8.6 Summarize America’s role in the changing world, including the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the expansion of the European Union, the continuing crisis in the Middle East, and the rise of global terrorism.

The End of the Cold War ***As a result of the end of the Cold War, the United States became the world’s only superpower. Consequently, this created resentment from other countries and also meant that the US had a greater responsibility for maintaining world peace

The Middle East The United States felt they needed to keep a presence in the Middle East due to our dependence on foreign oil ***With the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in the early 1990s, President George H.W. Bush led a resolution to put a stop to it ***The first Persian Gulf War held the support of many countries, and with a quick victory military forces were able to restore independence to Kuwait. We withdraw quickly from Iraq, however, placing soldiers in nearby Saudi Arabia angered religious fanatics who eventually formed terrorist groups such as al Queda

During the Clinton administration the United States continued to support Israel while working to resolve problems with occupied territories of the Palestinian people Unfortunately, talks came to a stall with the hard liners in Israel not backing down and the Palestinian Liberation Organization gaining power

Working Towards World Peace The United States played a role in creating a lasting peace between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland The US also forced the military in Haiti to give up its power to a democratically elected president Success was also met in the Balkans with US and NATO intervention, ending a civil war and the practice of ethic cleansing

Rise of Global Terrorism United States humanitarian efforts in Somalia were undermined by the ‘Black Hawk Down’ incident causing the US to withdraw from the area Despite constant monitoring of Iraq and Afghanistan, terrorist groups were able to form and attack US embassies in Africa, the USS Cole, and the World Trade Center Attacks in these places signaled the rise in global terrorism

9/11 ***In 2001, terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. ***The United States linked this attack to al Qaeda and with world support invaded their stronghold in Afghanistan overthrowing the Taliban government However, the United States did not find Osama bin Laden for over a decade

Bush’s Response: Responded to 9/11 by ***declaring a “war on terror” Created a new gov. dept (the Department of Homeland Security) ***It increased airline security and put in a place a color-coded terrorist alert system PATRIOT ACT- allowed US law enforcement agencies greater power in gathering information

***Iraq, Iran, and N. Korea (Nations that sponsor terror) In his 2002 State of the Union address, Pres. Bush referred to an “axis of evil” ***Iraq, Iran, and N. Korea (Nations that sponsor terror)

The Iraqi Invasion The George W. Bush administration believed that Iraq’s leader Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (WMD) ***In 2003, the US along with Great Britain and a few other countries invaded Iraq in an attempt to bring democracy to the country. ***No WMDs were found, and Hussein was captured, tried, and executed. Despite the overthrow, there had been no lasting peace in Iraq and US forces continue to be attacked by militias and religious factions in Iraq.