U7L3 Regional Conflicts Flashcards
What did some people want U.S. to do about their role in the world?
Some people wanted to reduce the role of the United States in world affairs.
What did other people want U.S. to do about their role in the world?
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.
What did President George H.W. Bush and President Bill Clinton do about the U.S. role in the world?
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.
After the Soviet Union fell, why was nuclear bombs still a threat?
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.
What was the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START?
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.
What was the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty? What did it do?
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.
What did countries who didn’t sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty do?
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.
What did leaders think the bomb tests in Pakistan would cause?
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. What effect did this have?
Very little
Which continues did Pakistan share bomb information with?
Pakistan was later found to have shared nuclear weapons technology with other countries, including North Korea.
Which countries joined America and Russia in becoming nuclear powers?
Britain, France, and China joined the United States and Russia as nuclear powers, each with nuclear arms numbering in the hundreds.
What were countries in the nuclear club?
Each of the other countries in the “nuclear club” has fewer than 100 nuclear weapons.
What was a mediator?
A mediator is an agent that helps conflicting parties come to an agreement.
What forms did American lead ships take when making countries democratic?
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. Occasionally the United States used military force, often in cooperation with other nations.
In 1986, thousands of Filipinos protested the rule of dictator Ferdinand Marcos. What did they accuse him of?
They accused Marcos of fraud in a recent presidential election.
Using what, did they refuse to see Marcos as president?
People power
What caused Marcos to flee from the Philippines?
After weeks of demonstrations, the Philippine army joined the demonstrators. Marcos fled.
Who was Corazon Aquino backed by?
The United States
What aid did the U.S. give to the Philippines?
During the 1990s, the United States continued to provide economic aid for the young Filipino democracy.
After President Nixon’s historic visit to China, what did people hope China would do?
Many hoped that the communist nation would begin to reform.
After President Nixon’s historic visit to China, what did China do?
During the 1980s, China did begin to build a free-market economy. However, Chinese leaders refused to accept political reforms.
Which people fought to bring democracy to China?
students and workers
What happened at Tiananmen Square at Beijing?
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.
What did President Bush do about the Tiananmen Square attack?
President George H. W. Bush disapproved of the crackdown but took no strong action against the Chinese government.
Why didn’t Bush take any strong action against China? How did this influence President Clinton?
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.
What did President Clinton discuss with China’s president?
At the same time, he publicly debated human rights issues with China’s president.
How was Cuba affected by the Soviet Union’s fall?
The fall of the Soviet Union deprived Cuba of its main source of trade and economic aid.
What did some Cubans do as the Cuban economy spiraled downward?
As the Cuban economy spiraled downward, some 30,000 Cubans fled by boat to the United States.
What did the U.S. do about the still-communist Cuba?
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.
How was the conflict between north and South Korea?
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.
What happened in North Korea in the 1900s?
In the 1990s, famine struck North Korea. The famine was worsened by the economic policies of the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Il.
What was apartheid?
strict separation of races
In 1948, how was South Africa’s government?
Since 1948, the government of South Africa had enforced a policy of apartheid. 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.
What did congress do against South Africa’s apartheid?
In 1986, Congress approved economic sanctions against South Africa to force an end to apartheid. American companies were forbidden to invest in South Africa or import South African products.
What were sanctions?
Sanctions are measures aimed at making a country change its policy.
