By: CJ, Alec, Alex, and Garret

Collapse of the Soviet Union

The nations of Eastern Europe began to overthrow their communist rule in 1989.

In 1989, the Berlin wall was pulled down. This led to the countries reuniting in October 1990.

Mikhail Gorbachev’s policy of glasnost and perestroika was surging out of control.

Boris Yeltsin became the president of Russia. Gorbachev resigned as Soviet Union President. The Soviet Union dissolved into fifteen republics

in the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Persian Gulf War

In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait a small oil rich nation.

Sadam Hussein wanted the oil to pay off war debt and he believed Kuwait was illegally pumping oil from Iraq oil fields.

UN security council called for Iraq to withdraw and subsequently embargoed trade with Iraq.

When the embargo didn’t work the UN issued an ultimatum to leave Kuwait by January 15.

On January 16, the US and its UN allies started an air war against Iraq for thirty- seven days. They bombed military and civil inrastructure.

Persian Gulf War

On February 23, the land war began, Operation Desert Storm.

It lasted four days. The US and its allies defeated Iraq and

liberated Kuwait. On February 27, Iraq accepted a cease- fire. Sadam Hussein remained in power, which

would lead to more trouble in the future.

Nelson Mandela becomes President

In 1990, Nelson Mandela was freed from prison. He becomes president of South Africa in 1994. This

was the first election by universal suffrage. In 1995, he established Truth and Reconciliation

Commission, it investigated human rights violations under apartheid.

In 1996, he oversaw the enactment of a new democratic constitution.

Nelson Mandela did not seek a second term and was succeed by Mbeki in 1999.

Nelson Mandela advocates for peace, reconciliation, and social justice.

Somalia

President Bill Clinton sent the US troops as part of a peace keeping mission to Somalia.

Somali rebels killed more than a dozen US troops in late 1993.

In 1994, the president quietly withdrew the American units, without having accomplished any goal.

Pakistan Test Nuclear Weapons

May 24, 1998, Pakistan announced it had successfully conducted five nuclear test.

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission reported the nuclear weapons seismic signal was 5.0 on the Richter scale and had a total yield of 40kt. One was boosted fission and the other four were sub- kiloton nuclear devices.

May 30, 1998, Pakistan tested one more nuclear device with a yield of 12kt.

The Euro

January 1, 1999, eleven European countries replaced there currencies with the euro.

The euro comes in several different bills and coins. Originally the euro was used to exchange within the

union while people within the countries continued using their own. This changed in three years though.

The European Central Bank manage the euro. The euro made travel easier and currency risk moved

from Euro trade. Smaller countries believed this helped larger

countries.

Panama Canal

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed a treaty which agreed to return sixty percent of the canal zone to Panama in 1979.

The canal area was returned to Panama on December 31, 1999.

1979 to 1999, a bi- national transitional Panama canal commission ran the canal, with an American leader for the first decade and a Panama administration for the second.