Exam Two, the 90's

One:

The beginning of the War on Terror was the initial attacks on US soil; the attacks on the World Trade Centers in New York City, and the Pentagon in Washington DC. These attacks were established and committed by a terrorist group by the name of Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda is a radical Islamist group lead by a man named Osama Bin Laden. Several terrorists traveled to the United States of America, and on September 11th, 2001, their plan went into action. Several passenger jets were hijacked. Their destination was the World Trade Centers in New York City, and the Pentagon. About midday, the first plane struck the World Trade Center about mid way up the building. The workers inside the Trade Center has no idea what was befalling them, yet their official alarm system told them to stay where they were and not try to descend the stairwell. The first tower to be hit was no expected to collapse. Within a short period of time, the second plane was driven into the second tower. By this time, panic had become complete chaos. It was no longer relevant that this could be a mistake of the pilot; this was an attack on US soil. When the twin towers collapsed, more than 2 thousand people lost their lives. The passenger jet crashed into the Pentagon did not devastate the entire structure; yet the people on board were all killed. This launched the War on Terror. Troops were sent into Afghanistan, where it was said the main force of Al Qaeda lay. Bombs were dropped on Afghanistan for hours straight within the first few weeks of the bombardment. Later, it was said that a neighboring country, Iraq was harboring 'weapons of mass destruction.' After invading Iraq, out troops discovered how a man named Saddam Hussein was il treating his people. Pulling him from power, we destroyed all system of government in Iraq. These alleged weapons of mass destruction were never found. However, Saddam Hussein was not closely related to the main reason for invading the middle east; he was not a member of Al Qaeda. Hussein was hanged several months after his capture from a small hole in the desert mountains. Presently, the American troops have not totally withdrawn from Iraq; we cannot leave immediately for the tentative government of Iraq may collapse without out support.

An argument that has existed from the beginning; what is the central front on the War on Terror, Afghanistan or Iraq? Afghanistan was the initial country invaded; mainly because Al Qaeda was and is based there. These terrorists were the cause of the deaths and mass murders of September 11th, which is the only reason we decided to invade. Iraq was a mere whim, there is no proof that there were or are weapons of mass destruction residing within. Al Qaeda is still alive and well in the depths of the Afghani mountains; if these people are the reason for invading the Middle East, then why are we not focusing out energy in eradicating them?

Two:

Although Bill Clinton definitely had his faults; I believe he instated some very useful and affective programs. His suave personality made him popular with the average American, stating that he 'felt our pain.' Although slightly unbelievable now, his acting skills were quite good at the time. The youth of this president, who was actually the third youngest president of all time made him even more like able. Like able enough even, that he was able to lie straight out in the face of America, and still be preserved as honest person. Although I definitely do not condone dishonesty, I must congratulate him in his acting politics. Not many people can woo a nation the way he did. Bill Clinton pushed for the right of gay men and women to be able to serve in our military. Not being entirely sure about the subject of homosexuality myself, I do realize that a willing member of the American populace should be able to serve in the military. Another large step in the evolution of technology, was that Clinton introduced the very first website. This is an incredible accomplishment, considering how large the internet has grown to be, and how important it is currently for all education. Mr Clinton opened up trade route between Canada and Mexico, which potentially has helped out economy. Another important idea is that Bill fought for National Health care and small business and trade tax cuts. On the opposite side, he has many faults which include the discus of travel funding and the affair with Monica Lewinsky as well as the after fact that he straight out lied to America and his wife. This is definite downside.

George HW Bush did not seem to stack up to Bill in his diplomatic and obliging character. Hosting several military operations, George HW began the military operation of Desert Storm and was host to an economy crisis in the early 90's. His son, George W Bush's approval ratings are not much better. Bush Jr did however, instate the No Child Left Behind law and the US Patriot Act which allowed the government to sp upon the public in deeper means to flush out and discover terrorists hiding inside America's walls. Although many controversial subjects occurred under the administration of the Bush's, Clinton's two terms seems to be the most positively productive.

Three:


These were the times that jump started Globalization. During the 1990's, there were many military operations occurring. American troops were sent to create peace in places like Bosnia, Kuwait, and Rwanda. General fighting does not conclude a Great Peace, however to the American troops; their job was to try to create some illusion of this amongst the fighting. The fall of the Berlin Wall also occurred at the end of the 1980's, which could respectively be communicated as a peaceful event.

Inside our country's borders, many advancements were happening. Our country was generally peaceful and happy with its progress. The World Wide Web was introduced, as well as the first sheep being cloned. Windows 95 and Windows 98 were incredibly popular operating systems, and in the late 1990's, the first mp3 player was introduced. Walmart was sent over seas to its first store out of the US, in China. This was the start of Globalization. The Kyoto Protocol was held in Japan to try to reduce green house gas emissions, although the US rejected their plan to prevent Global Warming. There were however, several large domestic crimes committed, like the chase of OJ Simpson and the Columbine shootings. All in all, the 90's did not seem to be such a peaceful decade - however America did advance quite quickly in the world of technology.