Transcript President George HW Bush

President George HW Bush (1988-1992)
Presided over
collapse of Soviet
Union:
 collapse of totalitarian
government in major
region of world
 decreased threat of
nuclear war
 U.S. a stronger
superpower
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Pres. Bush and Yeltsin
Fighting Apartheid in South Africa
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What was Apartheid?
Rigid system of segregation
Global movement for
Divestment in 1980s
Divestment – withdrawing
all investments
Congress imposed
sanctions, but stopped
short of full divestment
President Bush met with
Nelson Mandela
Sun City song
Operation Just Cause
Invasion of Panama by U.S. to oust Noriega (Dec. 20,
1989 – Jan. 3, 1990)
 Manuel Noriega on CIA payroll (1959-80s)
 Bush Director of CIA in 1970s
 Noriega working with AND against drug cartels in “War
on Drugs”
 Reasons for Invasion:
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Safeguard U.S. citizens in Panama
Defend Human Rights and Democracy
Combat drug trafficking
Protect Torrijos-Carter Treaties
Casualties: 24 U.S. soldiers, 200 Panamian soldiers
– Civilians – 200 to 4000; fires raged throughout city
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Noriega sentenced to 40 years (reduced to 30 later)
Clinton transfers Canal Zone back to Panama in 1999
Operation Desert Storm
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First Persian Gulf War with Iraq
Kuwait was diagonal drilling into Iraq’s wells
Iraq invaded Kuwait
U.S. led UN-sanctioned effort to help Kuwait
Quick war
Few American casualties; many Iraqi casualties
Operation Restore Hope
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Somalia (Dec. 1992 to May 1993)
Chaos in Somalia – local warlords vying for
power
500,000 Somalis dead of starvation; 1000’s more
regugees at risk
Humanitarian groups targeted for violence
Effort to ensure the success of humanitarian aid
in Southern Somalia
UN sanctioned multinational force (UNITAF –
Unified Task Force)
Battle of Mogadishu (1993) – Black Hawk Down