Post - Soviet Union

Rough Transition Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 Economy and Industry switched from being run by the gov’t to a more free-market type of economy Inflation and Unemployment went sky-high This added to the unrest from areas wanting independence from old Soviet regime Rebels fought to set up independent republics. President Yeltsin lost public support because he couldn’t control the rebellions and he resigned early

Civil War in Bosnia In Eastern Europe, Yugoslavia faced a serious crisis. made up of several republics, including Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. After the fall of USSR, rivalries stirred among the nation’s many ethnic/ religious groups. In 1991, Croatia and Bosnia declared their independence. However, Serbs in Croatia and Bosnia wanted to remain a part of Yugoslavia. With help from Serbia, they began fighting to prevent the new governments from splitting away. The civil war dragged on for four years. Cities were destroyed and more than two million people were forced to flee their homes. More than 250,000 people died.

Through Their Eyes – Serbian Child Today a shell fell on the park in front of my house, the park where I used to play and sit with my girlfriends. A lot of people were hurt…AND NINA IS DEAD…She was such a nice, sweet girl. - Zlata Filipovic Zlata's Diary Excerpts

Crisis in Bosnia: Cont’d. Serbians forced tens of thousands of Bosnian Muslims into detention camps. They called this practice “ethnic cleansing.” Other reports claimed that the Serbs were carrying out mass executions. In November of 1995- The Dayton Accord called for Bosnia to remain a single nation but to be governed as two separate republics. To guarantee the peace, President Clinton sent about 20,000 American troops to Bosnia. They joined NATO and Russian peacekeeping forces to restore order. More than 50 Serbs were charged and convicted by the War Crimes Tribunal with murder, torture, and other “crimes against humanity.”

Crisis in Kosovo Kosovo, a province within Serbia, also sought greater independence. The Albanians living there were in the majority and resented Serbian rule. Serbs launched attacks against Albanian rebels in Kosovo. For nearly a year, the Serbs tried to uproot Albanians and drive them from Kosovo. Hundreds of thousands of refugees fled the province. America joined NATO in bombing Serbia. The War Crimes Tribunal charged Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic with crimes against humanity.

Limiting Nuclear Arms Before the Soviet Union disbanded, it had already agreed to several treaties with the U.S. to reduce nuclear arms. The most important was the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START. The two powers signed START in 1991. Russia later agreed to even greater reductions as part of START II in 1993. Both sides destroyed weapons and limited new ones

New Threats Britain, France, and China had developed nuclear weapons American intelligence agencies believed that Israel, Iran, Iraq, and North Korea also developed atomic weapons. In 1996, the Clinton administration helped draft the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty hoping to ban further developments but … Unfortunately, many nations, such as those in South Asia, continued to develop nuclear weapons. Sanctions were taken against some of these countries to try and force policy changes.

South Africa In 1948, The government of South Africa began enforcing apartheid, which was the strict separation of the races. In 1986, Congress approved economic sanctions against South Africa. A new constitution allowed for all races to vote in the elections of 1994 - Nelson Mandela became President

Philippines In 1986, dictator Ferdinand Marcos was accused of fraud in the recent election. Proclaiming “people power,” they refused to recognize Marcos’s presidency. The army ended-up supporting the people and Marcos fled. The U.S. backed Corazon Aquino, the woman who ran against him. During the 1990s, the U.S. continued to provide economic aid for the Filipino democracy.

China’s Struggle During the 1980s, the communist government of China took some steps to build a free market economy. However, they refused to accept political reforms. In 1989, students and workers launched a bold campaign to bring democracy to China. However, the army crushed the demonstrations as many were killed or arrested. Hundreds of thousands gathered at Tiananmen Square and the world noticed and spoke out against the gov’t. The Chinese gov’t responded by allowing more economic freedom in its cities but the rural areas remained much the same

Other Communist Nations North Korea’s people faced severe famine during the 1990s. To encourage North Korea to make reforms, the U.S. and the U.N. provided famine relief. In Cuba, Fidel Castro remained president for nearly 50 years after coming into power. The U.S. had enforced a trade embargo against Cuba, but… As the Cuban economy worsened more than 30,000 Cubans fled by boat to the U.S.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD DO? The Last Superpower With the Soviet Union gone, the U.S. became the world’s remaining superpower. Some Americans hoped the country would take the opportunity to reduce its role in world affairs. Others argued that the nation had a responsibility to use its power when needed. Both President Bush and President Clinton used U.S. influence to help bring stability to war-torn regions, such as Bosnia. WHAT DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD DO?