Transcript A NEW ERA OF FEAR

A NEW ERA OF FEAR
TERROR At Home and Abroad
The Eastern Bloc Collapses
As Soviet power declined (as a Russian soldiers
rebelled for not receiving any pay) the Warsaw
Pact nations asserted their own independence.
Germans tore down the Berlin Wall in 1989 and
the country was reunited. One by one, the
eastern nations overthrew their Communist
leaders. The USSR took no action to stop this.
Perestroika
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In an effort to salvage the Russian economy, Gorbachev also
decreed “perestroika”- allowing an open-market economy to
flourish in small businesses.
Perestroika and Glasnost divided the Communist Party and
Soviet leadership. Hard-liners warned Gorbachev that these
policies would destroy party control of the USSR. When he
ignored their warnings they began to plan a coup.
Several of the Soviet republics (noting that more and more
Russian soldiers were in Afghanistan) agitated for
independence.
Even as the USSR withdrew from Afghanistan, the Moslem
nation was in danger of falling into a civil war.
The New Europe
Soviet Collapse
In 1991, Soviet hard-liners attempted
to reassert Communist authority by
detaining Gorbachev and sending
troops to Moscow to shut down the
rebellious Russian parliament. Russian
Federation President Yeltsin led a band
of citizens in defying the troops, who
refused to fire on the crowd. The
Soviet Union had collapsed.
Neo-Isolationism?
In the 1990s, American foreign policy generally focused
on “realignment” in light of the end of the Cold War.
 After the Gulf War of 1991, the American military
budget was reduced, and dropped slowly for the
remainder of the decade.
 US military actions were undertaken as part of UN
mandates (in Bosnia and Somalia).
 Foreign aid costs were also reduced.
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Declining $ Power
Military Compensation
"Courage,
determination, and
hard work are all
very nice, but not so
nice as an oil well in
the back yard.“ –
Mason Cooley,
1990s
“Today, a great challenge has passed; but other threats endure, and new
ones will arise.” -- Defense Strategy for the 1990s, by the Dept. of
Defense, 1992, supervise by Sec. of Defense Dick Cheney
Police Actions
USIA
In the Cold War, the US had
relied on a the United States
Information Agency for proAmerican information in films,
brochures and magazines made
available around the world . But
the agency and its $2 annual
budget was cut in1999.
Government-Press Alliances
The USIA had employed many
prominent journalists – like the
legendary Edward R. Murrow and US
News and World Report editor Marvin
Stone – for assistance in writing proUS news.
Some journalists charged that
colleagues who worked for the USIA
also worked for the CIA.
The CIA
Forbidden by law from operating within the US, the CIA nonetheless paid
some college faculty in the 1970s-80s to act a agents for a “counterintelligence program” on many large campuses.
Foreign Aid
Small Amounts for Big Results?
Competition for $$$
Debt Issues
Spreading the Wealth
The Spark in the Middle East
9-11
Fighting Terrorism
Following 9/11, the US committed itself to a long-term
battle against terrorism, beginning with a military action
in Afghanistan.
Bush Doctrine
The “Bush Doctrine” against terrorism has led to an increase
in American influence in the world, but also a resentment
against the United States. Beyond the question of “who is a
terrorist,” rests another uncertainty – how long will
Americans be willing to carry out this new crusade?
Doubts
Winning Hearts and Minds
Rank
Country
Billions of Dollars
received in 2004
Aid Per Person Recipient
1
Iraq
18.44
$625
2
Israel
2.62
$365
3
Egypt
1.87
$23
4
Afghanistan
1.77
$61
5
Colombia
0.57
$12
6
Jordan
0.56
$94
7
Pakistan
0.39
$2
8
Liberia
0.21
$56
9
Peru
0.17
$6
10
Ethiopia
0.16
$2
11
Bolivia
0.15
$16
12
Turkey
0.15
$2
13
Uganda
0.14
$4
14
Sudan
0.14
$3
15
Indonesia
0.13
$1
16
Kenya
0.13
$3
The Question of Image
Across the world,
the contrast in
power and methods
for war led to an
‘image problem’ for
the United States.
Torture and Home Security
Home Debate
Meltdown
Guns vs. butter --- again
Choices, 2010
New Middle East tensions
“Those who pour oil on the fire must know
that they will not be spared from the smoke
that billows,” said Manouchehr Mottaki, the
Iranian Foreign Minister, in a clear warning to
Saudi Arabia — which attacked Huthi [Shiite]
rebels after they took control of a Saudi
border town last week. London Times,
November 12, 2009
New challenges and new fears
Forces for democracy?
“The Libyan revolution that began as a spontaneous uprising a month ago
is posing crucial questions for the U.S. and allies: Who, if anyone, is in
charge, and what does the disparate rebel coalition want to achieve
beyond ousting Col. Moammar Gadhafi?”
"When America occupied Afghanistan and Iraq, it spread corruption and
killed innocents," said Rafat Bakar, a thick-bearded revolutionary activist
in the city of Baida. "A Western intervention in Libya would help us get
rid of the tyrant and of injustice."
Wall Street Journal , March 21, 2011
To the future
“Iran unveiled new missile and artillery systems on Tuesday, Iranian media
reported, on the second day of large-scale military exercises which officials
said were aimed at sending a warning to those threatening the Islamic
Republic.”
Associated Press, November 13, 2012