Katie and I were thinking of watching the USA & Canada Men’s Olympic Hockey Final, but a 5:10 am faceoff was a bit too early for her, so I watched it by myself in the “Barn Suite”. Alas, Canada lost 2-1…
Katie’s graphic calculator finally came (see photo to the right).
Bobby played online with Ethan, took a bath, studied vocabulary words, and played violin.
Katie is working on a paper regarding Mexico’s position on the Cuban Missile Crisis. While I will show the paper in a photo to the right, here’s the text:
Cuban Sovereignty
Mexico maintains that the sovereignty of Cuba must be respected. The internal political system of any country, regardless of ideology, is a matter for that country alone to determine. Mexico cannot justify foreign interference, as it implies the judgement of that country’s legitimacy. Cuba, as an independent nation, reserves the right to determine its own solutions and systems, as does any other nation. While international security concerns must be addressed, forceful intervention remains hostile and may constitute a violation of international law as outlined in the United Nations Charter. More specifically, as stated in Article 2, Paragraph 4, quote, “Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state” end quote. As members of the United Nations, it is our duty to uphold these laws in a respectful and accurate manner.
Possible American Invasion or Cuban-Soviet Pre-emptive Attack
While a state reserves the right to act in self-defence, this right is recognized under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter only, quote, “if an armed attack occurs” end quote. As the missiles within Cuba remain inactive, their mere presence cannot be construed as an armed attack. Therefore <Mexico maintains that an attack on Cuba would exceed the legal threshold for self-defence and risk escalating the situation. Similarly, a pre-emptive strike initiated by Cuba or the Soviet Union in anticipation of a possible attack would lack clear legal justification, as the United Sates has not committed an armed attack. By acting up on certain or speculative threats, we risk greater escalation. Mexico urges all delegates to consider alternative approaches to avoid this risk.
(Un Charter Article 51: “Nothing in the present Charter shail impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations”.)