To What Extent Should a Nation use Diplomacy to Resolve Conflict?.
I believe that nations should seek to solve conflicts in a diplomatic fashion, in order to avoid the atrocities of war, at all costs. War, or forceful conflict, should not be considered until peaceful negotiations have taken place and been betrayed by one party, or have otherwise been proved ineffective. Nation are entitled to use force when peaceful means of settling disputes if their national security is threatened, or that of their allies which are bound by treaty is threatened. For diplomacy to work there must be a solid agreement backed by a threat of force.
The Cuban Missile Crisis is an excellent example of a confrontation that was solved diplomatically, when it would have otherwise ended with the colossal damages of nuclear warfare. In 1960 Khrushchev wanted to gain a sphere of influence within the bounds of America's own western sphere. Cuba signed a $100 million trade agreement with the Soviet Union, allowing the Soviets immense involvement in the Cuban economy. Equipment and arms were sent to Cuba from the Soviet Union, for Cuba's defense. Cuban émigrés, in alliance with the CIA tried numerous isolated raids on Cuba, attempting to upset the Castro regime, using only force. These attacks lead up to the unsuccessful attempt by the CIA and émigrés to take over the whole island at the Bay of Pigs. It was entirely disastrous, and a great embarrassment for John Kennedy's new administration. .
Although in 1962 the Soviet Union assured Kennedy that there were no threats intended to the United States, they continued arms supply increase in Cuba. On October 14, 1962 and American U-2 flying over Cuba photographed an area around San Cristobal that showed evidence of medium-range ballstic missile sites. The next 13 days encompassed the United States and Soviet Union in the brink of a nuclear war.