George W. Bush and the War on Terrorism: 9/11 and its Impact on American Policy

1. George W. Bush and the War on Terrorism

2. What happened on 9/11/2001? • Islamic terrorists crashed two jets into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City

3. Who was president at the time of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center? • George W. Bush

4. What event has most influenced American domestic and international policy in the 21st century? • The 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center

5. What two means has the American government used to confront terrorism internationally? • Diplomatic • Military

6. What organization claimed responsibility for the 9/11 attacks on the United States? • Al-Qaeda

7. Who is the leader of Al-Qaeda? • Osama bin Laden

8. How did President Bush respond to the 9/11 attacks? • Declared a War on Terrorism

9. What does the term bipartisan mean? • Supported by both Democrats and Republicans

10. What law did Congress pass in response to the 9/11 terrorist attack? • The Patriot Act

11. What was the goal of the Patriot Act? • To make it easier for the federal government to catch and prosecute terrorists, who threaten the United States

12. What has been the major criticism of the Patriot Act? • It weakens the constitutional protection of civil liberties.

13. What was Operation Enduring Freedom? • A military attack on the Taliban government of Afghanistan

14. Why did the Bush administration go to war in Afghanistan? • The Taliban government had given shelter to bin Laden. • The Taliban government had allowed Al-Qaeda to train terrorists inside Afghanistan.

15. What organization helped the American military remove the Taliban from power in Afghanistan? • NATO

16. What have the Taliban and Al-Qaeda continued to do in Afghanistan since the overthrow of the Taliban government?

17. Opposed American efforts to remove terrorists from Afghanistan • Opposed American efforts to set up a stable democratic government

18. Is the United States military still involved in the War in Afghanistan? • Yes

19. Who is the democratically elected leader of Afghanistan today? • Harmid Karzai

20. Besides Afghanistan, where did President Bush turn his attention in the War on Terrorism? • Iraq

21. What two charges did President George W. Bush make against Iraq? • Iraq was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction. • Iraq was developing nuclear weapons.

22. What types of weapons are weapons of mass destruction? • Chemical weapons • Biological weapons

23. What did President Bush fear Iraq might do with weapons of mass destruction? • Give them to terrorists for use against the United Sates and its allies

24. What power did Congress give to President Bush in October 2002? • Use military force against Iraq

25. What two things did Congress authorize President Bush to do in Iraq? • Defend the United States • Enforce all United Nations Security Council resolutions dealing with Iraq

26. What action did the United States take against Iraq in March 2003? • Invaded Iraq

27. Who was the leader of Iraq at the time of the American invasion in 2003? • Saddam Hussein

28. What happened to the Iraqi government, when the United States invaded in 2003? • It collapsed.

29. What happened to Saddam Hussein in the War in Iraq? • Captured by American forces

30. Why did a peaceful transfer of power to a new democratic government in Iraq fail to occur? • Ethnic and religious differences divided the Iraqi people.

31. What are the three main ethnic and religious groups in Iraq? • Shiite Muslims • Sunni Muslims • Kurds

32. What two things did many Shiite Muslims want to happen in Iraq, when the United States overthrew Saddam Hussein’s government?

33. 1) American troops should immediately end its occupation and leave Iraq. • 2) The Iraqi people should create an Islamic state.

34. What type of government did President Bush want to set up in Iraq? • A western style democracy that protects minority rights

35. What were two results of the American occupation of Iraq? • Iraqi opposition to the American military occupation • Increased violence

36. What two forms did the increased violence in Iraq take? • Suicide bombings • Attacks by insurgent forces

37. What is an insurgent? • A person who rebels against the government of his country

38. Did the United States military find any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? • NO.

39. When the War in Iraq dragged on, what happened to American support for the war and for President George W. Bush? • Support for the war decreased • Bush’s job approval rating dropped

40. Who became the prime minister of Iraq in 2006? • Nouri Maliki

41. How did the Bush administration respond to the increased violence in Iraq and the drop in the American public’s support for its policies? • Announced a troop “surge”

42. What was the troop “surge”? • Bush administration sent 20,000 additional American troops to Iraq

43. Did the Bush administration’s troop “surge” work? • It appeared to work, since violence in Iraq decreased by mid-2008.

44. Who won the 2008 presidential election? • Barrack Obama

45. To what political party does President Obama belong? • Democrat

46. How did President Barrack Obama make history? • The first African-American to serve as president

47. How has President Obama changed the American policies in Afghanistan and Iraq?

48. Has increased American combat troops in Afghanistan • Has promised a gradual withdrawal of American combat troops from Iraq

49. Does the War in Iraq continue today? • Yes.