New Tensions Emerge 1991-2003

Question 1

Who are the Taliban?

Answer 1

Extremists - believe their religion requires them to go to war for Islam
Led by former mujahideen commander Mohammed Omar, started an a movement to fight against the warlords.
Taliban is afghan for students - many followers educated in the madrassas of Pakistan

Question 2

What did the Taliban do in 1996?

Answer 2

Took control, for up an Islamic Emirate

Imposed strict Sharia Law on Afghanistan

Question 3

What laws did the Taliban enforce on Afghanistan

Answer 3

Taliban interpretation of Quran was fundamentalist - TV, music, games etc were for identical. All windows painted black, women lost many rights (burqa, education, free travel)
Punishments included flogging, stoning, execution etc

Question 4

who were Al-Qaeda?

Answer 4

emerged from MAK and leader was osama bin laden who had fought against the USSR in the afghanistan war

Question 5

who were MAK?

Answer 5

set up charities supposed to help refugees, in many countries, but donations actually went towards recruiting, training and arming mujahideen

Question 6

who was osama bin laden?

Answer 6

son of saudi arabian billionaire and raised a devout sunni muslim, he became convinced the muslim world was being attacked by unbelievers. the only answer was to destroy all outside influences and enforce a strict form of sharia law

Question 7

when was the gulf war?

Answer 7

1991

Question 8

who was saddam hussein?

Answer 8

president of iraq 1979-2003
a tyrant who used violence and abuse to rule his country, particularly against the kurdish people and other minorities in the north of the country

Question 9

what was the wests opinion towards saddam hussein?

Answer 9

originally supported by the west as they saw him as a friend against the fundamentalist muslim govt of iran. the west supplied him with weapons.
support ended in 1990 when saddam invaded kuwait, a small oil-rich state south of iraq. there was outrage among the western powers and george bush snr organised a coalition of 34 nations which drove the iraqis out of kuwait

Question 10

what was operation desert hield?

Answer 10

george bush snr stated that all american troops would be removed from saudi arabia once iraq had been dealt with. however, the troops stayed there

Question 11

what did bin laden do in 1998

Answer 11

issued a fatwa against the USA - Jihads against Jews and Crusaders
he believed christians and jews controlled SA and were conspiring against Islam, and Mecca had turned into a “American Colony’

Question 12

what were the long term reasons for 9/11?

Answer 12

afghanistan war saw the rise of jihadism

emergence of al-qaeda, bin laden convinced west threatened the muslim world

iraq’s invasion of Kuwait prompted operation desert shield - american forces based in saudi arabia

iraq defeated but US troops remained in Saudi Arabia

1993 world trade centre attack - US punishment for remaining in the middle east

1998 declaration of war by Al-Qaeda saw suicide bombers attack american embassies in Tanzania and Kenya

2000 the USS Cole attacked off Yemen with 17 soldiers killed by Al-Qaeda

Question 13

why did al-qaeda choose to attack the twin towers?

Answer 13

bin ladens hatred of america - condemned US support for israel, criticised US interventions in somalia 1993-95, hated USA was an ally of saudi arabia and troops stationed near ecca

to start a fight - provoke USA into attacking muslim world - radicalising muslims and creating jihadists

Question 14

where were the 4 hijacked planes sent to?

Answer 14

2 to twin towers new york world trade centre - symbol of US economic power
3rd nose dived into pentagon - hq of US defense department
4th headed to Washington DC (possibly targeting White House), passengers attacked terrorists and it crashed in South Pennsylvania

Question 15

how many deaths were there during 911?

Answer 15

2915

Question 16

what was the american reaction to the 9/11 attacks?

Answer 16

president bush declared war on terror, congress passed the authorisation for use of military force against terrorists (AUMF)
Patriot Act gave US gov the right to monitor phone calls and internet messages. many Al-Qaeda leaders were killed in drone strikes, bin laden was killed in 2011

Question 17

what were the aims of bush’s war on terror?

Answer 17

find and kill terrorists like bin laden, who has taken credit for 9/11 and destroy their organisations
undertake ‘regime change’ remove govts which support terrorism and abolish terrorist safe spaces
strengthen weaker states such as Afghanistan to resist terrorism by building them into strong democracies
Improve security for US citizens and places at home and school

Question 18

what were the results of bush’s war on terror?

Answer 18

afghanistan attacken in october, taliban regime removed by December 2001
2003, a coalition of forces invaded iraq
almost 800 prisoners were suspected of terrorist connections were imprisoned without trial at guantanamo bay

Question 19

when was the war in afghanistan?

Answer 19

2001

Question 20

what and when was the Operation ensuring freedom?

Answer 20

7th October 2001 - waves of bomber and missile attacks on the taliban army and al-qaeda camps

Question 21

what was the impact of the afghanistan war?

Answer 21

afghan military, ISAF and civilians all suffered heavy casualties
not all middle eastern countries backed the west’s campaign
some people felt the war only created more taliban recruits

Question 22

what was the ISAF?

Answer 22

international security assistance force

Question 23

describe the relationship between Iraq, the West and WMDs

Answer 23

USA and GB believed hussein was stockpiling WMDs

tensions increased when iraq expelled UN inspectors in November 1997

Question 24

how did the USA and GB try to prove that iraq had WMDs?

Answer 24

a few days after 9/11, bush set up the office of special plans to prove the connection between saddam and al-qaeda and that iraq had WMDs - UN inspectors found no evidence
September 2002 - British Joint Intelligence Committee reported saddam had WMDs ‘ready within 45 minutes of an order to use them’
October 2002 - US senators told that Iraq could attack the USA with chemical or biological weapons

Question 25

who carried out the invasion of Iraq?

Answer 25

USA and GB and joint coalition forces. didn’t gain UN security council support - didn’t believe they had sufficient support from council members

Question 26

what were the reasons for the invasion of iraq?

Answer 26

saddam’s support for al-qaeda
Iraq’s possession of WMDs
‘regime change’ - removing a tyrant and giving iraqis a democratic government

other motives suggested
western powers wanted to secure iraq’s oil reserves for themselves
bush wanted to finish his father’s war of 1991
US wanted to dominate the rest of the world

Question 27

when did the iraq war begin?

Answer 27

20th march 2003

Question 28

how long did it take for the iraqis to be defeated from the start of the iraq war?

Answer 28

3 weeks

Question 29

what happened to saddam hussein after the iraq war?

Answer 29

he fled but was captured in december 2003

was tried and hanged in 2006

Question 30

why did the coalition forces have trouble establishing a democratic governent in iraq?

Answer 30

new gov contained majority shia muslims - alienated majority sunni muslim population and led to sectarian violence
monopoly of government contracts went tot american firms - social and economic hardship in Iraq
attacks of coalition forces - westerners soon confined to small defended area in Baghdad ‘green zone’
US military abuse of POWs

Question 31

what were the results of the iraq war?

Answer 31

reputation of UN weakened as USA and Gb ignored it
terror attacks on western nations increased rathe than decreased
popular protests took place against the war
reputations of bush and blair weakened as no conclusive evidence of Iraq’s WMDs found
major world powers such as russia, germany and france condemned the war, showing tension and lack of unity among democratic countries in their fight against terrorism