The Day that Changed the Nation

Historical Circumstances Surrounding the Bush Doctrine This PowerPoint will help you identify the historical circumstances surrounding the Bush Doctrine, or, in other words, what events led or caused President Bush to deliver a speech to Congress that will later become known as the Bush Doctrine.

Afghan-Soviet War: The Soviet Union gave up – pulling out the last of its troops early in 1989. If you remember for the reading entitled Afghanistan: How We Got There, the Soviet Union invaded neighboring Afghanistan to rescue a Communist-leaning government under attack by guerrilla fighters (known by many different names depending on your perspective). It’s important to remember that the U.S. supported these so-called “guerrilla fighters” or the mujahedeen because they wanted the Soviet Union to lose (i.e. stop the spread of communism). The Afghan war had been a major burden on the Soviet economy. It has also sapped the morale of the Soviet people. In 1989, after 10 years, the Soviet Union accepted defeat and withdrew its troops.

1989 – fall of the Berlin Wall (constructed in 1961) – a symbol of the Cold War was now dismantled In November of that same year (1989), students and workers in East Germany (remember Germany was split into two after WWII – West Germany = capitalist, East Germany = communist – wall (Berlin Wall) constructed in 1961 separating the two countries) – anyway, students and workers in East Germany tore down the Berlin Wall, a bitter symbol of Communist oppression. Berliners danced, exchanged hugs, and battered the Berlin Wall with sledgehammers, pickaxes, and bare hands. Within a year, East and West Germany had reunited as a single nation.

1991 – Soviet Union ceases to exist = collapse of communism = 15 new independent nations emerge In late 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved. All 15 republics of the former Soviet Union became independent nations – including the largest, Russia.

ONE SUPERPOWER = The United States The collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War enabled (allowed or made possible) the United States to play a new role in the world. The President of the United States was George H.W. Bush – you may know his son George H. Bush who will be elected President in 2000 (you will hear more about this man later. President George H.W. Bush President George W. Bush

Saddam Hussein The same year George H.W. Bush (older George Bush) was elected (1990), Iraq invaded and annexed neighboring Kuwait (see map above). Iraq had long been ruled by brutal dictator Saddam Hussein. In 1990, Hussein sent troops to invade Kuwait. Kuwait is one of the richest oil-producing nations in the Middle East and located in the Persian Gulf region. FLASHBACK TIME –see next slide.

FLASHBACK – Carter Doctrine – Remember this foreign policy decision FLASHBACK – Carter Doctrine – Remember this foreign policy decision? I hope so. Jimmy attempted to make the U.S. “position absolutely clear.” DO NOT MESS WITH THE PERSIAN GULF REGION or it will be “repelled” or prevented by “any means necessary.”

President George H.W. Bush feared the invasion of Kuwait (located in the Persian Gulf region) was the start of an Iraqi plan to seize Middle Eastern oil. To block such a move, Bush sent troops to Saudi Arabia. Bush built a coalition or alliance of more than 30 nations, including the Arab nations of Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Egypt. They demanded that Iraq withdraw from (get out of) Kuwait.

Iraq refused and the coalition began launching a series of air attacks against the Iraqi capital of Baghdad in January 1991. These were later followed by a ground attack. The Persian Gulf War only lasted six weeks. The U.S. and its allies were able to force Iraq out of Kuwait. Hussein, however, remained in place so did a large American presence in Saudi Arabia.

The U.S. quickly drove Iraqi army from Kuwait 1990 - Iraq invaded Kuwait Fearing that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein might next attack Saudi Arabia, Bush rushed troops to the Persian Gulf. The U.S. quickly drove Iraqi army from Kuwait The U.S. stayed in Saudi Arabia Outraged bin Laden who deemed an affront to their faith and as part of a Western plan to destroy Islam. After the Persian Gulf War, Saddam Hussein stayed in power in Iraq and, as previously stated, the U.S. stayed in Saudi Arabia. American presence in Saudi Arabia outraged (made angry) many people in the Middle East. Saudi Arabi is home to some of the holiest places for Muslims included Mecca. One person who was outraged by the American military presence in Saudi Arabia was a man named Osama bin Laden. FLASH FORWARD TIME! (see next slide)

FLASH FORWARD: September 11, 2001 – hijackers seized control of four jet airliners filled with passengers. They crashed two into the World Trade Center in New York City, a third hit a wing of the Pentagon (country’s military headquarters), and the fourth aircraft crashed in a field near Pittsburgh, PA. Around 3,000 people died on September 11.

President Bush (the younger one) and his administration quickly blamed Al Qaeda, a shadowy “terrorist” organization headed by Osama bin Laden, for the attacks. A wealthy Islamic fundamentalist from Saudi Arabia, bin Laden joined the fight against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Yes, bin Laden was one of the so-called “guerilla fighters” who received American funds (money) to defeat the Soviets (you will read more about this connection later). After the Persian Gulf War, Osama bin Laden declared “war” on the United States. Terrorists associated with Al Qaeda exploded a truck bomb at the World Trade Center in 1993, killing six persons, and set off blasts in 1998 at American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. an Islamic fundamentalist group from Saudi Arabia led by Osama bin Laden had joined the fight against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan developed a relationship with C.I.A. and received funds to help build his mountain bases.

On September 20, 2001, Bush addressed a joint session of Congress and a national television address – announcing a new foreign policy principle, which quickly became known as the Bush Doctrine.