The 80s, 90s, and beyond

Reagan & the End of the Cold War Reagan brought w/ him

conservatism: political philosophy that opposes high taxes, government spending, & numerous federal social programs

He introduced Reaganomics – economic plan based on supply-side economics– The economy would be stimulated &

if the supply of goods increased – Lift government regulation and

taxes off business

Advocated that the benefits felt by business owners would eventually “trickle down” to consumers and the average working class.

The effect: massive spending combined w/ less revenue from taxes contributed to a record national DEBT

Trickle down theory

The Empire Strikes Reagan was convinced that the

USSR could not be trusted & they would stop short of nothing but worldwide domination

Initiated SDI (the Strategic Defense Initiative) – “Star Wars” – A satellite shield that could prevent

Soviet missiles from ever reaching their target

Evil Empire Mikhail Gorbachev became

the leader of USSR in 1985 In 1987, Reagan and

Gorbachev signed the INF Treaty – reducing the number of US and Soviet missiles in Europe

The Curtain comes down Gorbachev realized that the hurting

Soviet economy could not sustain an arms race with the US any longer.

Glasnost – political openness Perestroika – restructuring of the

economy to allow limited free enterprise

On Nov. 9, 1989 the East German government announced that people could travel freely to West Berlin.

Iran-Contra Affair Nervous about

communism spreading in Central America

Nicaragua was ruled by a pro-Soviet government known as the Sandinistas

To counter the Sandinistas, the US secretly provided training & support for Nicaraguan rebels known as the Contras

Two Bushes & a “New Democrat” In 1990, Iraq’s leader, Saddam Hussein

invaded the neighboring country of Kuwait

Due in part to the US reliance on oil from Kuwait & nearby Saudi Arabia, the US worked through the UN to coordinate an alliance of 28 countries that took military action against Iraq

The war lasted 42 days & resulted in the liberation of Kuwait

Operation Desert Storm (Persian Gulf War)

Terrorism Grows Religious fanatics in the Middle

East developed due to a dislike of the US after the Persian Gulf War

The two most prominent are the Taliban in Afghanistan and al Qaeda which is spread all over the Middle East.

Terrorist Activity Based in the Taliban in

Afghanistan and al Qaeda. The US kept an eye on Saddam

Hussein due to the growing terrorist threat in the Middle East

USS Cole is bombed in port in Yemen

Clinton’s Foreign Policy in the Middle

East Continued support for Israel while

trying to resolve the Palestinians had to land claims in Israel

When leadership of the two groups changed the headway that had been made came to a standstill

Somalia- a mission to aid in Somalia – “black hawk down” incident caused us to have to withdraw from that area

In Other Area Brought a peace agreement in

Northern Ireland between the Catholics and Protestants

As part of a NATO mission in the Balkans we were able to put a stop to another case of “ethnic cleansing” and established peace there.

The Clinton Presidency Under Clinton, the nation went from

having a massive budget deficit to a budget surplus (spending less money than the government has in a given year)

The US also ratified NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement), which promoted free trade between the US, Canada, Mexico

Labor unions feared it would cost Americans jobs because businesses would move out of the country

GATT Treaty Worldwide agreement to lower

tariffs Created more competition for

American businesses This and NAFTA have led to

American companies downsizing Many Americans blame labor

unions for us not being able to compete in the world market

Clinton Domestic Issues Balancing the budget

Healthcare Reform New restrictions on

“entitlements” such as welfare-put limits on how much a family could receive and how long they could receive it- put more conditions on qualifying for food stamps

Recession

Scandal & Impeachment The Whitewater Affair: During his

first term, Clinton was accused of taking part in fraudulent business practices in Arkansas & using his influence as governor to cover them up. – Some of the Clinton’s associates

were convicted of crimes, but not the Clintons

Scandal & Impeachment Paula Jones accused Clinton of sexual

harassment before he became president.

During the investigation, Clinton was asked about the nature of his relationship with a White House intern named Monica Lewinski– Under oath, Clinton denied he had had any

relationship with ML – Later he appeared on television to admit

having a relationship that was “inappropriate”

Scandal

Scandal and Impeachment

Special prosecutors presented to the House of Representatives a report that listed grounds for impeachment

On December 18, 1998 the House voted to impeach Clinton

He was only the second president in history to be impeached (Andrew Johnson was the first)

The presidency survived after he was acquitted by the Senate

The Middle East & the Rise of Terrorism The alliance between the US & Israel

has been one of the factors making the US a major target of Islamic terrorists

The terrorists subscribe to a radical form of Islam which advocates violence to overthrow the US & other western nations

The best known Islamic group is Al-Qaeda with Osama bin Laden at the head of the organization

Terrorism

Al-Qaeda gained international attention when linked to US embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya

The attacks on September 11, 2001

Bush had been in office eight months on 9/11 and responded by declaring a “war on terror”

Bush’s Response

The Department of Homeland Security was created to increase airline security & institute a color-coded terrorist alert system to warn the public when there is increased reason to fear a terrorist attack

The Patriot Act increased the authority of US law enforcement agencies and allowed them greater latitude in what measures they used to obtain information

Operation Enduring Freedom

The US knew bin Laden was in Afghanistan (protected by the Taliban)

The US insisted that the Taliban hand over bin Laden, the Taliban refused, offering instead to try bin Laden in an Islamic court

The US would not consider such a deal and in October of 2001 launched Operation Enduring Freedom

War in Iraq As part of the war on

terror, Bush felt that the US needed to strike first against terrorists & state-sponsored terrorism

The US-led coalition launched the War in Iraq based on intelligence from several nations suggesting that the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein had ties to Al-Qaeda and that he possessed weapons of mass destruction

War in Iraq The alleged “weapons of mass

destruction” were never found The Hussein government (as well

as the leader) was removed from power

Iraq has formed a new democratic government

Written a new constitution Greater opportunities for women

Nuclear Proliferation In his 2002

State of the Union address, Bush referred to what he called an “axis of evil.” These countries were accused of sponsoring terrorism– Iraq– Iran– North Korea

Among the concerns is that of nuclear proliferation (the spread of nuclear weapons to nations that don’t already have them)

Eight nations are believed to have weapons:

The USRussiaChinaFranceGreat BritainIndiaPakistanIsrael

Nuclear Proliferation - NK North Korea had conducted recent

missile test launches & claim to have successfully tested nuclear weapons

Evidence suggests that the claims are true & has caused the US and other nations to call for UN sanctions against North Korea

Nuclear Proliferation - Iran Iran does not yet have nuclear

weapons, but is openly pursuing the kind of uranium that could lead to such technology.

Iran claims that their only interest is in developing nuclear power for peaceful uses.

However, their oil supply, history of hostility towards the US and open calls for Israel’s destruction make Iran’s nuclear program a matter of great importance to the world

Economic Disparity Economic

disparity refers to the differences in income and assets that exist when comparing individuals and/or different populations within a society

What to do?

How to deal with the reality of economic disparity is often an issue of political debate– Conservatives tend to advocate less

government control, providing equal opportunity for all citizens to pursue success without hindering the process with high taxes & excessive regulation

– Liberals believe that the government should get involved, favoring higher taxes that can be pumped into government programs

Barack Obama

Recap

The wall came down Terrorism went up Currently troops remain in Afghanistan & Iraq Other countries are seeking nuclear weapons The economy is still a roller coaster ride

– With a very high government deficit – And economic disparity that no one has an answer

we can all agree upon. – Barack Obama First African America president–