america’s role in the 21st century world · • three months later, he visited moscow...
TRANSCRIPT
America’s Role in the 21st
Century World
• Civil Rights Movement
• The Space Race
• The Cuban Missile Crisis
• The War in Vietnam
• JFK Assassination
• Nixon and the Watergate Scandal
• The Cold War is still going on…
• How did the Cold War finally start to
“thaw” during the 1980s?
• Before Nixon resigned from office, he did accomplish some tasks that were very helpful to America during the Cold War.
• In 1972, Nixon visited China—a communist nation that had not been open to the U.S. since 1949—to discuss allowing trade again.
• Three months later, he visited Moscow (U.S.S.R.’s capital) to meet with Leonid Brezhnev about easing tensions between the countries.
• He and Brezhnev signed an Arms Control agreement that limited the number of nuclear weapons allowed on each side.
• These two meetings was the start of eased tensions between America and other communist nations.
• Nixon believed that even though our country did not agree with communism, we should still be open to working together with each other.
• Then, in 1973, the Soviet Union and the USA were on opposing sides again when war broke out in the Middle East.
• The USA supported Israel.
• The USSR supported Egypt and Syria.
• This was just a foreshadowing of many future Middle Eastern conflicts to come.
• These conflicts would impact the USA and other opposing countries in many ways.
• In 1979, Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan and moved closer to its rich oil fields.
• Jimmy Carter, who was President at that time, called this a “threat to world peace,” and insisted that the Soviets leave Afghanistan.
• When the Soviets refused, the USA cut back its trade with the USSR and refused to more arms control.
• President Carter was so serious about the Soviets leaving Afghanistan, that he even had the USA boycott the 1980 Olympic Games because they were being held in Moscow.
• Another country that caused conflict in the Middle East during 1979 was Iran.
• A revolution took place in the country that overthrew Iran’s shah (Iran’s leader).
• The people leading the revolution did not like the USA because America supported the shah.
• To show their anger at the USA, the revolutionaries attacked the U.S. embassy (a building containing the offices of an ambassador and staff) in Iran’s capital city of Tehran.
• Ambassador: an official messenger or representative
• The people leading the attack against the embassy captured 53 Americans and made them hostages (prisoners who are held until the captors’ demands are met).
• President Carter tried but could not get the revolutionaries to release the hostages, so Americans did not re-elect him in 1980.
• In 1980, they elected Ronald Reagan as President; and on the day that Reagan took the office, Iran released the hostages.
• How did the Cold War finally start to
“thaw” during the 1980s?
• Reagan was a much-loved President.
• Before Reagan was President, he was a famous actor for movies!
• On the next slide, watch a clip called “What’s My Line” that shows a very young Ronald Reagan during his acting days. This clip is of a game show where the contestants had to ask the actors questions to try and figure out who they are. Ronald Reagan disguises his voice throughout to make it more difficult. Funny!
• The “Zero Factor”—Ever since 1840, every American President that was elected during a year ending in zero had died while serving in office.
• Everyone was afraid that Reagan would not make it through his Presidency alive, and an assassination on his life was even attempted.
• However, even though Reagan was shot in the chest, he made a full recovery and even was able to serve a second term.
• Space exploration continued in the 1980s, but on January 28, 1986, something happened that threatened the end of the space program.
• The space shuttle Challenger with seven astronauts aboard was to go to space with Christa McAuliffe, who was to be the first ever teacher in space.
• However, there was something wrong with the shuttle, and 73 seconds after the launch, the ship exploded killing all 7 astronauts. (Much of America was watching it on TV when it happened.)
• Many believed that this tragedy would be the end of the space program for the USA, but a year and a half later, another shuttle, Discovery, carried a successful mission.
The Crew
• During the early 1980s, nuclear weapons were still being built on both sides, and the Cold War continued.
• President Reagan verbalized his dislike for the Soviet Union’s communist government by calling it “the evil empire.”
• Why? The Soviet Union would spend its money on building up its military power and overlook the needs of its people.
• The people were suffering. They had shortages of food, fuel, and other goods.
• In 1985, a new leader named Mikhail
Gorbachev came to power in the USSR.
• Gorbachev’s goal was to reform the
country and care for its people.
• He started reconstructing the economy
and allowing the people the freedom to
start their own businesses, vote, speak
freely, and worship as they chose.
• Gorbachev also reduced the tensions
that existed between the Soviet Union
and other countries (including the USA).
• President Reagan and Gorbachev met for
the first time in November 1985, and
three years later Gorbachev agreed to
reduce the number of nuclear weapons
in the USSR—the USA agreed to do the
same.
• At the end of Reagan’s second term, his Vice President, George H. W. Bush was elected President in 1988.
• In 1989, America’s new President, George H. W. Bush, met Gorbachev, and they discussed the changes taking place in the Soviet Union.
• They were in agreement about the need for a reconstructed economy, and for the first time in almost 45 years, the Cold War was starting to thaw (end). Wow!!!!
George H. W. Bush—
President 1989-1993
George H. W. Bush Ronald Reagan Mikhail Gorbachev
• In 1989, other countries rebelled against communism as well:– Poland
– Czechoslovakia
– Hungary
– Romania
– Bulgaria
– East Germany—this is when the Berlin Wall was torn down ☺(picture on p.450)
• Then, in 1991, Gorbachev took the next step to ensure freedom in his nation—he outlawedcommunism.
• Once communism fell, there was not much authority left to keep the 15 different nations that had become a part of the USSR from leaving.
• So, they all declared their independence and broke away from the Soviet Union.
• This is why we no longer have a nation in the world called “The Soviet Union.” It is now Russia (again) along with 14 other nations (see next slide for a list of all of them).
1. Armenia, 2. Azerbaijan, 3. Belarus, 4. Estonia, 5. Georgia, 6. Kazakhstan, 7. Kyrgyzstan, 8. Latvia, 9. Lithuania, 10. Moldova, 11. Russia, 12. Tajikistan, 13. Turkmenistan, 14. Ukraine, 15. Uzbekistan
• “How did the Cold War start to ‘thaw’
in the 1980s?”
• “How did the Persian Gulf War affect
America?”
• Sadly, not every country that outlawed communism had an immediate positive result.
• In a country in Europe called Yugoslavia where communism also fell, six states declared their independence, but at a high cost.
• Because there was no longer one, unifying government forcing the nations to get along, civil wars broke out between some of the nations.
• Bosnia-Herzegovina was one with large casualties.
• 200,000 were killed, and 3 million were left homeless.
• Under Ronald Reagan, the US military
had been built up immensely, but at a
high price.
• When Bush became President, he
inherited more than a 3 trillion dollar
debt!
• In the Middle East, there was still a lot of conflict going on in the early 1990s.
• The country of Iraq decided it wanted the rich oil fields** in Kuwait in 1990.
**OIL is sometimes nicknamed BLACK GOLD—because it can make you RICH!
• Iraq led by its leader, Saddam Hussein, invaded and claimed Kuwait, and this upset many countries that relied on Kuwait’s oil exports (including the USA).
• In 1991, the USA and other angry countries attacked Iraq to force them out of Kuwait. This was the start of the Persian Gulf War.
• The Iraqi soldiers then gathered on the border of Saudi Arabia, and many feared Iraq would soon attack them next.
• The United States, Saudi Arabia, and many other countries part of the United Nations banded together and formed a coalition (a group of nations that ally together to achieve a goal) against Iraq.
• They had planes bomb Iraq, and soldiers enter Kuwait to drive Saddam’s forces out.
• This attack was known as Operation Desert Storm, and it drove Saddam Hussein and the Iraqis out of Kuwait.
• They won the Persian Gulf War in about 2 months by using new technology to accurately guide missiles from ships in the Persian Gulf.
• Saddam Hussein left Kuwait, but remained the dictator of Iraq.
• How does America try to be a leader in
the world after the end of the Cold
War?
• Once the Soviet Union dissolved, President Bush said, “Our adversary of forty-five years, the one nation that posed a worldwide threat to freedom and peace, is now seeking to join the community of free nations,”
• The United States, after the end of the Cold War, emerged as one of the most powerful nations in the world… and it still is today.
• However, there were many who disagreed as to what America should do with its new responsibility.
• Some people believed that the United States needed to stay active in the world’s affairs to be ready to defend world peace at all costs, while others believed that the USA should take a back seat and not be so active in world affairs.
• With the Cold War over, some Americans now wanted America to shift its focus away from preventing the spread of communism to making American life easier.
• Therefore, they elected a man that promised just that as their new President in 1992, William (Bill) Clinton.
• Bill Clinton was the first man elected President after WWII to not be a veteran of WWII. (In fact, he was born after WWII!)
• President Clinton worked hard to
improve the nation’s economy and to
provide health insurance for all people.
• He claimed he was going to help
America “build a bridge to the future,”
and he did work hard to achieve that.
• “During the administration of William Jefferson Clinton, the U.S. enjoyed more peace and economic well being than at any time in its history. He was the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second term. He could point to the lowest unemployment rate in modern times, the lowest inflation in 30 years, the highest home ownership in the country's history, dropping crime rates in many places, and reduced welfare rolls. He proposed the first balanced budget in decades and achieved a budget surplus. As part of a plan to celebrate the millennium in 2000, Clinton called for a great national initiative to end racial discrimination.” (Source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/williamjclinton/
• However, President Clinton was dishonest about many things, and some people did not like having him as President.
• He was even impeached by the House of Representatives in 1998 for being dishonest to the American people, but he was not removed from office.
• The United States always tries to be a leader in the world by helping nations in need and working to bring peace to other parts of the world.
• For example, President Clinton hosted peace talks in Ohio in 1995 that helped bring an end to the war in Bosnia. (Remember those civil wars that broke out after Yugoslavia split?)
• Then the USA sent troops to Bosnia to help keep the peace.
• Foreign aid:– The USA gives billions of dollars to send foreign
aid (money, goods, and services that one country gives to another country) to countries that need it.
• The Peace Corp:– This is an “army” of volunteers (set-up by JFK)
that are sent to help improve the living conditions in developing countries by improving housing, roads, schools, and hospitals.
• Negotiations:– The USA also helps countries find peaceful
solutions to arguments/conflicts that may arise by setting up negotiations, or talks, between both sides.
• Even though the USA is very powerful, it cannot solve all the world’s problems. (We have problems of our own, don’t we?)
• Therefore, the USA has many allies that help to keep the peace and settle conflicts that take place in the world.
• Two of those organizations are NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the UN (United Nations).
• Did you know that George W. Bush was declared President twice in the same election? Yep.
• The 2000 elections were dubbed “too close to call”, because candidate Al Gore and George Bush were neck and neck the entire election.
• In fact, they had to recount, and recount the votes to see who won. Americans (and candidates) waited 36 days to find out who would be President for sure…
• It was crazy! Ask your parents if they remember the Bush/Gore election! ☺
• Bush served two
terms in office
as President.
• “Why did terrorists attack America?”
• Sadly, many countries in the Middle
East saw (and still do see) America as
their enemy because of America’s
freedom of culture/values, support for
Israel, and other various actions that
took place in the Arab world since the
Persian Gulf War.
• This hatred for Americans led to the most horrific terrorist attack on America’s own soil in history…
• On Sep. 11, 2001, four American planes were hijacked (taken over) by Muslim extremists that were members of a group called Al Qaeda.
• Al Qaeda is a terrorist group from the Middle East that believes its mission to be to rid the world of all non-Islamic influences.
• Al Qaeda does not only target military, but they are willing to kill civilians as well… and this is why 9/11 was so upsetting to Americans.
• These terrorists took two of the planes and headed for New York City’s famous twin towers of the World Trade Center.
• America was in complete shock when the north tower was hit by one of the planes at 8:46am without warning.
• News stations covered the story immediately, and the tower was shown smoking to America on live TV.
• Then, to all of America’s horror, another plane came onto the cameras’ screens and crashed into the south tower only 16 minutes after the first.
• The secondplane crashedinto the southtower at 9:02that morning.
• The planes were full of jet fuel, making themlike super-heated bombs.
• The twin towers were targeted because they were so high (at 108 stories high they were once the tallest buildings in the world) and were a physical representation of American achievement.
• The heated jet fuel was too intense for the buildings, and the buildings were getting weaker by the minute.
• This did not stop New York’s firefighters or policemen, though. Hundreds of them walked right into the flaming buildings to try and rescue and help thousands of innocent office workers from the flames.
• America was then horrified once again
when they watched the south tower
collapse to the ground, causing a cloud
of dust, smoke, and debris to engulf the
complex.
• About thirty minutes later, the north tower
succumbed to the extreme heat (melting
the columns holding the building up) and
it too collapsed to the ground.
• Almost 3,000 innocent people were killed in the attack on the World Trade Centers.
• Over 300 firefighters and police officers died as well—making them heroes in the minds of all Americans.
• The debris that covered the city caused massive damage, and buildings all around were destroyed as well.
• People emerged from the ruins covered from head to foot with soot and debris.
• Sadly, this was not the only terrorist attack that occurred on September 11.
• One of the other planes hijacked targeted Washington, D.C., and only 35 minutes after the World Trade Center was struck by the 2nd plane, the Pentagon was struck.
• The Pentagon is the United States’ Department of Defense.
• Damage to the Pentagon was extensive, and large portion of it was destroyed.
• The fourth plane that was hijacked was thought to have been headed for the White House, but we will never know for sure…
• That is because the plane crashed in a small rural town of Pennsylvania.
• The passengers on this flight are called heroes because they fought back against the terrorists and many believe they sacrificed their own lives by having the plane crash there, in order to save the lives of innocent people.
• All the passengers on that flight died, but no one on the ground did.
• A passenger named ToddBeamer called to tell that their plane had been hijacked.
• His famous last words heardon the phone were, “Are you ready? Okay. Let’s roll.”
• “Let’s roll” became a famous battle cryagainst Al Qaeda.
• When they added up all the casualties of all the different attacks, they realized that more Americans had died in these acts of terror than in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
• All of these attacks were such a shock to America. Americans were full of fear, grief, and anger. They couldn’t believe that anyone would do such harsh attacks on innocent lives.
• The 9/11 attacks were meant to bring America down, but in many ways it only made us stronger.
• People embraced each other; flags were hung outside houses, business, cars; many who didn’t go to church even started attending churches again—uniting under our quote “God Bless America.”
• A national emergency was issued
across the nation, and for the first time
in all of history, all airline flights were
suspended and all airports were
closed throughout the United States.
• President Bush addressed the nation
and declared a “War on Terrorism.”
• The Department of Homeland Security was formed after the attacks of 9/11 by combining 22 previously separate agencies into one department.
• Its purpose is to:– Protect America against further terrorist
attacks
– Analyze threats and intelligence
– Guard our borders and airports
– Coordinate national response in case of an emergency
• America re-united itself, and paid tribute and honor to our everyday heroes—firefighters, police officers, medical personnel, rescue workers, etc.
• Airport security intensified.
• Osama bin Laden was found to be the leader of the Al Qaeda group, and Bush sent American forces to Afghanistan where Al Qaeda was based—this was known as “Operation Enduring Freedom.”
“How did America fight back after the
terrorist attacks of 9/11?”
• President Bush told the world that the United States was going to fight back against the terrorist attacks.
• He told other countries that they were either on one of two sides:
– 1) With the USA and against terrorism
– 2) Enemies of the USA by assisting terrorism
• He planned to keep terrorists out of America and to stop their funding so they could not wage another attack.
• Osama bin Laden was the leader of the terrorist group Al Qaeda.
• Osama bin Laden was a Muslim extremist and believed that it was his duty to kill people who do not accept the Koran, Islam’s holy book.
• The Taliban were political and religious leaders in Afghanistan that shared bin Laden’s views.
• The Taliban in Afghanistan allowed the terrorist group Al Qaeda to be free and kill innocent people.
• Pres. Bush told the Taliban to arrest bin Laden after the Sep. 11 attacks, but they ignored him.
• Therefore, Afghanistan was an enemy because it was helping terrorists, and so Bush sent planes over to attack Afghanistan on October 7, 2001.
• The War in Afghanistan is also called “Operation Enduring Freedom.”
• Military from other countries also joined the battle and so did Afghan forces that opposed the Taliban.
• Within two months, the Allies (the USA and its supporting countries) had forced the Taliban from power.
• Bin Laden was not captured, though, because he escaped to the rugged mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
• After the Persian Gulf War, Iraq had to sign an agreement with the UN to allow inspection teams to look for and destroy nuclear weapons (often called weapons of mass destruction or WMDs for short) in Iraq.
• Saddam Hussein remained the leader of Iraq and rebuilt his military forces after the war.
• Pres. Bush heard reports that Saddam Hussein had helped with the Al Qaeda attacks.
• The reports also stated that Hussein had WMDs, and Pres. Bush feared that he might give these to the terrorists.
• Pres. Bush and a coalition of nations decided to invade Iraq.
• In March of 2003, US forces started “Operation Iraqi Freedom” and headed for an invasion of Bagdad, Iraq’s capital.
• In four weeks they were able take over the capital, and they forced Saddam Hussein from power.
• Hussein had managed to escape, and US forces searched for him for months.
• Then, in December of that same year, an Iraqi citizen led US troops to a farmhouse in the countryside where they found Saddam Hussein hiding in a spider hole (small one-man shallow pit dug for refuge against an enemy) and captured him.
• Were any weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq? No.
• BUT… Some people believe that they were there, but they were moved out of the country right before the US forces invaded.
• Others believe there were never any there to begin with.
• This issue is still argued about and debated by some even today.
• On April 29, 2011, President Obama
issued a raid on Osama bin Laden’s
suspected location. (Pakistan!)
• Then, on May 1, Osama bin Laden was
shot and killed by U.S. Navy SEALs.
• In accordance with Muslim tradition,
they had his body buried at sea within
24 hours of his death.
Abraham had two sons:
1) Isaac—Father of the Israelites
2) Ishmael—Father of the Arabs
http://www.keyway.ca/htm2000/20001102.htm
• Genesis 16:11-12 (New Living Translation)
• 11 And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the LORD has heard your cry of distress. 12 This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.”
• God prophesied back in Genesis that
conflict in the Middle East would
happen—and it still continues to this day.
• The descendants of Isaac (Jews) and the
descendants of Ishmael (various Arabic
nations) will always be conflict until Jesus
returns one day. Even so, we can
continue to pray for peace on earth
amidst adversity.
Afghanistan
IranIraq
Saudi
Arabia
Kuwait
Israel
1) The United States has worked with Israel as an ally of Israel.
3) The Persian Gulf War started because Iraq invaded Kuwait. The US sent troops to protect its allies and attacked Iraq to force it to leave Kuwait. It took 7 weeks to defeat the Iraqis.
5) The US went to war with Iraq in 2003 because President Bush believed that Iraq had very dangerous weapons. Saddam Hussein was overthrown and arrested.
4) Terrorists attacked the US on September 11, 2001. The US believed that Afghanistan was hiding the leaders of the terrorist group responsible for the attack so the US went to war with Afghanistan.
2) Iran’s shah was overthrown by revolutionaries. The US embassy was attacked and had hostages held for 444 days.
Pakistan
6) In 2011, US Navy SEALs found that Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan. He was killed in a raid.