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From Wondry, I'm Lindsey Graham and this is American Scandal.

In October of 1962, the U.S. and Soviet Union found themselves on the brink of nuclear war.

For over a decade, the two countries have been sparring publicly in competition for global influence and power.

And although political leaders traded heated rhetoric and even launched proxy battles across the world,

by the early 1960s, the two countries had not confronted each other directly on the battlefield.

But the Cold War would take a dramatic turn when Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev ordered his military to sneak nuclear weapons onto Cuban soil, just 90 miles from the coast of Florida.

Khrushchev believed the covert operation would restore the balance of power with America after the U.S. pulled ahead in the nuclear arms race.

But when American intelligence caught wind of the operation, the two countries were plunged into crisis, one that threatened the future of human civilization.

America and the Soviet Union managed to avert a nightmare scenario.

But decades later, the specter of nuclear war has reemerged.

In the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled his willingness to launch a nuclear attack.

And with tensions mounting, President Joe Biden has issued a stern warning, adding,

we have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis. My guest today is Norman Neymark, a professor of history at Stanford University.

Neymark is a scholar of the Cold War and the author of the book Stalin and the fate of Europe and genocide, a world history.

In our conversation, we'll discuss how the war in Ukraine resembles and is different from the long-standing feud between the U.S. and Soviet Union.

We'll also examine how the Cold War is still with us today and look at how political leaders today can learn from the Cuban Missile Crisis and avoid a nuclear exchange in Ukraine.

Our conversation is next.

Hey everyone, this is Dr. Rogen Chatechee from the Built to Thrive Podcast.

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