The Cuban Missile Crisis

 

Cuban Missile Crisis. 

Work in groups and share your opinion with the rest 

of the class:

1. What events led the U.S. to discover Soviet missile 

installations in Cuba?

2. What were the main options presented to President 

Kennedy for responding to the Soviet missile presence 

in Cuba?

3. How did the U.S. implement the naval blockade 

(or "quarantine") around Cuba, and what was its 

significance?

4. How did the communication between President 

Kennedy and Soviet Premier Khrushchev evolve 

during the crisis?

5. What role did secret negotiations and back-channel 

diplomacy play in resolving the Cuban Missile Crisis?

6. What were the key outcomes of the crisis, particularly 

regarding agreements between the U.S. and the Soviet 

Union?

…………………………..

Topics for debate.

1. "Was the U.S. justified in imposing a naval blockade 

on Cuba, or should diplomatic channels have been 

fully exhausted before taking military action?"

2. "Did the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis establish 

a precedent for nuclear deterrence, or did it simply 

postpone a larger conflict between superpowers?"

Nuclear Proliferation - Video

 

Nuclear Proliferation. 

Discuss all these topics with your group and share 

your opinion with the rest of the class.

1. Should nuclear-armed states work toward total 

disarmament, or is a limited number of nuclear 

weapons necessary for global security?

2. Is the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 

Weapons (NPT) still effective in today's geopolitical 

climate?

3. Do nuclear weapons act as a deterrent to war, or do 

they increase the likelihood of global conflict?

4. Is it justifiable for non-nuclear states to seek nuclear 

weapons in order to balance power in an unequal 

international system?

5. Should international bodies like the United Nations 

be more aggressive in sanctioning countries pursuing 

nuclear capabilities, such as North Korea and Iran?

6. Do the benefits of civilian nuclear energy programs 

outweigh the risks of potential nuclear weapons 

development?

7. Is a world without nuclear weapons achievable, 

or is the idea too idealistic given the current global 

tensions?

8. Should nuclear-armed states be allowed to 

dictate non-proliferation terms to non-nuclear 

states, given the principle of state sovereignty?

9. How should international relations handle the risk 

of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of non-state 

actors or terrorist groups?

10. Does the current global framework for nuclear weapons 

control favor powerful nations at the expense of smaller 

or less developed states?

Kant: Perpetual Peace.

 

Kant: Perpetual Peace (1795).

Discuss all these topics with your group and share 

your opinion with the rest of the class. 

1. Explore the notion of “secret treaty” and its 

role in Kant’s argument.

2. What is your opinion about article #2? ("No 

independent states, large or small, shall come 

under the dominion of another state by inheritance, 

exchange, purchase, or donation").

3. What is your opinion about article #3? ("Standing 

armies shall in time be totally abolished").

4. Explain article #4: "National debts shall not be 

contracted with a view to the external friction of states".

5. Article #5 says: "No state shall by force interfere with 

the constitution or government of another state". 

6. Article #6: Against dishonorable strategies in war. 

Reflect on the three “Definitive Articles”:

I.—"The civil constitution of each state shall be 

republican."

II.—"The law of nations shall be founded on a federation 

of free states."

III.—"The rights of men, as citizens of the world, shall be 

limited to the conditions of universal hospitality."

Why did the Protestant Reformation Happen?

 

Why did the Protestant Reformation Happen?

1. How did the selling of indulgences work?

2. What was the only source of reliable information, 

according to Luther, and why? Analyze the 

consequences of this idea. 

3. What was the role of the printing press in 

this context?

4. What happened in the Swiss Church by 

the 1520s?

5. What was the origin of the Anglican 

Church?

6. What was the answer of the Catholic 

Church to the (3) Reformation(s)?

7. Try to connect the Reformation movements 

across Europe with the notion of Monarchy. 

(Stop at 8: 00)

The REAL reasons

 

Video: THE REAL REASONS WHY…

1. According to the author, why were the Europeans able 

to colonize North and South America in the 1500s?

2. What place does the author assign to technology? 

3. Explain the timeline given by the author. 

4. Why didn’t Europeans conquer Africa and Asia 

at the same time? 

5. Why were the Europeans able to conquer Asia 

and Africa in the 1800s?

6. How does the author explain the difference 

between Developed countries and Third World 

countries? *

*The expression "Third World" is generally considered 

outdated and inappropriate today. Originally coined during 

the Cold War to categorize countries that were neither 

aligned with NATO (the "First World") nor the Soviet 

bloc (the "Second World"), the term came to be 

associated with underdevelopment, poverty, 

and low-income nations. This led to negative 

connotations and a hierarchical view of countries.

In contemporary discourse, terms like "developing 

countries," "Global South," "low- and middle-income 

countries" (LMIC), or specific regional classifications 

are preferred, as they avoid the pejorative implications 

and acknowledge the complexities of economic and 

social development across nations.