1. Into a New Century
Ch. 24

2. Bill Clinton
Democrat
Elected to first term 1992
Re-elected 1996

3. NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement Supporters… Opposed…
Called for a gradual removal of trade restrictions among the US, Canada, and Mexico (Free Trade)
Supporters…
promote economic growth
reduce prices
increase exports
encourage economic investment
Opposed…
Would force manufacturers to relocate to Mexico for lower wages and less environmental restrictions
American jobs would be lost
Clinton pushed NAFTA through congress and it went into effect in 1994

4. Yugoslav Republics
Death of communist leader Tito and the fall of communism broke up the country of Yugoslavia
4 of the 6 major republics formed their own states
Ethnic and religious hostilities rose and eventually led to civil war
Serbs attacked Bosnians and Croats in an ethnic cleansing
State-sanctioned mass murder, violence, and rape

5. Yugoslav Republics cont’d
1995- Clinton encouraged NATO to bomb Serbian strongholds
Dayton Accords- established a federated, multinational Bosnia
Ethnic cleansing ended
1998- ethnic cleansing and violence flared up in Kosovo
NATO forced Serbs to withdraw from Kosovo

6. World Trade Center Attack
1st attack- 1993
Al Qaeda
Led by Osama bin Laden
Wanted to end American involvement in Muslim countries
exploded a bomb in the World Trade Center
Killing 6, injuring 1000

7. Murrah Federal Building
April 19, 1995 OKC
Truck bomb destroyed 1/3 of the building
Killing 168
At the time, the bombing was the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in US history
Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols found guilty
Held militant anti-government views

9. George W. Bush
Republican
Elected to first term 2000
Re-elected 2004

10. Sept. 11, 2001 4 commercial passenger airplanes are high jacked
2 hit the World Trade Centers
1 hit the Pentagon
1 crash-landed in a Pennsylvania field
Determined Bin Laden’s al Qaeda network was responsible
Bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders were in Afghanistan where the Taliban gov allowed them to operate terrorist training camps
Bush demanded Bin Laden be turned over to US
Taliban refused
US troops invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Taliban
Bin Laden escaped

11. “Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts…Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror…These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed…” -Pres. Bush 9/11/01

12. Improving National Security
Patriot Act- gives law enforcement broader powers to monitor suspected terrorists
Some felt it violated civil liberties but most American were willing to give up some freedoms for better security
Department of Homeland Security- coordinates security matters among federal, state, and local agencies

13. AFTER EOI

14. Invading Iraq
Believed the Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, was building nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons of mass destructions
Operation Iraqi Freedom
March 2003
American and British forces invaded Iraq
Saddam’s forces and the capital fell
Saddam went into hiding

15. Bush re-elected 2004 War continues in Iraq
2005- Iraq had a new constitution and the beginnings of a democracy
2006- Saddam tried and executed
Sunnis, Shi’a, and Kurds fought for power
2007- American troop surge lessened the violence
2008- Senate Intelligence Committee determined that was no credible evidence of WMD or ties to terrorist groups in Iraq

16. Financial Crisis 2007- US economy slid into a recession
Unemployed Americans lost their homes
Foreclosures increased
Housing prices fell, mortgage investments lost their value
Many large banking and investment firms collapsed
2008- Stock marked plunged
Bank bailout was approved by Bush
Public outrage after executives received $$$$ bonuses
Some believe the bailout prevented a major financial meltdown

17. Barack Obama
Democrat
Elected 2008
Re-elected 2012

18. Obama Takes Action American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Stimulus package with tax cuts, aid to state/local gov, and funds for infrastructure projects
Healthcare bill
Extends coverage to uninsured
prevents insurance companies from denying coverage to patients with pre-existing conditions
Provides subsidies to help lower income earners buy insurance

19. Iraq and Afghanistan
Aug “The American combat missing in Iraq has ended.”
Iraq was more stable but terrorist violence continued
Some American troops stayed behind in support roles
American military increased in Afghanistan
Hoped to end the Taliban gov
May 2011 bin Laden killed in a secret Navy SEALS operation