Post on 12-Feb-2016
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Important Events in World History Post WWII
****THE MIDDLE EAST****
The Russians in AfghanistanEvent #1
The Soviets in Afghanistan USSR invades Afghanistan
To install a pro-Soviet leader
Would become the USSR’s “Vietnam” – led the downfall of the USSR
Unpopular war, drains military resources, very expensive
War in Afghanistan 1979-1988 Results of the war
Over 14,000 Soviet troops dead Afghan losses are well over
100,000 Afghan civil war continued
Until Taliban took control in 1996
Increased tension with the US Boycotted the 1980 Olympic
Games
The Arab Israeli ConflictEvent #2
The Arab Israeli Conflict After WWII Israel was
established & provided shelter to Holocaust survivors
The area of Palestine was divided into an Arab State & a Jewish State in 1947
War soon broke out between Israel & it’s Arab neighbors
The Six-day War 1967 Israel bombs Egypt and
captures Arab areas including Jerusalem
This event shapes the middle east today
1 million Palestinians come under Israeli control
Yasir Arafat becomes new leader of PLO
OPEC
Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
1960 Goal is to control oil prices During Arab Israeli War, Arab
states refused to sell oil to countries supporting Israel including the US
This caused a gas crisis in the US but was resolved in 1978 by US President Jimmy Carter
War in the Middle East Event #3
Iran’s Islamic Revolution
Post WWII Iran was the biggest ally of US & UK in middle east
Many Iranian Muslims disliked their Shah
Iranian turned to their highest religious leader the Ayatollah Khomeini
Khomeini assumed power after protest and the Shah fled
Khomeini & the USA Khomeini installed a strict
Muslim govt. Many Iranians hated the US
b/c we supported the Shah In 1979 student militants
took 52 Americans hostage at the US embassy in Tehran
The Persian Gulf War In the 1980s Iraq and Iran
fought a long war Iraq was led by Saddam
Hussein After the war Iraq needed
money and seized the oil fields of Kuwait in 1990
In 1991 a US led coalition forced the Iraqi army from Kuwait
The Ongoing Mideast Crisis Palestinians grew tired of being under Israeli rule & an
uprising occurred Palestinian Authority was given control of some areas in
the early 90s Despite these peace efforts conflict resumed in the late
1990s In 2006 Hamas the Palestinian resistance party was elected
to power escalating tensions War broke out b/w Israel and Lebanon who was led by a
radical Islamic group, Hezbollah War was July – August 2006
Israeli Bombings of Lebanon 2006
The War on Terror Terrorism – is the use of
violence against civilians to reach a political goal
Iraq, Iran, Syria, Cuba, Afghanistan and North Korea have all aided terrorist groups
9/11 attacks on NYC led by al-Qaeda & Osama Bin Laden
Who is Osama Bin Laden?? Al-Qaeda grew out of the was between the Afghans
and the Russians Bin Laden was an Afghan fighter in that war He used his families riches to turn al-Qaeda into a
powerful terrorist network Attacked US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in
1998 and a Naval vessel in Yemen in 2000 Sponsored and planned the 9/11 attacks Currently MIA
The War in Iraq 2002 George W. Bush sought to remove Saddam
Hussein from power US claimed Iraq had WMDs UN doubted these claims and the US attacked Iraq
with very little world support In 2003 the US invaded Iraq and quickly defeated
the army The US goal of rebuilding Iraq, installing a new
government and training Iraqi police and military has been met with much resistance
The “insurgents” are Hussein supporters, terrorists and Islamic militants