Mikhail Gorbachev- wanted change
Perestroika and Glasnost- Soviet reconstruction and openness
Berlin Wall falls November 9, 1989
Boris Yeltsin- President of Russia 1991-1999
Why we won:
-We had close ties with our allies and USSR didn't
-After 1972 China started siding with the US
-Soviet economy was a wreck and the US's was flourishing
-Reagan's strong opposition to Communism
-Gorbachev's willingness for change
-Arms reduction talks
-Soviet mistakes
World seemed to be peaceful during the 90's
Clinton cut down on military spending
9/11 caught us way off guard
Clinton's scandal and impeachment by the house
New countries broke out after Cold War- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, etc.
East and West Germany re-unified in 1990
Rise of democracy throughout Europe
Wars and ethnic cleanings
The world became more unified and more interdependent
Rise of radical Islamic groups- Taliban, Al Qaeda
United States emerged as the singular major world power
Putin New Russian leader
9/11
New York City- World Trade Center plane attacks
2,606 deaths
Both towers collapsed
Arlington, Virginia- Pentagon attack
Shanksville, Pennsylvania- Plane brought down in a field
Took months to clean up rubble and finish rescue efforts
2,996 people died in total
Largest attack on US since Pearl Harbor
Sporting events postponed
National parks and landmarks closed
Airports closed for a few days
Department of Homeland Security set up
Patriot Act- taking away certain freedoms concerning communication in order to protect the country
Bush Doctrine- US had the right to secure itself against countries that harbor or give aid to terrorist groups
One World Trade Center- tallest building in western hemisphere 1776 ft. tall
Civil Rights Movement- 50's-60's African American people and supporters fighting for equality. Martin Luther King Jr.
Rosa Parks- refused to give up bus seat
Malcolm X (Malcolm Little)- more aggressive activist
March on Washington- I Have A Dream speech 1963
Central High school- First integrated southern school. National Guard blocked school entrance and Eisenhower sent in federal troops to allow for African American children to enter the school
Civil Rights Act of 1964- eliminated a lot of segregation
Kennedy Assassination- 1963
Campaigning in Dallas, Texas and shot in Dealey Plaza
Zapruder film
Conspiracies
Lee Harvey Oswald- killer
al-Qaeda and terrorism:
al-Qaeda means the base
worldwide terrorist organization
Lone-wolf attacks: Calling on individuals to do things that are insane. mainly ISIS which used to be part of al-Qaeda
Bin Laden- born in Saudi Arabia but disowned from his country and family. Started al-Qaeda
US sent troops into Saudi Arabia to protect and Bin Laden saw it as an invasion
Attacks aren't because of American Freedoms
Attacks are because of the way the US treats the Islamic world
US has military bases all around the world causing other countries to dislike us
US in Somalia- George Bush sends 28,000 troops into Somalia Dec. 4, 1992
Bush wanted to help Somalian people since warlords were hijacking and disrupting food supplies
Black hawk down- helicopter shot down in Somalia
US thinks al-Qaeda taught Somalians how to shoot down helicopters like they did in Afghanistan against the Soviets
1993- 1st world trade center attacked
Sudan expelled Bin Laden because of terroristic efforts
Bin Laden then went to Afghanistan
Taliban (seekers of power)- Take control of Afghanistan. Harsh and repressive government, radical muslims, drug trade leading to famine and extreme poverty
Public executions to cause terror
Taliban did not plan the 9/11 attack, but allowed Bin Laden to train operatives and refused to turn him over
Fatwa- official declaration of war by a leader
Declared Holy War on the US
1998- Kenya and Tanzania embassies were bombed simultaneously
US starts attacking by missiles against al-Qaeda training camps with small effects
Suicide boat filled with explosives hit USS Cole blowing a large hole in it
Kahlid Sheikh Mohammed- Mastermind of 9/11
Oct. 7, 2001- US invaded Afghanistan with the mission to:
-Capture Osama Bin Laden
-Destroy Al-Qaeda networks
-Remove Taliban regime
Problems of terrorism/Al-Qaeda:
-Singling out members
-Suicide bombers
-IEDs
-Drug Trading
-Famine
-Never known democracy
-Extreme Islamic groups
-Mountains and Terrain
-Border crossing
-Untrained Afghan troops
-Legitimate government
-Civilian casualties
Successful or Unsuccessful?
Up until the present it has been successful except for them being at a fragile state
Seal Team Six kills Osama Bin Laden May 2, 2011
Iraq/Afghanistan turning into Vietnam-like wars
1958- Monarchy of Iraq and Ba'ath party in control from 1968-2003 (Saddam Hussein's party)
Iraq was under military occupation and became a democracy June 2004
We supported Saddam Hussein in the 1980's against Iran
Troops remained in Iraq because a civil war broke out between 3 different parties
in August 2010, the US was the last member in Iraq
December 2011 last of the US troops left Iraq
Persian Gulf War- Operation Desert storm (Jan 17, 1991- Feb. 28, 1991) Iraq had invaded Kuwait and the US came in and liberated it from al-Qaeda. Invaded over oil disputes
Troops sent to Saudi Arabia after Iraq invaded Kuwait
Consequences in Iraq:
-Economic sanctions remained
-Weapons inspectors
-No fly zone
Iraq war- (2003-2011)
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Main cause of invasion because the UN thought Saddam was getting nuclear weapons
Democracy set up after Saddam was overthrown
Other causes- Some feel Saddam was supporting al-Qaeda
Human rights abuses
Wanted to spread democracy
Oil interests
Bush wanted to "Fix his father's mistakes"
Issues in Iraq-
Violence against coalition forces
Civil war
Al-Qaeda started flowing into Iraq
Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
We got rid of Saddam, but now what?
Bush's policies:
Started war in 2003
War support dwindled
Abu Ghraib prison
Accused of not having and 'exit strategy'
Helped established democratic government
'The Surge' took place in 2007. Bush sent thousands more soldiers to Iraq to lessen the violence in Iraq
In 2008 Bush started bringing troops back home
Obama's policies:
Opposed to the Iraqi war
Focus on war in Afghanistan
all combat troops pulled out in 2010
All troops out of Iraq in Dec. 2011
Since 2011:
ISIS took over much of Northern Iraq and Syria
Obama started a bombing campaign in ISIS and Syria in 2014
He also sent in advisers to teach people how to fight against ISIS
4500 US troops killed in Iraq
total money spent in Iraq war- 800 billion
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