The Cuban Missile Crisis and Rwanda

The Impact of Analogies

A likeness between things, when the things are otherwise entirely different, is an analogy. Comparing one situation to another in order to gain perspective and formulate policy is a common human technique and a favorite of historians. For example, the Cold War has been compared to the Athens-Sparta rivalry, while Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union has been called folly by those who look to the “lesson” of Napoleon’s failed 1812 campaign. While analogies can be useful, one should use caution, as no two situations are the same. For example, is it logical to compare the partially mechanized German Wehrmacht to the cavalry and infantry of Napoleon’s Grand Armee? Still, analogies are common in human decision-making and were used by American policy-makers during the Cuban missile crisis and Rwandan genocide.