advance a handout of a good and bad example of a CV. I will also prepare a list of key descriptive words to use in a CV in case we finish too quickly. I will begin my session by introducing myself, my aims and objectives. I will ask if anyone has any previous experience in putting together a CV and if so how long ago it was. The objectives of the session: 1. To listen to the introduction and information about the session. . Understand the importance of a good CV 3. Discuss the good and bad aspects of a sample CV 4. Identify skills and abilities when writing a CV 5. Answer questions and recap. I will introduce the subject by asking questions about their previous experience of writing a CV, was it short, long, bulleted or paragraphed? I will ask them why a CV is so impo rtant and how they can create a good first impression. By asking these open questions I will be drawing on the learner’s previous experience and getting them involved.I can introduce English functional skills here as they will need to ensure it’s written and presented properly with no grammar or spelling mistakes. I will explain that the next task is a group work session where they will be given a copy of a poorly written CV as a handout. They will need to identify the good parts of the CV that are relevant and the parts that are not needed. After this period I will ask them to present their findings which I will write up on the flip chart. I will display on my presentation the layout of the preferred style of CV and ask the group if they have any questions.This will enable them to clarify any information or offer any ideas they may have. I will then handout a formatted copy of the original CV and how it should look. I will ask the learners to discuss what is different with this version relay back to me. This will appeal to the different preferred styles of learning, written, aural and reading. I will use everyone’s name when asking or answering a question, I will make eye contact equally and if someone is not involved I will ask them direct or hypothetical questions.I will use the 7 W processes in asking my questions. If I overrun I will use the last previous CV version as a handout for the learners to take with them, if I run out of time I will introduce my Use of Descriptive CV Words doc. I will summarise the session by relating to the aims and objectives on the flip chart and by referring to the handouts for future reference when putting together a CV. I will thank them for their time and tell them the session is over.

The Top Secret Truth on Persuasive Essay Topics History Uncovered

The Top Secret Truth on Persuasive Essay Topics History Uncovered A persuasive speech intends to educate the audience about a specific topic. Thus an exemplary persuasive speech wants a great topic, ideal wording, structure, and some presentation abilities. Remember your final grade significantly is dependent upon the topic. The persuasive speech topics ought to be bold and ought to serve the objective of your speech. What You Must Know About Persuasive Essay Topics History Perform extensive research on the subject of your choice and make an impressive persuasive speech that individuals will remember for long. Facts, ultimately, will always win out against how folks are feeling at a specific moment. Many people wind up covering the very same tired topics they see in the media daily, just because they can't produce a better idea. If you think that you don't have enough skills for writing your persuasive speech, you can hire expert assistance. One other important issue when picking a persuasive speech topic is to select a topic that could provoke your audience a little. Whenever your speech is written properly, you understand that you'll have the ability to convince your audience by means of your standpoint. Even the toughest speech can be readily done, you simply must place an order with your requirements and following a brief time period, you will get just what you desire. When it has to do with writing an argumentative essay, the main matter to do is to select a topic and an argument you may really get behind. Perhaps you simply do not know the subject well enough, and that's the reason you cannot locate the idea for your history essay. When writing a persuasive essay, the most significant issue to keep in mind is the assortment of the topic. There are several intriguing topics that could be become a persuasive essay if you take the opportunity to consider about doing it. To begin with, if you're arranging a persuasive speech, you ought to think about a topic that may create mental pictures in the minds of your audience. The audience has to be convinced by means of an argument or application. You should make certain that you're utilizing the correct words to express and emphasize your message. Persuasive Essay Topics History Options Picking the most suitable essay topic can occasionally be rather tough. Your essay might incorporate the explanations for teen pregnancy and talk about the present rates of teen pregnancy and potential solutions. Consider this issue of the history essay you've already written before. If you would like to compose a fantastic history essay you'd better select a topic that's familiar to you. Possessing very good research abilities and selecting a superb topic is important. If you prefer good discussions in addition to art, you're welcome to train your argumentation abilities. The custom is allowed in some states, but it's frowned upon and illegal in a lot more states. As any guide on how best to compose a persuasive essay will inform you, your essay has to be organized in paragraphs with a logical progression from 1 paragraph to the next. Persuasive papers (also referred to as argumentative essays) are possibly the most important academic projects you'll learn how to write. In general, you can observe that writing a persuasive essay isn't a brain surgery. The greatest persuasive short essays often concentrate on controversial problems. Whatever the case, it's always a better idea to work with a topic that is especially close to you and that you are in possession of a genuine interest in, rather than just picking a random topic. Qualities of a great persuasive essay topic The topic needs to be specific. Whichever topic you select, always don't forget the significance of literature sources. Selecting an excellent topic for your essay is among the most significant and frequently tricky parts for many students.

Ethical Value in Corporate The National Integrity Plan Essay

Ethical value in corporate culture is about distinguishing right and wrong. National Integrity Plan is set up in the year of 2004 by the formal Prime Minister (Tun Adbullah Ahmad Badawi) There are five target of agenda which are effective reduce corruption, malpractices and abuse of power, increase the efficiency of the public service and overcome bureaucratic red-tape, enhancing corporate governance, business ethic and corporate social responsibility, straightening the administration and community and improving the quality of life and people’s well being. CISM are supported by stakeholder of PEMANDU, MACC and Bursa Malaysia Berhad, in which helping to promote CISM. By the way, they are creating a group to tell public about they are†¦show more content†¦We would see that role also a gatekeeper role. Regulation is a push and pulls to guide. So, you got overregulation that can create issue as well for company who want it to be marketable to operate. Regulation should that be encourage good business and overregulation can give extra land bureaucracy and cost. So to me in a perfect world they should be like to regulation in an organization operating well. Organization show themselves to be good corporate citizen to be operating in a good and healthy way. There will be less regulation, so keep it not balance. It would be clear of interest of your staff, of our customer, of our shareholder and society. Most companies would appreciate that regulatory bodies take the lead in advocating and uphold business practice. It would help to maintain the overall business landscape in Malaysia healthy good economic growth, particularly if action was taken against those who fell foul of the law. Company found it easier to do business with organization that share similar ethical values on business p ractices. This was done by carrying out thorough due diligence including background check on potential suppliers and clients. They are trying to go into different approach actually by working out some of their CIMA. CIMA is good in terms of promote some idea especially talking about ethic and integrity. In the same time we are working with public relation to promote his agenda. A transparent operating culture is support form management andShow MoreRelatedHasbro Case Study - Ethical Behavior1287 Words   |  6 PagesTyco’s executive scandal in the early 2000’s, Ed Breen and Tyco’s newly elected management team were vital elements to the repair of Tyco’s corporate social responsibility and company image. During this time, Tyco International began focusing on the repair of internal weaknesses and devised several initiatives to improve their image and reform their values. During Tyco’s reform period they focused on multiple goals and company-wide achievements. 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