1. The Bush Presidency (41) George H.W. Bush
Election of 1988
Michael Dukakis (D)
George H. W. Bush (R)
Main issues:
taxes
building a “kinder America”

2. Domestic Issues Supreme Court becomes more conservative Flag-burning
toughened laws dealing with the death penalty
restricted situations in which women could have abortions
Flag-burning
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

3. War on Drugs Illegal drug use becomes a national issue
Bush tries to stop traffic from Colombia and Panama

4. AIDS Epidemic AIDS - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Caused by HIV
Virus destroys the body’s ability to fight off disease or infection
Virus is transmitted through the exchange of bodily fluids

5. Economic Woes High National Debt Savings and Loan Crisis
“Read my lips, no new taxes!”

6. A New World Order Reforming Communist Societies in the West Poland
Eastern Europe
Berlin Wall

7. World of Technology Birth of Email and the Internet
Genetic engineering
Environmental changes
global warming
deforestation
acid rain

8. The Persian Gulf War Operation Desert Storm
January 16 – February 28, 1991

9. Background: The Iran–Iraq War
1979 – Saddam Hussein becomes leader of Iraq
Sept 1980 – Iraq invades Iran; Hussein predicts a two-week war
July 1988 – Iran accepts terms of cease-fire
Iraq wins but now has $500 billion war debt

10. World Oil Reserves (1990)

11. The Invasion of Kuwait August 2, 1990
Saddam Hussein announces his intent to annex Kuwait

12. Building an International Coalition
Economic Sanctions
Use of Military Force
US and allies deploy massive military force along the Kuwaiti and Saudi border
690,000 troops (425,000 American)
President Bush and King Fahd of Saudi Arabia

13. A Line in the Sand
November 29, 1990 – UN authorizes military action to expel Iraq from Kuwait, if they do not withdraw by January 15th
January 16, 1991 – Allied forces begin to attack

14. World’s Largest Armies (1990)

15. Modern Warfare Allies rely heavily on air power
Ground troops are mostly secondary to the heavy bombardment
Allied bombing lasts six weeks; meets only token resistance from small Iraqi air force
F-117A Nighthawk
Stealth Fighter

16. End of the War
February 28, 1991 – Iraq announces its acceptance of allied terms for cease fire agreement.
US battlefield losses are less than 150
Iraqi losses are estimated at more than 100,000

17. Ecological Terrorism
Hussein orders retreating troops to open the Kuwaiti pipeline, spilling oil into the gulf
700 oil wells are set ablaze
All fires extinguished in less than a year