Recent Conflicts in Southwest Asia September 9, 2014

Aftermath of the Israel-Palestine War When the war between Israel and Palestine ended in May 1948, Israel took over even more land than what had been originally planned As a result, many Palestinians became refugees because their homes were in territory that Israel took over Refugee: a person who had to leave their home as a result of war Israel has continued to exist for the last 70 years, and many Palestinians and their descendants still live in the refugee camps that they moved to in 1948

Israel-Palestine Conflict Today In the last 70 years, there have been additional wars between Israel and Palestine Arab countries are strong supporters of Palestine while the United States is a strong supporter of Israel People on both sides of the conflicts are trying to find a peaceful solution The conflict between Israel and Palestine continues to play a major role in the difficulties that the United States and the rest of the world have when trying to find solutions to Southwest Asian conflicts

U.S. Interest in Southwest Asia The United States has significant political and economic interests in Southwest Asia since the 1800s, especially in the oil that the U.S. gets from the region Since the end of World War I, the U.S. has also played an important role in government relations following the break-up of the Ottoman Empire The U.S. also supported the creation of Israel in 1948

Operation Desert Storm (Persian Gulf War) In 1990, Iraq invaded the tiny country of Kuwait in an effort to gain control of Kuwait’s oil supply Saddam Hussein, the leader of Iraq, claimed the when the Ottoman Empire broke up, land that should have belonged to Iraq was given to Kuwait The U.S. was concerned about the invasion because it received a large portion of its oil supply from Kuwait The U.S., along with other countries, sent troops to the area to drive Iraq out of Kuwait This effort became known as Operation Desert Storm, and by February 1991, the Iraqi government accepted a truce and agreed to withdraw from Kuwait

Al-Qaeda and Osama bin-Laden On September 11, 2001, 4 airplanes controlled by members of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group destroyed the World Trade Center in New York City and part of the Pentagon military building in Washington D.C. In total, almost 3,000 people died in the attacks. The leader of Al-Qaeda was a Saudi Arabian named Osama bin-Laden. One of the goals of Al-Qaeda was to end United States influence in Southwest Asian countries After the 9/11 attacks, bin-Laden and Al Qaeda members were believed to be hiding in the mountains of Afghanistan In October 2001, the U.S. launched a series of attacks on Afghanistan to draw bin- Laden out Osama bin-Laden was finally killed in May 2011 in Pakistan

Operation Iraqi Freedom In 2003, the U.S. invaded Iraq after claiming that the Iraqi government, led by Saddam Hussein, was developing nuclear weapons and selling them to groups like Al-Qaeda The Iraqi government quickly collapsed and the U.S. tried to help Iraq organize a new government Saddam Hussein was captured and put on trial for crimes against humanity. He was found guilty and executed in 2006. Most of the U.S. forces finally left Iraq in 2011, with only about 750 remaining as peacekeepers between the different religious and ethnic groups as they fight for power

The aftermath of the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York City on 9/11 Saddam Hussein Images Damage to the Pentagon on 9/11 Osama bin-Laden

Questions 1. What happened to many Palestinians as a result of the Israel-Palestine war in 1948? 2. What is a refugee? 3. Which countries are strong supporters of Palestine? 4. Who is a strong supporter of Israel? 5. What is a big interest of the U.S. in the Southwest Asian region? 6. What country invaded Kuwait in 1990? 7. Why was Kuwait invaded? 8. Why was the U.S. concerned about this invasion?

More Questions 9. What is the name of the operation that drove Iraq out of Kuwait? 10. What happened on September 11, 2001? 11. Who was the leader of Al-Qaeda? 12. What was the goal of Al-Qaeda? 13. Why did the U.S. launch a series of attacks on Afghanistan in 2001? 14. When did Osama bin-Laden die? 15. Why did the U.S. invade Iraq in 2003? 16. What happened to Saddam Hussein? 17. Why was U.S. troops still in Iraq today?