The Middle East, Global Terrorism and 9/11

As a result of the end of the Cold War, the United States became the world’s only superpower The U.S. had greater responsibility for maintaining world peace This also aroused resentment towards the U.S.

The U.S. continued to exercise leadership in the Middle East The Middle East is of vital concern because of its vast oil resources and America’s dependence on foreign oil

The First Persian Gulf War The first Persian Gulf War had the support of many of the other nations of the world and resulted in a quick military victory which restored independence to Kuwait Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait President George H. W. Bush (George Bush Sr.) sent American troops and urged other countries to do the same The U.S., Saudi Arabia and Great Britain provided the most troops and funds

Terrorist Groups The presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia after the Gulf War aroused the hostility of religious fanatics These joined with other fanatic religious fundamentalists groups to form terrorist groups Particularly the Taliban that had driven the Soviets out of Afghanistan (with help and training from the U.S.) al Qaeda

During the Clinton administration the U.S. continued to support Israel Clinton also worked diplomatically to resolve the problems of the Middle East as related to the occupied territories and the rights of the Palestinian people This resulted in some success, until extremists gained power in Israel and the PLO (Palestine) and halted negotiations

Black Hawk Down The U.S. humanitarian efforts in Somalia were undermined by the “Black Hawk Down” incident The bloodiest battle involving U.S. troops since the Vietnam War During an operation 2 U.S. Black Hawk helicopters were shot down In an attempt to rescue the trapped soldiers, 19 American soldiers died and an estimate of hundreds to over 1,000 Somali attackers dead (militiamen and civilians) The U.S. withdrew its forces from the area

The Rise of Global Terrorism The U.S. continued to monitor the regime of Suddam Hussein in Iraq, the Taliban in Afghanistan and a growing terrorist threat Rise of Global Terrorism: Attacks on the World Trade Center The USS Cole Attacks on the U.S. embassies in Africa

9/11 Terrorist Attacks On September 11, 2001 terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Center in NYC and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. Another attack was upset by passengers who crashed the airplane in Pennsylvania The U.S. linked the attack to al Qaeda The U.S. invaded their stronghold in Afghanistan, overthrowing the Taliban government that gave the terrorist organization sanctuary (safety) there The U.S. did not capture the al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, who still remains at large** **Osama bin Laden was declared dead on May 2, 2011

Iraqi War Also known as the Second Persian Gulf War The administration of George W. Bush believed that there was evidence that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was in possession of weapons of mass destruction The U.S., with the help of Great Britain and a few other countries, invaded Iraq to overthrow Hussein and bring democracy to Iraq

Iraqi War No weapons of mass destruction were ever found Hussein was captured by U.S. forces and tried by an Iraqi Special Tribunal for crimes against humanity He was executed

Iraqi War Although the military action resulted in the overthrow of the Sunni-dominated government of Hussein and the election of a new more democratic government, it did not result in peace United States forces continue to be under attack by militias that support various religious factions in Iraq** **Today, troops in Iraq are on a peace keeping mission, and the numbers have been significantly reduced. However, troops in Afghanistan have significantly increased, as the U.S. military continues to work towards freedom from the Taliban and al Qaeda for Afghanistan’s people

Additional American Involvement Worldwide Libya we helped establish a democracy after the Libyan people overthrew their dictator Egypt President Obama sent US troops and aid after political pressure to help with their democratic Revolution

Additional American Involvement Worldwide Syria The US continues to face pressure to help with the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, but also fears the influence of ISIS and faces domestic issues dealing with the acceptance of Syrian refugees Iran The US previously led the efforts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear energy, but has recently developed a deal to allow it

Additional American Involvement Worldwide Israel Israel continues to be one of the United States greatest allies, but conflict has arisen between political groups over the dedication of President Obama and his administration in keeping Israel safe

Barack Obama became 44th president in 2008, and the first African American president The Obama administration passed a stimulus plan in an effort to jump start the economy Conservative critics objected to deficit spending because it raised the national debt The Bush tax cuts for the wealthy were not repealed to bring in more revenue (but they did eventually expire) The United States’ influence in the world has changed over the past decade as President Obama’s administration has attempted to reduce our military “footprint” globally BARACK OBAMA