We went over the map. Then we watched a President Bush movie.
IRAQ:
Main Cause:
- After the Iraq invasion, it was concluded that Iraq had ended its WMD program in 1991 and had no active programs at the time of the invasion
- The invasion of Iraq led to an occupation and the eventual capture of President Hussein
- Hussein was later tried in a Iraq court of law and executed by the new Iraqi government
Other Causes:
- SOme accused Saddam of harboring and supporting al-Qaeda but no evidence of a meaningful connection was ever
- Iraqi government human rights abuse
- Wanted to spread democracy to the country
- Oil interests
- President Bush wanted to "fix what his daddy messed up"
Issues in Iraq after invasion:
- Violence against coalition forces
- Civil war and secretarian violence
- The emergence of Al-Qaeda in Iraq
- Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse-2004
President Bush's Policies:
- Started the war in 2003
- War was supported at first but no WMD's found led to war becoming very unpopular
- Abu Ghraib
- Accused of not having an "exit strategy"
- Helped establish a new democratic government in Iraq
- "The surge" took place in 2007. It helped get the violence under control in Iraq
- Started troop reduction in 2008
President Obama's Policies:
- Opposed to war at the outset as a Senator
- after being elected he switched the focus to the war in Afghanistan
- Pulled out all US combat troops in August, 2010
- Pulled out all US troops in December, 2011, thus ending the Iraq war
President Bush Movie:
- Inauguration day was rocky b/c of how he won
- President Bush was and alcoholic
- His father was successful in politics and people thought he was competing with his dad
- Dick Chaney was his vice president, who had health issues and had a gay daughter
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