6 th Hour Notes

1. Chapter 22 Section 1Bush’s Global ChallengeChapter 22 Section and 2Focusing on Afganastan and Iraq 6th Hour Notes

2. The Election of 2000 • Major Party Candidates • Al Gore, the Democratic candidate, was a moderate. • George W. Bush, the Republican candidate, was the son of a former president and a strong conservative. • Third Party Candidate • Ralph Nader, the Green Party candidate, criticized corporations for their financial influence over both major parties. His candidacy threatened to take many of the liberal votes away from the democrats. • Florida • Gore won the popular vote in an election plagued by controversy over voting machines and ballots. • The election was so close that Florida’s 25 electoral votes would decide the election. • A recount showed Bush in the lead, but thousands of votes were difficult to determine. • Florida certified Bush the winner by only 537 votes.

3. The Election of 2000 • State Court • The Florida Supreme Court ordered a recount of all rejected ballots after Gore challenged the decision. • Supreme Court • InBush v. Gore, the Supreme Court ruled that the recount process did not treat all voters equally and ordered a stop to the recount. • Results • Gore conceded the election, and Bush assumed the office of the presidency.

4. September 11, 2001 • World Trade Center • On September 11, terrorists took control of two passenger jets and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York City, setting the twin towers ablaze and causing them to collapse. • Almost 3,000 people were killed. • The Pentagon • At the same time, another hijacked plane was flown into the Pentagon, the Department of Defense headquarters in Washington, D.C. • Al-Qaeda • U.S. intelligence and law enforcement identified Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda organization as the source of the attacks. This was a Muslim fundamentalist group based in Afghanistan. • Middle East Terrorism • The United States invested heavily in oil from Middle Eastern countries. • The United States was a strong ally of Israel, a nation that was not recognized by Arab nations. • Arab and Muslim states and groups attacked Israel and its allies, both in open war and through state-sponsored terrorism.

5. The War on Terrorism • Invasion of Afghanistan • In October 2001, the United States and its allies began bombing al-Qaeda camps and Taliban forces in Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden was thought to be hiding. • A New Federal Agency • Bush created the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate federal efforts to combat terrorism. • USA PATRIOT Act • Bush pushed for new laws to help track down terrorists. • The Patriot Act allowed secret searches, nationwide search warrants, and the tracking and seizure of electronic communications. • Opponents claimed the law violated Americans’ civil liberties. • Anthrax  • Less than a month after the 9/11 attacks, envelopes containing anthrax bacteria were delivered to homes, offices, and government buildings.

6. The Taliban and WMD’s • Soviet Invasion • The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 to support the weak Afghan communist regime that had taken power in 1978. • The invasion set off a bloody war that affected much of the country. • Al-Qaeda • As the war continued into the late 1980s, Muslims from around the world came to Afghanistan to defend Islam. • One Muslim was Osama bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi Arabian who wanted to cleanse Muslim society of Western influence. • Bin Laden established al-Qaeda in 1988, an anti-Western terrorist group. • Taliban • The Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1989. Civil war followed. • In 1996 the capital of Kabul fell to the Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist movement that originated in neighboring Pakistan. • U.S. Actions • Under the Taliban, Afghanistan became home to terrorist groups that set their sights on Western targets. • President Clinton ordered cruise missile attacks on terrorist training camps in Afghanistan after al-Qaeda attacks on U.S. embassies in African nations. In 2001 following the 9/11 attacks, the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, with the support of U.S. and NATO troops, overthrew the Taliban.

7. The Taliban and WMD’s • Al-Qaeda Retreat • The overthrow of the Taliban forced al-Qaeda to retreat to the rugged mountain border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan. • Many al-Qaeda members were captured or killed. In May 2011, bin Laden's location was identified and he was killed following a brief fight. • Rebuilding Afghanistan • The United States and NATO allies began peacekeeping operations. • In 2004 democratic elections made HamidKarzai president; a year later, a national assembly was elected.

8. The Search for WMD • WMD • Following the 9/11 attacks, the United States became concerned that terrorists would access nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons. Bush identified Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as state sponsors of terrorism and suspected sources of WMDs, calling them the “Axis of Evil.” • Focus on Iraq • Iraq was said to pose the most immediate threat because of its use of chemical weapons against its own people, past evidence of a nuclear weapons program, and lack of cooperation with UN inspections. • Confronting Iraq • On September 12, 2002, Bush asked for a UN resolution calling on Iraq’s leader, Saddam Hussein, to allow weapons inspections. The United Nations approved a new resolution, and Iraq readmitted inspectors. However, the United States insisted that Iraq’s declaration that it did not posses WMDs was false.

9. Confronting Iraq • Support at Home • Bush asked for and received congressional approval to use force against Iraq—with or without UN approval—if demands were not met. • The Coalition • The United States and 30 other countries prepared for war. Some close U.S. allies, such as Germany and France, refused to support the war or allow attacks from their territory. Protestors at home staged rallies and marches. • Invasion • The invasion began on March 20, 2003 with a massive air assault and the participation of almost 200,000 ground troops. Resistance was weak, and Bush declared major combat over on May 1.

10. Confronting Iraq • Fighting Continues • After the fall of Baghdad and Saddam’s arrest, coalition forces continued to come under attack. Shia and Sunni Muslim militia groups began battling each other and coalition forces. • New Investment • The United States and its allies spent billions to upgrade Iraq’s infrastructure and services, but violence across Iraq slowed progress. • A Functioning Government • The United States sought to build a stable Iraqi government that could eventually bring security to the country. The first step was to hold democratic elections. In January 2005 the first elections were held, and later that year Iraqis voted again to approve a new constitution.

11. Confronting Iraq • Troop surge • Elections did not end the violence in Iraq. In 2008 thousands of additional U.S. troops were sent to the country to stop the insurgents. • End of combat • U.S. troops ended combat in Iraq in 2010. Force reductions began.