New Tensions Emerge 1991-2003 Flashcards
After the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989, what changed in Afghanistan? (3)
(1989 - 96)
- a power vacuum led to a civil war
- the mujahideen collapsed into infighting (between different factions)
- in 1996 the Taliban became the faction with the most control
Who was the leader of the Taliban in 1996?
Mohammed Omar
How did the Taliban recruit?
What does Taliban mean?
- Mohammed Omar recruited many students from madrassas (Islamic schools)
- student in Pashto
Why were the Taliban supported in Afghanistan?
They brought order, not the chaos of Mujaheddin infighting
How did the Taliban change Afghanistan’s governance? (2)
- they established an Islamic Emirate
- imposed strict sharia law
What is Sharia Law? (2)
- A literal, fundamentalist take on the Quran,
- with extreme punishments for lawbreakers
How were women’s rights affected by the implementation of sharia law in Afghanistan?
Detail some changes (3)
Broadly, women’s rights were removed
Women were now:
- forced to wear a burqa
- couldn’t travel without a man’s permission
- forbidden from receiving education
How much of Afghanistan did the Taliban control in 1998?
Which countries recognized this
- 90%
- Only recognized by Pakistan, UAE and Saudi Arabia
Which ostensibly charitable organization grew out of the Soviet Afghan war?
What were they really doing?
Who was (one of) its founders
- the Afghan Services Bereau / Maktab al-Khidamat (MAB)
- recruiting, training and arming refugees for the Mujaheddin
- Osama Bin Laden
How did Osama Bin Laden view western influence?
What particularly annoyed Bin Laden about the US?
That it threatened Islam and the muslim world - westerners were infidels
- in his view:
1. The US supported the Israeli state - Arab nations unanimously oppose
2. They did not remove troops from Saudi Arabia after the Gulf War - he saw this as conspiracy to attack Islam
3. Islamic holy sites like Mecca were becoming diluted - due to Western influence - becoming American colonies
What did Bin Laden view as the only defence against ‘American attack on Islam’? (2)
- To establish Sharia law and
- Destroy outside influences
At what stage did the MAK become Al-Qaeda?
Some time after 1989
When was the Iran-Iraq war?
Who led Iran during war?
Who did the US support?
- Sept 1980 - Aug 1988
- Ayatollah Khameni
- US supported Iraq (lesser of two evils - Hussein opposed Islamist fundamentalism)
How much did the Iran-Iraq war cost Iraq?
How did Iraq change?
- $100 bn with a $70 bn deficit
- from oil rich into economic ruin - forced into debt
How did the US support Iraq against Iran?
What did Hussein do with these?
- they sent weapons
- they also sent chemicals, which Hussein used to make chemical weapons and use against Kurds in Iraq - the US ignored this (during Iran-Iraq war)
Between 1988 and 1990, what did Iraq do to fix their economy?
What did Hussein then do?
How did Kuwait respond?
- Hussein borrowed money from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
- he demanded debt forgiveness
- Kuwait dropped their oil prices in retaliation, (less people bought Iraqi oil - more economic hardship)
Why did Iraq invade Kuwait (1st Gulf War)
In retaliation to Kuwait’s drop in oil prices
and
for not allowing debt forgiveness for loans after the Iran-Iraq war
When did the 1st Gulf War start?
Who did the US back? Why?
- Aug 1990
- Kuwait - invasion was ‘against US interests’ - oil rich
When did Bin Laden issue a ‘fatwa’ against the US?
What is this?
- 1998
- a death sentence, usually a jihad against Jews and crusaders
What 4 attacks did Al-Qaeda carry out before 9/11?
- WTC 1993 - car park
- assassination attempt on Clinton - Philippines 1996
- Kenya & Tanzania embassy attacks 1998
- USS Cole attack 2000 - Yemen
What were the reasons for 9/11? (4)
- Al-Qaeda wanted to create a sense of fear in the US, no safety - a new age of terror with no warning
- Bin Laden despised the US
- Al-Qaeda perhaps wanted to provoke an American response to radicalize Muslims
- to demonstrate the growth of Al-Qaeda and Jihadist/Islamist militarism
Where were the 4 planes flown to on 9/11?
How many victims died?
1.
- WTC x 2
- Pentagon x 1
- White House / Capitol building (failed) x 1
- 2,977
What was George W Bush’s immediate response to 9/11?
What did this entail?
- To declare a ‘War on Terror’
- this would:
1. To find, kill and destroy terrorist groups
2. Regime change for govts supporting terrorism
3. Strengthen weaker states
4. Improve security home and abroad
What did Congress pass after 9/11?
When?
- AUMF - Authorisation for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists
- sept 14th 2001
What was the name of the coalition which invaded Afghanistan in 2001?
Where were they from?
The International Security Assistance Force - ISAF
NATO nations - 18
When did the ISAF invade Afghanistan?
October 7th 2001
What govt department was created in the wake of 9/11?
The Department of Homeland Security
What act was passed after the ISAF invaded Afghanistan?
What did it do?
When was it passed?
- The PATRIOT Act
- it gave the govt increased rights to monitor citizen’s communications
- 26th October 2001
At the time of the ISAF invasion of Afghanistan, how many terrorist training camps were reported?
Over 120 with up to 20 000 jihadists
When did the ISAF invade Afghanistan?
Why?
What was the Codename for the invasion?
- Oct 7th 2001
- the Taliban delayed handing over Bin Laden and dismantling Al-Qaeda
- Operation Enduring Freedom
When did the ISAF oust the Taliban from Kabul?
Who did they install as leader of Afghanistan?
- December 2001
- Hamid Karzai
How much money did the Afghan invasion cost the US?
Give timeframes.
$2.3 trillion between 2001 and 2021
The most expensive war in US history
How did the US invasion of Afghanistan impact international relations? (3)
- there was early support for the coalition globally (generally)
- largely the middle-eastern nations opposed the war, except:
- Bahrain
- UAE
- Jordan
Who contributed, while Pakistan complained about ISAF actions in their borders and Afghanistan about civilian casualties - It has been claimed that the war on terror has led to greater recruitment for terror groups
What did the west claim Iraq possessed?
What was their evidence?
- WMDs (weapons of mass destruction) - specifically chemical weapons
- Hussein had previously used chemicals supplied by the US against Kurds in Iraq
What was the name of the UN investigative unit sent to Iraq?
What did the Iraqi govt do which raised tensions? When?
- UNSCOM
- Nov 1997 - Iraq expelled the investigators, which caused suspicion
What was the name of the office established to find connections between Hussein & Al-Qaeda?
OSP - Office for Special Plans
What was the result of the UN search in Iraq?
How did the West react to this?
- No evidence of WMDs
- Bush & Blair refused to accept the findings
1. sept 2002 US-UK intelligence committee report WMDs
2. They decide to go to war without UN consent - Congress & parliament agree
When did the US led coalition invade Iraq?
How many troops were involved?
When was Iraq defeated?
- March 20th 2003 with ‘shock and awe’ aerial bombardment
- 160 000
- 3 weeks later
What were the reasons for the invasion of Iraq? (6)
US claims
- Saddam support for Al-Qaeda
- possession of WMDs
- regime change (democratic) - the only one that could be proven
Other claims
- oil reserves in Iraq were lucrative
- Bush personally wanted to continue his dad’s work in Iraq
- to extend US power and influence globally
When did the coalition capture Baghdad (Iraq)
When was Saddam Hussein captured?
- April 9th 2003
- December 2003 (executed 2006)
After the invasion of Iraq, who led the state?
What did this cause?
- A predominantly Shia govt (ethnic minority)
- sectarian violence began
How did the US cause further economic hardship in Iraq (post invasion)
They ensured US firms do govt work - this meant Iraqi firms missed out on contracts
Name the prison where US troops were accused of torturing detainees in Iraq
Abu Ghraib
What was the impact of the Iraq war on International relations? (8)
- Hussein was overthrown and Iraq had democratic elections - first in 50 years
2. deaths: - **50 000 military** - **112 000 to 1 million civilians**
- terrorism increased in Iraq - 1003 suicide bombs from 2003 to 2010
4. The following refused to support the invasion: - Germany, - France, - Russia - Canada
- Hundreds of thousands protested the war globally.
6. **2003**, the League of Arab states called for a withdrawal
-
globally, terrorist attacks have increased:
- 343 suicide attacks between 1983-2000
- 2000 since 2004
~~~ - The UN’s reputation and authority has been undermined - invasion happened without their sanction
