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Modern Issues with their roots in history
Radical Islam and hatred of the WestNuclear Proliferation
Arab Oil EmbargoThe roots of the Iraq War
Genocide in RwandaThe Roaring 90’s
The War in BosniaPiracy in the Gulf of Aden
Radical Islam and hatred of the West
The roots of Muslim hatred toward the West go back to colonial days when European nations exploited the oil resources of the region.
The main reason is the founding of Israel
Beginning in 1917 many Jews began moving to Palestine (or Israel) as an ancestral homeland. This was called Zionism. After the Holocaust of WWII, there began a flood of Jewish immigrants to Palestine (which was a British protectorate at the time). The Arabic people already living there (Palestinians), and surrounding countries protested when the “Israelis” wanted to create their own Jewish state.
They did so in 1948 and became known as the nation of Israel. Neighboring Arab countries immediately declared war. Israel held out (with Western help). War happened again in 1967, once again Israel held out. Many Palestinians were expelled from the country. Palestinians today continue to harass Israel with terrorist attacks and suicide bombings. Israel usually responds with a harsh crackdown on Palestinian people.
This cycle of conflict and violence has gone on ever since the founding of Israel.
In the Arab world, the United States is often seen as the chief sponsor of Israel and therefore a target of their anger.
Groups such as Hezbollah and Al Qaeda targeted Israeli and US civilians (as well as military targets) in terrorist attacks.
Realizing that they can’t beat the US or Israel militarily they resort to bombings, hijackings, kidnappings, hostage taking and shootings to affect political change.
Many of these groups use a strict interpretation of Islam to justify their tactics (radical Islam).
Arab Oil Embargo
OPEC – Oil of Arab Oil Producing Exporting Countries – In 1973, chose to not sell oil to western countries who supported Israel during the 1967 war.
This caused very high prices and rationing in the United States.
It also created a demand for more fuel efficient cars, which allowed companies like Toyota and Honda to gain a foothold in the US market.
The Ayatollah
Iranian revolutionaries take Americans at the US embassy in Tehran hostage and demand return of the Shah
Chemical weapons are used on a wide scale in the war.
Halabja
The US secretly helps Iraq
This breeds resentment that the Iranians won’t forget.
The war ends in a WWI style stalemate with neither side able to claim victory.
The war lasted approximately 8 years with500,000 to 1 million dead soldiers and civilians.
A ceasefire was brokered by the UN in 1988.
The war leaves both economies in ruin.
Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait in 1990
George H.W. Bush organizes a UN coalition to expel Iraq from Kuwait – Operation Desert Storm
This was a coalition of several nations, even some Arabic nations.
Why such a response?
The fear was what Saddam Hussein would do if he controlled the Kuwaiti oil fields.
Would that concentrate too much power in the hands of someone known to be a brutal dictator?
What if the US had less of a need for oil? Would a war like this even happen?
The war build-up brought protests in the US and abroad.
Saddam Hussein is told to leave Kuwait by Jan 16th 1991 or face inhalation by the UN coalition
Hussein is defiant and chooses to stay. He places political enemies on the front lines.
The Allied coalition bombs Iraqi military targets for 40 days before troops moved in. The ground war lasted only 100 hours.
Hussein anticipated that the assault would come via beach landing so he dumped 11 million barrels of Kuwaiti oil into the sea to discourage it.
This was known as the Persian Gulf War
• Or just Gulf War.• Later it will be called the First Gulf War.
The Iraqi Army leaves Kuwait and the US wants to pursue them to Baghdad to topple the regime of Saddam Hussein.
The UN coalition begins to break up at that point and the Bush realizes that the US would largely have to go it alone if they wanted to do that so they decide to withdraw if Hussein lives up to certain conditions.
Conditions of Gulf War treaty
Iraq would not be allowed any WMDs (weapons of mass destruction), which includes nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
Saddam Hussein had began construction on a nuclear reactor in the early 80s, but the Israeli air force destroyed it.
Iraq would have to submit to inspections by the UN to ensure it was not housing any WMDs.
Also, there were “no fly” zones established over Kurdish areas to prevent airstrikes against the Kurdish people.
Saddam Hussein violates every aspect of the treaty throughout the rest of the 1990s, thus laying the groundwork for the 2003 Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Meanwhile, the US is enjoying an economic resurgence – the Roaring 90’s.
Bill Clinton
African Genocide
In Rwanda 1993, a war between two ethnic groups the Hutus and Tutsis broke out. Resentment and rivalry had been brewing for years as the Tutsi people had been given preferential treatment by the Belgian colonizers. Then the Rwondan president was assassinated and Tutsis were blamed. A genocide followed were Hutus tried to murder all Tutsis and even other Hutus who defended them.
The United States would have Intervened to stop the killing, but…
The US recently had a disastrous experience in Africa when it sent troops to monitor the distribution of food during a famine in Somalia.
18 US soldiers were killed, 80 wounded and some dragged through the streets.
Approximately 800,000 were killed.The UN responds slowly and sends only a small peace keeping
force.
War in the Balkans
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia breaks up into smaller countries
Serbian leaders want to keep most of the old Yugoslavia together as one country. The nations of Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina cannot agree on how to move forward. There are several other parties involved such as Bosnian Serbs, ethnic Albanian, etc.. War breaks out. The US tries to broker a peace deal, Bosnia has a large Muslim population left over from when the Ottoman Empire ruled SE Europe. Genocide is committed against the Bosnian Muslims.
The United Nations sends a peace keeping force, which includes several thousand Americans.
Approximately 110,000 war deaths.
Some Serbian, Croat and Bosnian generals are put on trial for war-crimes.
Thousands flee the Balkans during the war, many settling in the Detroit area of the US.
September 11th, 2001
20 Islamic Extremists board American and United Airlines passenger planes disguised as passengers. One is caught. The others commandeer the planes and fly them into the World Trade Center in NY and the Pentagon. A fourth plane is on its way to the White House when passengers struggle to re-take the plane and terrorists crash the plane to the ground in a farm field in Pennsylvania.
A total of 2,977 Americans are killed in that attack.
Bush Doctrine
CIA intelligence points to a well known financier of terror Osama Bin Laden
Bin Laden is the leader of the terrorist group Al Qaeda. The Taliban (a Muslim extremist group) who have control of
Afghanistan have been letting Bin Laden train his terrorist army there.
The US along with NATO invade Afghanistan and quickly take over the country. Bin Laden is nowhere to be
found.
Many captured Taliban and Al Qaeda are taken to a prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (the US legally owns a small portion of Cuba where they keep a Marine base). Most are given a military trial and a few are released. Most are still there today.
The US led NATO force tries to establish a secular democracy.
Hamid Karzai
Feeling as though Iraq is also an imminent threat Bush makes the case for toppling
Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq.
Saddam Hussein has not been cooperating with UN WMD inspections. So it appears as though he’s hiding something.
President Bush gives him an ultimatum. He tells the world that Saddam Hussein and his sons have 48 hours to leave Iraq or they will face military conflict. Of course, Hussein refuses.
In March of 2003 Bush launches a full scale invasion of Iraq, but this time without as big of a coalition
as in the first Gulf War.
The US led coalition tries to install a secular democratic government in IraqIn the aftermath of the invasion many are happy that
Saddam is gone, but there is widespread violence as Shiite and Sunni Muslims begin settling old scores in a massive wave of violence. Many Chaldeans leave the country for the Detroit area to escape the violence. There is widespread looting and lawlessness at first. Shortly after in both Iraq and Afghanistan a deadly insurgency takes hold as Al Qaeda and foreign fighters take up arms against the United States.
It appears that Iran is aiding the insurgencies in both wars.
Ending the wars
US troops leave Iraq in December of 2011 leaving a secular democratic government in place. Religious violence still plagues the country.
134,000 Iraqi civilian dead 4,808 coalition military deaths (4,486 US) 3,400 US contractors
$2.2 trillion total cost.Some of that money has been spent rebuilding Iraq although much of it has been stolen through Iraqi government corruption.
President Obama says that US troops will be out of Afghanistan by the end of 2016
Costs of the Afghan War;21,000 Afghan civilian deaths 3,444 Coalition military deaths (2,325 US) ? Contractor deaths
$4+ trillion dollars and counting for Afghan War
How long will it take to pay these wars off?
Recently the president laid out his vision for a new foreign policy,
which will be less interventionist.
