1. Bush and the War on Terror

2. George W Bush Governor of Texas and oil executive
Enacted a very large tax cut to the wealthiest Americans believing they would use the money saved to help the economy
Opened Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling for oil
Allowed timber companies to operate in National Forests –claimed it would reduce forest fires

3. George W Bush
Planned to push ahead a national missile defense system requiring the U.S. to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972
Announced the Bush administration would not abide by the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 which worked to combat global warming

4. What led to 9/11 Al Qaeda, a terrorist group headed by Osama Bin Laden
Fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 80s
CIA had trained and given weapons to Osama Bin Laden to fight against the Soviets
Bin Laden’s anger against America began after the Gulf War, support for Israel, and our involvement in Saudi Arabia

5. Other Terrorist Attacks
Timothy McVeigh killed 168 when he set off a bomb at a federal office building in Oklahoma City in 1995
Libyan terrorist blew up an American Airplane over Scotland in in 1988 killing 259
Al Qaeda blew up a truck outside the World Trade center in 1993 killing 6
American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were also attacked in 1998 killing more than 200

6. September 11th, 2001 4 airplanes were hijacked
Two crashed into the world trade centers
The third hit the Pentagon
On the forth plane, passengers were able to overpower the hijacks and crashed the plane in an empty field
About 3,000 people were killed in all events including first responders

7. Other Damages
Due to a steep drop off in tourism and the financial firms in the world trade centers, 80,000 people lost jobs in the New York area
Airlines also faced bankruptcy when Americans were too afraid to fly
Anthrax was sent to politicians and TV journalists in the mail killing 5
War on Terror was announced

8. Reaction
The country unified in a way that it had not in a very long time
Bush was very popular
In answer to why we were attack Bush answered “Because we love freedom that’s why. And they hate freedom”
“Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists”

9. War with Afghanistan
Told the Taliban in Afghanistan to give up Osama Bin Laden when they refused we bombed them
War in Afghanistan was called “Enduring Freedom”
By the end of 2001 the Taliban had been overthrown and a new government that was friendly to the U.S. took power
Still many problems with the Taliban in Afghanistan

10. The Axis of Evil
In his State of the Union address, Bush said Iraq, Iran, and North Korea were all working together and developing weapons of mass destruction
He called the supposed alliance between these countries an “axis of evil”
We began to lose the support of the majority of the world that had sympathized with the U.S. after 9/11

11. Iraq Saddam Hussein was still the leader of Iraq
The Bush administration believed that Hussein needed to be removed from power
Believed that the Iraqi people would support this, welcome the American liberators, and work to establish a democratic government
Even though there was no link between Iraq and the 9/11 attacks there was a goal of “regime change” in Iraq

12. Weapons of Mass Destruction
The Bush administration insisted that Hussein and Iraq had:
–weapons of mass destruction
–mobile chemical weapons laboratory
–was working towards attaining Uranium
We told the world we would go to war with Iraq without UN approval

13. The Iraq War
Congress passed a resolution giving Bush the power to use force if he deemed it necessary
The U.S. decided to go to war in March of 2003 –“Operation Iraqi Freedom”
The majority of the world opposed this “preemptive” strike against Iraq
It sparked huge protests not just in the U.S. but also throughout the world
Freedom Fries to protest the French opposition

14. The Iraq War We were successful in taking Bagdad within a month
Hussein was captured several months later
In 2006 he was put on trial and convicted of killing Iraqis during his regime
He was sentenced to death and executed
Bush was jubilant but Iraq soon fell to chaos

15. Aftermath There were riots, looting, and weapons were seized
An Iraqi insurrection targeted American soldiers
Sunnis and Shiites began fighting one another
The U.S. attempted to create a government powerful enough to restore order
By 2006 Iraq had become a terrorist haven bent on attacking America

16. The USA Patriot Act
Acronym for “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism”
Gave the executive branch broad new powers for the wiretapping, surveillance, and investigation of terrorism suspects
The invasion of Iraq in March 2003, similarly, followed a congressional resolution authorizing the president to use “all means necessary and appropriate,” including the use of military force, to defend the United States against Iraq