Professional Affiliation

Clinical Associate Professor of Public Service and a Clinical Associate Professor of History, New York University

Expert Bio

Timothy J. Naftali is Clinical Associate Professor of Public Service and a Clinical Associate Professor of History, and director of New York University's undergraduate Public Policy Major. He is co-author of One Hell of a Gamble: Khrushchev, Castro and Kennedy, 1958-1964 (1997) and Khrushchev’s Cold War (2006), and author of JFK, The President (forthcoming).

Wilson Center Project

Unintended Consequences: The Superpowers and Cuba, 1958-1964

Project Summary

A comparative history of US and Soviet policy toward Fidel Castro in the Kennedy-Khrushchev era. Uses documents from the KGB archives to explore the evolution of Soviet-Cuban relations and Soviet decision-making surrounding the Cuban missile crisis. Compares Soviet behavior and policy to US and Cuban actions to elucidate the effect that each state had on the others. Analyzes intelligence available to each state in order to examine the psychology of decision-making. Assesses the differences in the strategic cultures.