War games

President Barack Obama’s move to normalise relations with Cuba reminds us that we came close to the Third World War decades ago, when the Russians decided to put missiles in Cuba, within a couple of hundred miles of the USA.

The United States made it very plain that they would do 
whatever it took to stop this
action.

Fortunately, the Russians realised the seriousness of the American resolve and the ships carrying the missiles turned round just before the deadline on which they would have been sunk, and the Third World War started.

Now we have the mirror image of that situation.

After decades of improving relations with Russia the hawks in the USA have for the past several years been setting up missile sites all along Russia’s borders, Ukraine being at present the most noticeable part of this policy. The hawks need to accept that for the same reasons that the USA would face WWIII to stop the Cuban missiles, the Russians are compelled to do whatever it takes, up to and including nuclear war, to remove the missiles all along their borders.

Will we learn?

John Smart

Kinneddar Street

Lossiemouth