Diplomacy

Thirteen Days Summary of Key Points

Thirteen Days is a gripping account of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, written by Robert F. Kennedy, then the U.S. Attorney General. The book details the tense negotiations and critical decision-making that occurred over the thirteen days in which the United States and the Soviet Union stood on the brink of nuclear war. Through Kennedy’s perspective, readers get an insider’s view of the deliberations within the Kennedy administration, including the intensive discussions in the Executive Committee of the National Security Council and the private counsel between him and his brother, President John F. Kennedy.

The Sleepwalkers Summary of Key Points

The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914′ by Christopher Clark is a comprehensive analysis of the events and decisions that led up to World War I. The book thoroughly explores the complex network of alliances, political maneuvers, and crises that culminated in the outbreak of the Great War. Clark emphasizes the role of various leaders and their often disjointed and reactive decisions that, like sleepwalkers, stumbled into one of history’s deadliest conflicts without fully comprehending the consequences.