Lesson 3: Regional Conflicts

Question 1

Apartheid Definition

Answer 1

a strict separation of races practiced in South Africa

Question 2

Camp David Accords Definition

Answer 2

a 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt in which Israel agreed to return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt and Egypt agreed to recognize Israel

Question 3

Mediator Definition

Answer 3

an agent who helps conflicting parties iron out their differences

Question 4

OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) Definition

Answer 4

a multinational organization of oil-producing countries that sets a common policy for the sale of petroleum

Question 5

PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) Definition

Answer 5

a Palestinian Arab organization founded in 1964, originally committed to destroying Israel and later committed to promoting the interests of Palestinian Arabs through nonviolent means

Question 6

Sanction Definition

Answer 6

a restriction on trade and finance designed to make a country change its policy

Question 7

Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) Definition

Answer 7

a 1991 treaty signed by the United States and Soviet Union to reduce nuclear weapons

Question 8

Remember: The Soviet Union split apart in 1991. The breakup brought an end to the Cold War. The United States remained the world’s lone superpower.

Answer 8

The Soviet Union split apart in 1991. The breakup brought an end to the Cold War. The United States remained the world’s lone superpower.

Question 9

What were the arguments of the function of the United States in the post-Cold War world? What did Presidents Bush and Clinton believe about U.S. involvement in world affairs?

Answer 9

Americans debated their function in the post–Cold War world. Some people wanted to reduce the role of the United States in world affairs. “In the post–Cold War world, we will no longer require our people to carry an unfair burden for the rest of humanity,” said Representative Dana Rohrabacher. Others argued that the nation must not retreat from the world. They thought that the United States had a responsibility to use its power wisely. “The United States must lead, period,” declared Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Neither President George H.W. Bush nor President Bill Clinton reduced U.S. engagement around the world. Both believed that fostering freedom and democracy abroad would only strengthen the United States at home.

Question 10

As the former Soviet Union collapsed, what challenge did the world face? What were other countries doing? In 1991, what was the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START?

Answer 10

As the former Soviet Union collapsed, the world faced a menacing challenge, the spread of nuclear weapons. The United States and Russia still had thousands of nuclear missiles in their possession. Other nations were developing nuclear weapons, too. The United States and the old Soviet Union had already agreed to several treaties reducing nuclear arms. In 1991, they signed the most important agreement yet, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START. Even more reductions followed in 1993.

Question 11

In 1970, what was the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty? Which countries did not agree to it? When is Israel suspected to have developed nuclear weapons? In 1998, what did India announce? Two weeks later, what did its rival Pakistan announce? What did world leases see these tests as? What did President impose on India and Pakistan, and what was its effect? Who did Pakistan share nuclear secrets with?

Answer 11

Despite such progress, a new arms race loomed. In 1970, the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty came into force. Under the treaty, nuclear powers such as the United States promised to reduce their stock of nuclear weapons and not to spread nuclear weapon technology to other nations. Nations without nuclear weapons promised not to develop them. A few countries, including Israel, India, and Pakistan, never agreed to this treaty. According to U.S. government sources, Israel developed nuclear weapons in the late 1960s, though Israel has never confirmed this. In 1998, India confirmed the worst fears of other nations when it announced that it had conducted five nuclear tests. Two weeks later, Pakistan, its neighbor and deadly rival, exploded five nuclear devices of its own. World leaders saw the tests as the beginning of a dangerous new arms race. President Clinton called for economic sanctions against both India and Pakistan but with little effect. Pakistan was later found to have shared nuclear weapons technology with other countries, including North Korea.

Question 12

Remember: Britain, France, and China joined the United States and Russia as nuclear powers, each with nuclear arms numbering in the hundreds. Each of the other countries in the “nuclear club” has fewer than 100 nuclear weapons.

Answer 12

Britain, France, and China joined the United States and Russia as nuclear powers, each with nuclear arms numbering in the hundreds. Each of the other countries in the “nuclear club” has fewer than 100 nuclear weapons.

Question 13

Remember: The efforts of Presidents Bush and Clinton to promote global democracy supported a process that was already underway. Political freedom was spreading across the globe. With it came economic freedom, including the development of free markets with less interference from the state. In the last years of the 20th century, the United States encouraged both of these trends. American leadership met with both failures and successes.

Answer 13

The efforts of Presidents Bush and Clinton to promote global democracy supported a process that was already underway. Political freedom was spreading across the globe. With it came economic freedom, including the development of free markets with less interference from the state. In the last years of the 20th century, the United States encouraged both of these trends. American leadership met with both failures and successes.

Question 14

In the post-Cold War world, what were the many forms of American leadership?

Answer 14

American leadership took many forms. Sometimes the United States worked to influence foreign governments through quiet diplomacy or economic pressure. Sometimes it acted as a mediator. A mediator is an agent that helps conflicting parties come to an agreement. Occasionally the United States used military force, often in cooperation with other nations.

Question 15

In 1986, thousands of Filipinos protested the rule of which dictator? What did they accuse him of? What caused the dictator to flee? How did the United States intervene? Who did they support? What did they continue to do throughout the 1990s?

Answer 15

In 1986, thousands of Filipinos protested the rule of dictator Ferdinand Marcos. They accused Marcos of fraud in a recent presidential election.
Proclaiming “people power,” they refused to recognize Marcos as president. After weeks of demonstrations, the Philippine army joined the demonstrators. Marcos fled. The United States backed Corazon Aquino, the woman who had run against him. During the 1990s, the United States continued to provide economic aid for the young Filipino democracy.

Question 16

During the 1980s, what did China start to build? Despite this, what did they reject? In 1989, what happened in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China? How did President George H. W. Bush respond? What similar policy did he and President Clinton follow in China?

Answer 16

After President Nixon’s historic visit to China, many hoped that the communist nation would begin to reform. During the 1980s, China did begin to build a free-market economy. However, Chinese leaders refused to accept political reforms. In 1989, students and workers launched a bold campaign to bring democracy to China. Hundreds of thousands gathered at Tiananmen Square in the nation’s capital, Beijing. However, the army crushed the demonstrations. Many people were killed or arrested. President George H. W. Bush disapproved of the crackdown but took no strong action against the Chinese government. He hoped to influence China by keeping communication open. President Clinton followed a similar policy. On a 1998 visit to China, he pledged to strengthen ties between the two nations. At the same time, he publicly debated human rights issues with China’s president.

Question 17

How did the fall of the Soviet Union affect Cuba? What did many Cubans do as the economy spiraled downward? What agreement was signed between the United States and Cuba in 1994, and what did it state? How did Cold War tension remain between North and South Korea? How did the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong II, worsen the conditions of a famine?

Answer 17

Other communist nations refused to reform even when their people faced hard times. The fall of the Soviet Union deprived Cuba of its main source of trade and economic aid. As the Cuban economy spiraled downward, some 30,000 Cubans fled by boat to the United States. Still, after four decades, Cuba’s communist dictatorship remained in power. In 1994, the United States signed an agreement with Cuba to allow Cubans to emigrate more freely. At the same time, the United States continued to enforce a 40-year-old embargo aimed at toppling Castro. On the Korean peninsula, the Cold War remained alive. There, the armies of communist North Korea and democratic South Korea faced each other along a tense border. In the 1990s, famine struck North Korea. The famine was worsened by the economic policies of the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Il.

Question 18

How was apartheid ended in South Africa? Who was Nelson Mandela?

Answer 18

The cause of global democracy had its most dramatic success in South Africa. Since 1948, the government of South Africa had enforced a policy of apartheid (uh PAHRT hayt), or strict separation of races. The nation’s nonwhite majority was segregated. By law, nonwhites and whites were required to use separate facilities. Nonwhites were allowed no voice in the government. In 1986, Congress approved economic sanctions against South Africa to force an end to apartheid. Sanctions are measures aimed at making a country change its policy. American companies were forbidden to invest in South Africa or import South African products. In the 1990s, in response to sanctions, South Africa moved to end minority rule. Under a new constitution, all races were permitted to vote for the first time in 1994. Nelson Mandela (mahn DEL uh), a black man who had spent 27 years in prison for opposing apartheid, was elected president. Mandela called for peace and reconciliation, or an agreement to come together, among South Africa’s peoples. He helped establish democracy, racial equality, and freedom in South Africa.

Question 19

Remember: After the Cold War, the nations that rejected communism struggled to adapt to their new freedoms. As the governments sold off state-run businesses to private enterprises, their economies were not able to adjust. The result was high unemployment and high inflation.

Answer 19

After the Cold War, the nations that rejected communism struggled to adapt to their new freedoms. As the governments sold off state-run businesses to private enterprises, their economies were not able to adjust. The result was high unemployment and high inflation.

Question 20

What did Russian President Boris Yeltsin seek to build? When did his efforts falter? How did the United States support Yeltsin?

Answer 20

Russian president Boris Yeltsin sought to build a stable democracy. His efforts faltered when he failed to put down an independence movement in the Russian province of Chechnya. The United States supported Yeltsin’s democratic efforts and offered the Russian government advice on transitioning to a free-market economy.

Question 21

Which republics were located within Yugoslavia? In 1991, what did Croatia and Bosnia declare? Despite this, what did Serbs in these nations want? How did this lead to civil war? What was the aftermath of the Bosnia Civil War? What was done to end the violence, with help by the United States?

Answer 21

In Eastern Europe, Yugoslavia faced a civil war. Yugoslavia was made up of several republics, including Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. In 1991, Croatia and Bosnia declared their independence. However, Serbs in Croatia and Bosnia wanted to remain part of Yugoslavia. With help from Serbia, they fought to prevent the new governments from splitting away. Fighting ended quickly in Croatia but continued in Bosnia. During four years of civil war, more than 250,000 people died, including many children and teenagers. To end the violence, the United States sponsored a meeting in Dayton, Ohio. There an agreement was hammered out. To help guarantee the peace agreement, President Clinton sent about 20,000 American troops to Bosnia. There, they joined NATO and Russian forces in a peacekeeping mission. The troops helped to restore order.

Question 22

How did America intervene and help solve the conflict between Kosovo and Serbia?

Answer 22

Kosovo, a province within Serbia, also sought greater independence. The Albanians living there were in the majority and resented Serbian rule.
In 1998, Serbs launched a series of attacks against Albanian rebels in Kosovo. Hundreds of thousands of Albanians fled the province. Many thousands of others were killed or wounded. President Clinton condemned the attacks as “feeding the flames of ethnic and religious division.” In March 1999, American air forces joined the air forces of other NATO nations in bombing Serbia. This forced Serbian troops to leave Kosovo. NATO peacekeeping forces then entered the province. The violence in Kosovo ended, and a slow process of rebuilding began.

Question 23

True or False: In the early 1900s, the United States had frequently intervened in the internal affairs of Latin American nations. In the late 1900s, Cold War tensions led the United States to resume its active role.

Answer 23

True

Question 24

During the Cold War, which policy did the United States return to in Latin America? During the 1970s and 1980s, what was happening in Central America? What were rebels in El Salvador and Guatemala working towards? Despite this, why did the United States support the governments? What were the costs of these wars?

Answer 24

During the Cold War, the United States returned to a policy of intervention in Latin American affairs. During the 1970s and 1980s, civil wars raged in several Central American countries. Rebels in El Salvador and Guatemala fought to overthrow harsh governments. The United States backed the governments because they were strongly anticommunist. The wars cost tens of thousands of lives. To escape the fighting, thousands of refugees fled to the United States.

Question 25

In 1979, what did the rebel group Sandinistas do in Nicaragua? What fear made Ronald Reagan aid a group opposed to the Sandinistas? What were they called?

Answer 25

In Nicaragua, a rebel group known as the Sandinistas overthrew a longtime dictator in 1979 and set up a socialist government. President Reagan, afraid that Nicaragua would become another Cuba, aided a group opposed to the Sandinistas. They were known as “Contras,” from the Spanish word for “against.”

Question 26

Why did many members of Congress oppose President Reagan’s policy in Nicaragua? How did some people on the President’s staff still aid the Contras, through questionable methods?

Answer 26

Many members of Congress disagreed with President Reagan’s policy in Nicaragua, especially after the Sandinistas won a democratic election in Nicaragua in 1984. They passed laws banning military aid to the Contras. Even so, some people on the President’s staff arranged for military aid to the Contras secretly. They arranged to sell weapons to Iran in violation of an arms embargo against the country. The administration sent over half of the millions that Iran paid for the weapons straight to the Contras to aid in their fight.

Question 27

What was the Iran-Contra affair, during the Reagan Administration? What did Nicaragua do in 1990?

Answer 27

When details of the “arms-for-hostages” deal became public, many Americans were outraged. The scandal became known as the Iran-Contra affair. Two Reagan officials were tried and convicted of lying to Congress, though the convictions were later successfully appealed. Finally, in 1990, Nicaragua held new elections. Nicaraguans rejected the Sandinistas and voted in new leaders.

Question 28

How did the United States fail in bring peace to Somalia?

Answer 28

Sometimes the American effort to bring stability to war-torn regions ended in tragedy. In 1992, American forces led a UN mission attempting to end civil war and famine in the African nation of Somalia. However, neither the American troops nor the UN were able to end the civil war. Gradually, the Americans found themselves the target of hostility. In 1993, 18 U.S. Army Rangers died in fighting while trying to restore order in the capital, Mogadishu. Shortly afterward, the United States withdrew its troops from Somalia.

Question 29

How did the United States help create peace in Northern Ireland?

Answer 29

By contrast, the United States successfully used diplomacy to ease conflict in Northern Ireland. Most members of the Catholic minority there wanted the region to be reunited with Ireland. Most of the Protestant majority wanted to remain under British rule. From 1969 to 1998, more than 3,000 people died in the fighting. The United States sent former Senator George Mitchell of Maine to aid the Northern Ireland peace talks. He helped to produce an agreement in April 1998. Although the peace process was slow and often troubled, a lasting peace settlement seemed within reach.

Question 30

Remember: Conflict had long troubled the Middle East, a region extending from southwestern Asia across North Africa. Over the centuries, friction among religious groups has led to discord and violence. European attempts to colonize the Middle East and competition for large oil reserves in the region added to tensions.

Answer 30

Conflict had long troubled the Middle East, a region extending from southwestern Asia across North Africa. Over the centuries, friction among religious groups has led to discord and violence. European attempts to colonize the Middle East and competition for large oil reserves in the region added to tensions.

Question 31

What were America’s conflicting interests in the Middle East?

Answer 31

The United States had conflicting interests in the Middle East. It strongly supported the Jewish state of Israel. Yet, it also had ties to the Muslim Arab states that dominated the region. Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia supplied much of the oil used by Americans.

Question 32

In 1948, how was Israel formed in Palestine? What did the United States and other nations do in response?

Answer 32

In the late 1800s, European Jews arrived in a region sometimes known as Palestine along the Mediterranean coast. They hoped to create a Jewish state in their ancient homeland. Jewish settlement grew in the 1930s as European Jews fled Nazi persecution. In 1948, Arabs rejected a plan to divide the land into one Jewish and one Palestinian Arab state. Jews in the region announced the creation of the state of Israel. The United States and other nations quickly recognized the new nation.

Question 33

What were the Arab-Israeli Wars? Why did OPEC place an embargo on the United States?

Answer 33

Neighboring Arab nations refused to recognize the Jewish state. Instead, they attacked. But Israel won the 1948 war. More than 500,000 Palestinian Arabs fled to refugee camps in the region surrounding Israel. Most were not permitted to return after the war and were not paid for their lands and homes. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees from Arab nations fled to Israel, leaving their lands and homes behind. Arab nations fought Israel again in 1967 and 1973. Israel defeated its opponents in both wars. In 1967, it took control of territories neighboring Israel, including areas that were home to many Palestinian Arab refugees. The United States sent aid to Israel in the 1973 war. Arab members of OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, retaliated. They cut off oil shipments to the United States and slowed down oil production. OPEC finally lifted the oil embargo in 1974.

Question 34

How did Israel and Egypt make peace after the Arab-Israeli Wars? What was the Camp David Accords of 1978?

Answer 34

Egyptian president Anwar el-Sadat took a bold step toward peace in 1977. He became the first Arab head of state to visit Israel. When peace talks between the two nations broke down, President Jimmy Carter invited Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin (muh NAHK um BAY gin) to Camp David, the President’s retreat in Maryland. In the Camp David Accords of 1978, Israel agreed to return the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, and Egypt agreed to recognize Israel. The two nations signed a peace treaty in 1979.

Question 35

How were efforts made to calm the Palestinian conflict, between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs? What was the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)? What was their goal? What was Intifada? How did they work towards peace in 1993? Despite this agreement, how did tensions remain?

Answer 35

Some Palestinian Arabs waged guerrilla war against Israel. Under Israeli rule, Palestinians in territories controlled by Israel had limited rights. Those living outside Israeli control wanted to return to their homeland under a Palestinian government. Many supported the Palestine Liberation Organization, or PLO. Its leader, Yasser Arafat, stated that the goal of the PLO was to destroy Israel. In 1987, Palestinians in the Israeli-controlled West Bank and Gaza Strip took to the streets to protest Israeli rule. The unrest, called the Intifada, focused attention on the need to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After years of effort, the United States persuaded Israel and the PLO to come to the bargaining table. In 1993, the longtime enemies signed a pact in Washington, D.C. The PLO agreed to recognize Israel’s right to exist and promised to give up violence. Israel agreed to limited self-rule for Palestinian parts of the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Despite this agreement, tensions persisted in the region.

Question 36

What happened during the Iranian Revolution?

Answer 36

The United States was deeply involved in other Middle East conflicts. In 1953, the United States helped to overthrow the elected government of Iran and to return the dethroned Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi to power. Then, in 1979, a revolution forced the unpopular shah to flee. A religious leader, the Ayatollah Khomeini (i yuh TOH luh koh MAYN ee), took control of Iran.

Question 37

What was the First Gulf War?

Answer 37

In August 1990, Saddam Hussein, the dictator of Iraq, sent 100,000 troops to invade oil-rich Kuwait. President George H.W. Bush feared that the invasion was the start of a larger plan to gain control of Middle East oil. Saddam Hussein ignored demands from the United States and the UN to withdraw from Kuwait. The UN then imposed a trade boycott on Iraq. When Saddam still refused to leave Kuwait, the United States and its UN allies launched an air attack on Iraq. This was followed by a massive attack on Iraqi troops in Kuwait and Iraq. Troops from 28 nations—including some Arab countries—joined the effort. It took only six weeks to defeat the Iraqis and free Kuwait. Although the war was over, the UN boycott against Iraq continued. The goal was to force Saddam Hussein to stop his chemical and biological weapons programs. However, Hussein refused to cooperate with UN arms inspectors.