1. New Cold War Mr. Epps U.S. and World Affairs
Mr. Epps
U.S. and World Affairs

2. Key Terms
Ukraine – former member of the Soviet Union; pro-democracy protests removed Russian-supported president from office in 2014
Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 – a Boeing 777 civilian airline aircraft that was shot down in Eastern Ukraine
Crimean Peninsula – part of Ukraine seized by Russia in 2014

3. Key Terms
South China Sea – part of the western Pacific Ocean that borders the Southeast Asian mainland
Korean Peninsula – a body of land located on China’s eastern border; North Korea and South Korea are the only two countries on the peninsula

4. Key Terms
Cyberwarfare - The use of computers and other devices to attack an enemy’s information systems as opposed to an enemy’s armies or factories
Stuxnet – first computer virus that created damage in the physical world, believed to be of American-Israeli origin
WannaCry - ransomware, believed to be from a North Korean entity based in China

5. Ukraine
Mass protests erupted after Ukraine’s pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in November 2013 moved to stop the country’s efforts to further ties with the European Union
Pro-democracy, pro-Western citizens forced Yanukovych from office in February 2014

6. Ukraine
Russia, in response to its loss of influence over the country, claimed that Ukraine was oppressing ethnic Russians in Eastern Ukraine and Crimea
Russia used these claims to militarily support pro-Russian citizens who seized natural resources-rich territory in Eastern Ukraine

8. Ukraine
Russia officially annexed Crimea in March 2014, moved military forces into the Peninsula, installed pro-Russian leaders into office
U.S. and other western countries denounced the move as illegal under international law

10. Ukraine
U.S. and other western countries claim that Russia sent military equipment and soldiers (without Russian insignia on their uniforms) into Eastern Ukraine to fight alongside the rebels
Russia denies these claims

11. Ukraine
In July 2014, a civilian passenger aircraft, Malaysian Airline Flight 17, with 298 people onboard, was shot down by a Russian BUK-7 surface-to-air missile while flying over Eastern Ukraine
U.S. claims that Russian-supported elements downed the aircraft; Russia claims that Ukranian forces shot it down

13. South China Sea
China, since 2014, has created man-made islands in the South China Sea
Used these islands to claim possession of natural resource-rich (e.g., natural gas, oil, fishing) territory
Other countries, including those bordering the South China Sea, dispute these claims as illegal

15. “We also had a frank exchange of views on the South China Sea
“We also had a frank exchange of views on the South China Sea. Secretary Mattis and I were clear that the U.S. position remains unchanged. We oppose changes to the status quo of the past through the militarization of outposts in the South China Sea and excessive maritime claims unsupported by international law, and we uphold the freedom of navigation and overflight.”
- Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, June 21, 2017 comments following meeting with Secretary Mattis, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, and PLA Chief of Joint Staff Fang Fenghui

16. Korean Peninsula
North Korea is supported diplomatically and financially by China and Russia; both countries usually veto UN Security Council resolutions against North Korea
South Korea is supported diplomatically and militarily by the U.S.; we present Security Council resolutions that denounce North Korean actions that threaten South Korea and other regional allies

17. Cyberwarfare
Cold War engagements have moved from proxy wars and conflicts to cyberwarfare
Cyberwarfare allows opponents to engage directly without the need for proxy; decreases possibility of loss of life
Extremely difficult to prove origin of cyber attacks

18. Cyberwarfare
Stuxnet – alleged American-Israeli operation that attacked Iran’s nuclear weapons program; first computer virus that created damage in the physical world
WannaCry – ransomware, believed to be from a North Korean entity based in China
Extremely difficult to prove origin of cyber attacks