Stanford University Press Blog

The Cuban Missile Crisis 50 Years On: A Day By Day Account of Events as They Unfolded. Day 2, October 17, 1962

Wednesday, October 17, 8:30 a.m.

The ExComm met at the State Department without the president (who was campaigning for the November congressional elections). There was still a great deal of uncertainty and vacillation, but support seemed to be coalescing around some combination of air strikes, a blockade, and diplomatic approaches
to the U.S.S.R. Former secretary of state Dean Acheson, invited by the
president, insisted on immediate air strikes to eliminate the nuclear threat and
demonstrate American resolve to the Soviets.

Excerpt taken from The Cuban Missile Crisis in American Memory: Myth vs. Reality, by Sheldon Stern

The Cuban Missile Crisis 50 Years On: A Day By Day Account of Events as They Unfolded. Day 1, October 16, 1962

Tuesday, October 16, 11:50 a.m.

The fifteen men gathering in the Cabinet Room that morning were stunned that the Soviets had deceived the administration about their intentions in Cuba. Analysts from the National Photographic Interpretation Center explained that the medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) sites thus far discovered were still under construction. It quickly became clear that any attempt to destroy the sites with air attacks had to be carried out before they became fully operational. However, there was no way to be certain when the sites would become operational, and bombing was also unlikely to destroy all the missiles. The Soviets might retaliate by seizing
West Berlin or by firing the missiles that survived the bombing at the U.S.
mainland—initiating a nuclear world war. Three principal options were on the table: air strikes against the missile sites, a naval blockade of Cuba, and/or a full-scale invasion. By the end of the meeting, the president had all but decided in favor of the air strikes.

 October 16, 6:30 p.m.

Several participants suggested that the presence of the Soviet missiles in Cuba did not really alter the
strategic balance of nuclear power. “It doesn’t make any difference,” the president argued, “if you get blown up by an ICBM flying from the Soviet Union or one that was ninety miles away. Geography doesn’t mean that much. . . . After all this is a political struggle as much as military.” The president
admitted to being puzzled by Soviet motives in Cuba. There was some awareness that Khrushchev might be reacting to the presence of U.S. missiles in Turkey and Italy; but no one in the room seriously considered the possibility that he had acted defensively, to protect his Cuban ally. The morning meeting had ended with a consensus for the use of force—particularly for a limited air strike on just the missile sites. During the evening, however, there was a growing awareness of the dangers raised by any military action in Cuba. If the U.S. attacked the island nation, especially without warning, where would it end?

Excerpts taken from The Cuban Missile Crisis in American Memory: Myth vs. Reality

The Not-So-Modern Roots of the Modern Woman

A promotion at work, a happy marriage, and more time with the kids: Can women have it all?

Anne-Marie Slaughter, a woman who seemingly had it all—having worked as a State Department official, a law professor, and a Princeton dean with two teenage sons to boot—took that question, and in a recent cover story in The Atlantic, incredibly answered no.

The article, titled “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” suggests that we, as a society, have to be more realistic about the possibility of balancing a career and a family—because, according to Slaughter, it’s much harder than we’re led to believe. (Cue: controversy! Check out this response from Slate.)

For all its heat, this is hardly an issue unique to our time, according to Rachel Mesch, a SUP author-to-be. In fact, Mesch traces this controversy back 100 years and across the Atlantic (pun intended) to the covers of French magazines in the Belle Époque. Instead of being docile, women were photographed as climbers, scholars, and athletes—capable, that is, of both femininity and feminism. In other words, a century ago people were already talking about what we refer to today as the "modern woman."

For more on this and the path taken by 20^th-century feminism, look for Rachel Mesch’s upcoming book, to be released in Fall 2013. In the meantime, get a taste for her book in her recent piece in Slate.

Two Filipina feminista sisters in academia (who write about sex)

What are the chances?

Two Filipina sisters grow up in Boston, head off to UC Berkeley for college, end up staying in academia, and now write about sex. They’re also both Stanford Univ. Press authors: Rhacel Salazar Parreñas’ most recent book investigates trafficked Filipina hostesses (Illicit Flirtations, 2011), and Celine Parreñas Shimizu has just authored the first full-length study of the racialization of Asian American men in movies (Straitjacket Sexualities, 2012).

And we're not the only ones who thought this was neat: this fall, the two professors are going to be featured in a segment on LA18, a SoCal TV station. (Edited to add: check out the television interview on Youtube here and here.) 

In the meantime, here are two thoughts to mull over from Professor Shimizu about filmmaking and being Asian American, taken from a Hyphen Magazine interview about her new book Straitjacket Sexualities:

 -       It’s not breaking news that Asian American men in movies have often been marginalized as practically asexual. But after taking a closer look at Hollywood films, Shimizu has another way of looking at it: rather than being macho-bravo, Asian American men are shown as being ethical, caring, and selfless. It’s a different kind of manhood--one that goes against all the stereotypes.

-       Minority art has a reputation for portraying warm and glossy versions of minority life--stories that usually don’t get told anywhere else. But according to Shimizu, the urge to only tell the positive “story of your people” doesn't always do justice to the people it's supposed to represent, for it's still just another fabric of incomplete truths. 

 

If you’re in Los Angeles later this summer, check out this upcoming book talk with Shimizu and Parreñas entitled “Filipinas, Feminism and Sex.”  Details: Echo Park Branch Library; Saturday, August 4, 2012; more information here.

 

Check out Celine Parreñas Shimizu’s Straitjacket Sexualities: Unbinding Asian American Manhoods in the Movies here.

Check out Rhacel Salazar Parreñas’ Illicit Flirtations: Labor, Migration, and Sex Trafficking in Tokyo here. 

 

And we thought that constitutionality would be the end of the debate…

The Supreme Court may have decided to uphold the constitutionality of the controversial Obamacare program on June 28, but the health care debate rages on: now the question is, how many states—and which—will choose to participate in the Medicaid expansion?

And on top of that, when will they decide? A handful of states—including Virgina, Nebraska, and Wisconsin—have made clear that they are biding their time to make a decision until after the Presidential Election results are announced later this year (East Village Tribune article), in case Romney wins and throws the entire thing out.

There are a lot of opinions out there, but today we’d like to shine a spotlight on Stephen M. Davidson, not just because he’s a nice guy and we have a habit of shameless self-promotion, but more importantly because he has spent over 30 years researching health care policy, and because the U.S. happens to be moving towards the kinds of changes he proposed in his 2010 book Still Broken. The book—which is a good starting point for anyone seeking a thorough explanation of the U.S. health care system—takes a close look at the current situaion, systematically charts the merits of universal coverage, and, crucially, shows how we can jump through political and social hoops to get that to work.

Here’s what Davidson has written recently concerning states still debating on how to proceed with Obamacare:

-       How opting out of the expansion could ultimately hurt the state’s citizens (NYT Letter to the Editor)

-       How opting out hurts hospitals and the poor (Politico debate)

And for a review of the case and all its nuances, check out this article Davidson wrote for The Huffington Post 10 days before the court ruling.

Check out Davidson’s book here.

 

From Drugs to Civil War: the New Gateway Effect

We all know that drug trafficking can be a deadly business. But can drug trafficking set the precedent for even larger conflict—that is, civil war?

That’s the question that former journalist Jonathan Marshall set out to answer in his newly released book The Lebanese Connection. Looking specifically at Lebanon in the lead up to its 15-year civil war, Marshall traces out how the country’s fledgling drug trade in the 1970s turned the country into a narco-state and financed the war. In other words: there was a sure connection between drugs and civil war in Lebanon—and Marshall warns that that connection can apply to any state.

And that makes modern-day drug trafficking in Afghanistan and Mexico all the more urgent. Afghanistan leads the world in opium production, as it has for the past two decades. Mexico’s drug war has regularly peppered American news sources with brutal images and chilling stories, and has become a party platform priority as the July 1 presidential election draws near. This isn’t just about the drugs anymore—there’s a lot at stake.       

 

Some food for thought:

• “Breaking the narco-state in Afghanistan is essential, or all else will fail.” The New York Times recently ran an article that explains why fighting the opium industry in Afghanistan is of upmost importance.
• The top three contenders for the Mexican presidency have all declared domestic-centered approaches to the drug war to be a priority over curbing drug trafficking into the U.S. See the NYT article here.
• And check out Marshall’s book The Lebanese Connection here. 

 

This summer season: a look at the folks behind the motel counter

Well, technically it was yesterday, but happy first day of summer! To mark the Summer Solstice and all the glorious things summer brings—weekend trips to the beach, the happy sound of crickets chirping, lazy picnics with watermelon and red ants—we bring you our favorite vacation-related fact of the season:

Half of all U.S. motels are owned by Indian Americans. What’s more, the vast majority of them have immigrated from the same region in India, and even share the same surname Patel (though that doesn’t mean they are related).

In his book Life Behind the Lobby: Indian American Motel Owners and the American Dream, Oberlin College sociologist and Smithsonian Institute curator Pawan Dhingra takes a closer look at this phenomenon, which has easily—though perhaps mistakenly—been cited as a model example of the American Dream. Check out this Wall Street Journal interview with Professor Dhingra on the subject. Voice of America also wrote a news story on Dhingra’s work, as did Colorlines, Indiawest, and IndUS Business Journal.

 

And other summer- and vacation- related facts you weren't aware you wanted to know : 

Take it easy: Kicking back with a beer is a simple pleasure in life that also makes you more all the more tantalizing and delicious smelling to mosquitoes. 

On the origins of summer vacation: Summer vacation wasn’t universal in American schools until 1840, when educational reformer Horace Mann cited then-current medical theory that “overstimulating young minds would lead to nervous disorders or insanity.” A break during the hottest months also was thought to reduce the spread of disease.

Travel stats: New Jersey has the highest percentage of residents with passports (68.36%), and Mississippi has the lowest (19.86%). 

Hold on to your seats! It was a threat for a while, but it seems to be ok now: British budget airliner Ryanair’s infamous attempt to roll out planes with $10 standing room “seats” seems to have been foiled by safety regulators. 

 

 

Prize-Winning Beach Reading for the Intellectually Curious

Looking for something to fill that beloved L. L. Bean tote bag you haul to the beach every summer?  Look no further!  SUP's summer reading list has something for every taste:

 

 Sure it might take up most of the space in your beach bag, but according to the WaPo Book World's "10 Books We've Loved This Year," James Hershberg's Marigold: The Lost Chance for Peace in Vietnam is worth it!

  We also recommend:

 Ottomans, Brothers: Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Early Twentieth-Century Palestine, by Michelle U. Campos, winner of the 2011 National Jewish Book Award in Sephardic Culture, sponsored by the Jewish Book Council.

 Shiping Hua's Chinese Utopianism: A Comparative Study of Reformist Thought with Japan and Russia, 1898-1997, winner of the 2011 Distinguished Research and Publication Award, sponsored by the Association of Chinese Professors in Social Sciences (USA).    

 
Shahla Talebi's Ghosts of Revolution: Rekindled Memories of Imprisonment in Iran, co-winner (Gold Medal) of the the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards (Autobiography/Memoir Category), sponsored by the Independent Publisher Book Awards, and Honorable Mention, for Biography & Autobiography, in the 2011 PROSE Awards (PSP Awards for Excellence), sponsored by the Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division, Association of American Publishers.           

 Marisa Abrajano's Campaigning to the New American Electorate:  Advertising to Latino Voters, winner of the 2011 Best Book on Latino Politics Award, sponsored by the APSA Latino Caucus.           

  Larry Wolff, The Idea of Galicia: History and Fantasy in Hapsburg Political Culture, winner of the 2012 Karl von Vogelsang Staatspreis, sponsored by the Bundesministerium fuer Wissenschaft und Forschung. 

The Battle for China:  Essays on the Military History of the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-1945, edited by Mark Peattie, Edward Drea, and Hans van de Ven, winner of the 2012 Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award (non-US category), sponsored by The Society for Military History.

 John Richardson and Justin Powell's Comparing Special Education: Origins to Contemporary Paradoxes, winner of the 2012 Outstanding Book Award Contemporary Issues in Curriculum category), sponsored by the AERA Division B.

 Richard Graham's Patronage and Politics in Nineteenth-Century Brazil, winner of the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by the Brazilian Studies Association.            

 Erik Kuhonta's book The Institutional Imperative: The Politics of Equitable Development in Southeast Asia, shortlisted for the 2012 Comparative Politics Prize, sponsored by the Canadian Political Science Association.           

 Robert Rhoads and Katalin Szelényi's Global Citizenship and the University: Advancing Social Life and Relations in an Interdependent World, winner of the 2012 Outstanding Publication Award, sponsored by the AERA Division J.          

Illicit Flirtations: Labor, Migration, and Sex Trafficking in Tokyo by Rhacel Salazar Parreñas, winner of the 2012 Distinguished Scholarly Publication Award, sponsored by the ASA Labor and Labor Movements Section.

The low down on Egypt's presidential elections

This Saturday, Egypt will hold the final round of its first presidential elections since ex-President Mubarak stepped down in 2011—and the media is rife with speculation on how it will go.

In this podcast by news blog The Arabist, four Egypt scholars—including our recent author Joshua Stacher—sit down to tell us what we need to know about the unfolding events in Egypt and what the U.S. has to do with it.

The conclusion is a bit of a downer: no matter what happens this weekend, there’s not going to be a dramatic change from authoritarianism to democracy in Egypt. In other words, don’t hold your breath for a radical shift to democracy.

Joshua Stacher, who teaches and researches Middle Eastern politics at Kent State University, chalks this up to Egypt’s centralized political power structure—aka its executive autonomy, which has given the political elite the flexibility to navigate the revolution surprisingly well. In his latest book Adaptable Autocrats: Regime Power in Egypt and Syria, Stacher shows that Egypt is actually experiencing a relatively swift and smooth transfer of power—especially in comparison to nearby Syria, a decentralized system of power, which is struggling through a full-scale civil war as its president hangs on.

For those confused by what we should think of the unfolding events in the Arab world, Stacher puts it this way: the past defines the present. Why did Egypt experience an uprising remarkably less bloody than the one in Syria? The answer may be in the countries’ political structures: Egypt’s political structure is significantly more centralized than Syria's, and that makes a world of difference when it comes to how a regime change will play out. 

In that case…if the past defines the present, and today is tomorrow’s past... then we’ll be anxiously watching out for how the Egyptian elections turn out this weekend.

 

In the meantime, read an excerpt from Stacher’s book.

Check out more information about Stacher’s book Adaptable Autocrats. 

Listen to some nuggets from the podcast:

• What the possible legal dissolution of the parliament means for the elections (around 13:00)
• Speculation on the election’s outcomes (around 16:00)
• What potential the revolution still has to achieve its demands (from 21:50)
• Josh Stacher speaks on the role of the U.S. in Egypt—and how U.S. policy supports the counterrevolutionaries (from 34:30). For more on this topic, see this interview hosted by Stacher.
• About that anti-spy video aired on Egyptian televisions… (from 52:28)

 

New Spring Titles from SUP!

Spring is here, and with it come longer daylight hours (more time for reading), warmer temps (for reading outside) and a fresh crop of new titles from Stanford University Press to seize and hold your attention all season long.  This spring's list caters to every taste, interest, and sensibility and covers topics from politics to film, world events to business, science to literature.  While it's impossible for us to pick our favorites (there are too many, and we like them all!), here is a sampling of our tempting titles to whet your appetite:

Journalists, politicians, scholars and others are marking the one-year anniversary of the "Arab Spring" by re-examining the causes, similarities, and differences between the various protest movements that populated the Middle East in 2011.  Josh Stacher's Adaptable Autocrats: Regime Power in Egypt and Syria is a critical comparison of the revolutions in Egypt and in Syria in which Stacher argues that the structural underpinnings of autocracies differ very much from one to another, and these differences have everything to do with how regime change will play out within a state.

 

For the cinéaste (or for anyone who's read Paul Rudnick's latest in the New  Yorker), The Beauty of the Real: What Hollywood Can Learn from Contemporary French Actresses is SF Chronicle film critic and Bay Area Talking Head Mick La Salle's (very opinionated!) tribute to French film, and in particular to the actresses who make it what it is.  American audiences are hungry for the kind of intelligent, introspective, and thought-provoking films that French actresses are making  throughout their careers.  And yes, throughout: from teenagers to nonagenarians.

 

  This election year, Matt Grossman's The Not-So-Special Interests: Interest Groups, Public Representation, and American Governance will be the guide to understanding why some interest groups are far better than others in gaining access to politicians and getting what they want.  As Publishers Weekly stated in their review, "constituencies that are more engaged with public affairs and their communities, he contends, make their voices heard better through organized representation."  In other words, says PW, "Grossmann’s clear-eyed analysis of who gets a seat at the table suggests that democracy’s faults lie not in our lobbyists but in ourselves."

 

The marketplace is awash in titles that suggest "how to" start a business:  entrepreneurship has been the topic in boardrooms and classrooms across the country.  But say you've started your own business, and you've made it through that first hurdle.  You are a success!    Erm...now what?   Professor of Business Administration and Batten Executive-in Residence at the Darden Graduate School of Business has the answers.  Grow to Greatness: Smart Growth for Entrepreneurial Business is for those who want their business to thrive beyond the start-up phase.  He identifies the top ten growth challenges to new businesses and, based on extensive research on more than fifty companies, and offering the lived experiences of eleven entrepreneurs, shows how to overcome them

Be sure to keep checking our website,  blog, Twitter feed (@Stanfordpress) and Face Book Page for more updates as the season rolls on!