Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama. Focus on Five Areas: o Economy o Health Care o Family o Education o Crime.

Modern AmericaPresidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama

Clinton Years

Clinton’s Agenda Focus on Five Areas:

o Economyo Health Careo Familyo Educationo Crime

Economy Fix the federal deficit

o Under Reagan and Bush the deficit nearly quadrupledo Lower interest rates, cut spending, raise taxes

Tax hike very unpopular after he campaigned to cut taxeso Raised taxes on middle and upper income Americanso New taxes on gasoline, heating oil, and natural gases

Health Care Reform 15% of Americans lacked health insurance

Task force headed by Hillary Rodham Clintono Plan to guarantee health benefits for all Americanso Burden of paying for it on employers (small-businesses

feared this)o Doctors and insurance industry campaigned against plano Republicans against it, Democrats divided, no plan

passed

Families Family Medical Leave Act

o Up to 12 weeks/year of unpaid family leave for birth or adoption of a child or for illness of a family member

AmeriCorpso Students to work improving low-income

housing, teaching children to read, and cleaning up the environment

o Volunteers earn a salary and get a scholarship to improve education

Crime and Gun Control Gun-control laws (Brady Bill)

o Waiting period before purchaseso Background checks

Funding for new prisons and for 100,000 more officers on the streetso Also banned 19 assault weapons and provided money

for crime prevention programs

Republicans gain control of Congress

Clinton unpopular but successfulo Raised taxes, failed to fix health care,

economy improving

Newt Gingrich: Contract with Americao Lower taxes, welfare reform, anticrime

laws, term limits for Congress, and balanced budget amendment

o Most passed in now GOP-led House, but were shot down in Senate or vetoed by Clinton

Budget Battles: Gov’t Shutdown

Clinton vetoes Republican budget

Gingrich refuses to negotiate or bendo Assumes Clinton will back off

Clinton holds ground, government closeso Republicans realize they need

to work with President Clintono Clinton regains support from

Americans for holding his ground

1996 Campaign Clinton works with Republicans for Health

Coverage laws and Welfare Reform

Clinton takes credit for economic boom: longest sustained growth in US historyo Unemployment and inflation fell to lowest levels in 40

yearso Markets soaring, crime falling

And the results are…

Clinton’s Second Term Economy continues to grow

o Balanced budget…even a surplus!

Putting Children Firsto Cigarette advertising banso Health Insurance programso Increase in Student Grants

Impeachment Independent Counsel led by Kenneth Starr to look

into Clinton potentially arranging illegal loans while Arkansas Governor

Scandal about personal relationship with WH intern and whether he committed perjury (lying under oath)

Starr concludes study and says Clinton obstructed justice, abused powers as president, and committed perjury

Impeachment Hearings House of Reps passed two

articles of impeachment and case moved to Senate for trial

Perjury: 55-45 not guilty

Obstruction of Justice: 50-50

Both fell far short of 2/3 vote needed

Foreign Policy Haiti government overthrow

o Influx of refugees to USo UN trade embargo to try to restore democracyo Role of Jimmy Carter

Bosnia: Christian Serbs begin ethnic cleansing Bosnian Muslims (brutal expulsion of an ethnic group for a geographic area)o Some cases of slaughter instead of moving Muslimso Dayton Accords for peace

Middle East Saddam Hussein and the Kurds

o US fires missiles at Iraqi military targets

Israel and Palestineo Declaration of Principleso Disputed territorieso Still no peace

Jordan and Israel peace treaty

Bush Administration

2001-2009

The New Millennium Timeline

2000: Presidential Election Controversy

2001: Bush Inauguration

2001: September 11th Attacks

2001: US begins bombing Afghanistan

2001: Patriot Act

2002: Educational Reforms

Timeline (continued) 2003: US invades Iraq

2004: Bush Reelected

2005: Hurricane Katrina

2007: Pelosi—first female Speaker of the House

2008: Obama wins presidency

2010: Republican takeover of the House

The 2000 Presidential Election

Popular VoteGore: 50,999,897Bush: 50,456,002Nader: 2,882,955

Electoral CollegeBush: 271Gore: 266*

*One elector from Washington D.C. abstained from casting a vote

QUESTION: HOW CAN

THE PERSON WITH THE

MOST VOTES NOT WIN THE PRESIDENCY?

The Issue in Florida Last state to report results

Both Gore and Bush needed the 25 votes to win the presidency

Too close to callo State law requires recounto Gore requests hand recount

Bush v. Gore Supreme Court Case (Read on Pg. 1034 on your own)

Early Bush Policies Tax cuts to boost economy

Education Reformso Standardized Tests (No Child Left Behind)o Federal Funding for Private Schools (Voted Down)

Medicare Reforms

Strategic Defense Programs

September 11th

Rise of TerrorismUnit 10

September 11, 2001

The Headlines

What is Terrorism?

Terrorism is violence …

…that is deliberate and premeditated,

never random.   ... that is politically

motivated..

... that targets innocent civilians (or noncombatants). 

… that’s carried out by subnational groups.

... that’s aimed at a wide audience.

... that’s meant to create a state of fear.

... that’s usually directed against some hated government.

one’s own government. a foreign government. a foreign supporter of one’s own government.

Definitions of Terrorism :

“Premeditated and politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncom-batant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience.

-U.S. State Department  “The deliberate use of violence against civilians for political or

religious ends.”-Council of Foreign Relations

  “Illegal attacks and threats against people or property by a

group for the purpose of weakening a hated political authority.- IR text

There is no universally accepted definition of terrorism. Why not?

UN tried to draft definition of terrorism in 2002, but failed because of disagreements over which groups should be treated as terrorists.

Some would exempt “national liberation movements” or those “resisting occupation.”

“One Man’s Terrorist is Another Man’s Freedom Fighter””

Islamic Terrorism

Many of the terrorists we face today are Islamic extremists.

View themselves as fighting jihad (“holy war”)against the enemies of Islam.

  Difficult to deter. Why? 

Islamic Fundamentalism“Islamic Extremism” or “Radical Islam”

Radical and extreme form of Islam that has contributed to the rise of religiously motivated terrorism

Islamic fundamentalism IS NOT ACTIVELY SUPPORTED BY MOST OF THE WORLD’S MUSLIMS TODAY!

Beliefs / Goals of Islamic Fundamentalism

Wants to return to a strict, conservative, “pure” Islam as practiced in the 7th century by the Prophet Mohammad.

Rejects Western ideas and practices. Wants to rid Muslim world of all Western influences. Views Western culture as corrupting, immoral, and materialistic.

Wants to establish Islamic governments (theocracies) based on Islamic law (Shari’a) throughout the Muslim world.

Al Qaeda: A Global Terrorist Network

Al Qaeda Today

Many leaders have been killedor captured since 9-11. Al Qaeda is significantly weakened, but is still a threat.

Core leadership operating from Pakistan today. Goal is still thetargeting of the U.S.

Local groups linked to al Qaeda in Yemen, Somalia, and NorthAfrica are emerging as the next threat.

Why Did bin Laden Target the U.S. ?

Believes U.S. wants to controlMuslim lands.

U.S. support of Israel, whichmurders Palestinians androbs them of their lands.

U.S. support for corrupt andrepressive governments inin Muslim countries like Egypt,Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.

America’s military presencein Saudi Arabia defiles Muslim’sholy land.

The War on Terrorism

The Significance of 9-11

Changed the focus of U.S. foreign policy overnight.

The “war on terrorism” became the central concern of the Bush administration.

There was no “war on terrorism” before 9-11.

Bush’s Response

Characterized attacks as “more than acts of terror, they were acts of war”.

“We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.”

Viewed war on terrorism with “moral clarity” - as a war between good and evil.

QUESTION TO CONSIDER: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FIGHTING

TERRORISM AND FIGHTING A WAR?

Bush’s Response

“Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make: Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.”

Recruited worldwide coalition to fight a “war on terrorism.”

Worldwide Support for U.S.

Strong support from U.S. allies.

NATO invoked Article 5 of its charter for the first and only time!

“The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all...”

Alliances Formal agreement (treaty) between two or more

countries to protect each other in case of attack.

Based on the idea of collective security--the principle that aggression against one state is aggression against all and should be defeated by the collective action of all.

Alliances are not necessarily based on ideology or shared values.

Alliances of convenience do occur (example: US-Pakistan relationship today)

War in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: The “Other War”

2001 Taliban was defeated andremoved from power.

2003 Elite military units moved to Iraq as Afghanistan was overshadowed by the war in Iraq.

2004 While U.S. attention was diverted to Iraq,

Taliban regrouped and began insurgency to regain power.

Afghanistan: Losing the War?

2006- 2009 Insurgent violence inten-

sified and Taliban attacks have increased each year.

Large parts of the country have fallen under Taliban’s control.

Taliban using Pakistan asa safe haven from which to launch attacks.

War’s First Phase: Afghanistan (October, 2001)

Military retaliation against al Qaeda and Taliban regime providing safe haven to bin Laden

Unconventional war fought by:CIA operatives & U.S. Special

Forces.Northern Alliance allies

Supported by intense U.S.bombing campaign

Afghanistan, 2001

Results:

Al Qaeda bases destroyed.

Taliban defeated and removed from power.

New pro-Western Afghan government put in place.

Most Taliban and al Qaeda leaders escaped intoneighboring Pakistan.

Afghanistan’s president

Hamid Karzai

The Debate Over Sending More Troops

Those who support sendingmore troops say the Talibaninsurgency must be defeatedbefore we can claim success.

Those who oppose sendingmore troops argue the war’s goals should be scaled backand we should focus oneliminating al Qaeda.

The Global War on Terrorism (GWOT)

War on terrorism remainsa global campaign with no boundaries -- and no end in sight.

Al Qaeda and its off-shootsexist all over the world.

Requires U.S. assistance to

-- and from -- many othergovernments.

Means U.S. military advisors and Special Forces operating throughout the world.

The “Axis of Evil”

2002 State of the Union speech – President Bush expanded scope of war on terrorism to include rogue states possessing or developing

Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Said an “Axis of Evil” existed in the world today:

Iran Iraq North Korea

Axis of Evil

Accused all three states of seeking WMDs and said U.S. would do “whatever was necessary” to keep these states from acquiring such weapons.

Accused all three countriesof having links with terrorist groups.

Axis of Evil

Some U.S. allies had strong reservations about expand-ing war on terrorism against these states.

None of these countries had been linked to Sept. 11.

Concerns over what the U.S. planned next – especially in regards to Iraq.

The Bush Doctrine

Doctrine asserted that U.S. must defend itself by acting preemptively against these terrorists and rogue states – before they can use WMD against us.

Asserted right to act against “emerging” threats “before they are fully formed” -- not just immediate threats

Controversial interpretationof the tradition right to self-defense. Why?

The Bush Doctrine and Iraq

The war in Iraq was the only application of the Bush Doctrine.

War based on threat posed by Iraq’s WMD and its supposed ties to terrorism.

Implications for the Bush Doctrine?

The Iraqi Invasion

Iraq Timeline January 2002: Axis of Evil Speech

September 2002: Bush speaks to UN for resolution against Iraq

November 2002: Iraq readmits UN inspectors

March 2003: US-led invasion

May 1, 2003: Bush declares major combat over

Insurgency After the quick

victory, fighting continuedo Snipers, bombings,

battles

US Goals:o Stop insurgency,

prevent Sunni-Shia Civil War, create a new Iraqi government

Costs of Iraq US and allies spend $30 billion to

improve quality of life in Iraqo “Hearts & Minds War”o Schools, Clean Water, Health Care,

Electricity

3,000 Americans killed by insurgents

Dilemma on pulling troops out

The Dilemma about Iraq

Pulling out troops

o Civil War?

o Safe Haven for Terrorists?

Staying in Iraq

o Resentment to US

o Radical Responses?

American Solution: Get Iraqi government up and running as quickly as

possible.Train their troops to control country.

Hand over all control.Do you think this solution was a wise decision?

The 2000 Election

Obama’s First Term—From Eyes of DemsAchievements

Stimulus Package

Auto Industry Bailout

Supreme Court appointmentso (Sotomayor and Kagan)

Affordable Healthcare Act (commonly called ObamaCare by critics)

Osama bin Laden killed

Criticisms Bush tax cuts extended

Housing crisis still ongoing

Citizenship/Immigration reform still in works

No cap and trade system

Has not stopped the polarization of politics