The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 remains the closest historical parallel to the current risk of war. This episode examines what worked (backchannel communication, mutual face-saving), what almost failed (a rogue submarine commander, unauthorized shoot-down orders), and the specific lessons that apply to the decisions being made right now.

Sources for this episode are available at: https://www.wardesk.fm/episode/ep51

About War Desk

War Desk is an investigative podcast using AI-assisted analysis of military intelligence, diplomatic signals, and conflict data to assess global war risk, with sources and references published on our website for verification.

Produced by Island Investigation