US Foreign Policy, Middle East, and Terrorism – Lecture Series Review

These flashcards cover key people, events, doctrines, and concepts from Lectures 010–040, including U.S. foreign policy doctrines, Middle Eastern history, terrorism, major wars, and pivotal figures to prepare for Exam #1.

What three factors have historically ensured high U.S. national security, according to Prof. Brownlee?

Geographic distance from major conflicts, vast GDP, and high military spending.

Define terrorism as covered in Lecture 010.

The unlawful use of violence in pursuit of political gain.

What are the Five Pillars (tenets) of Islam?

Testimony of faith (shahada), prayer (salat), alms(zakat), fasting during Ramadan (sawm), and pilgrimage (Hajj).

In what modern-day country did Islam originate?

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

What is the Umma in early Islamic history?

The original Muslim community founded by Muhammad.

In what year was Muhammad born?

570 CE.

What key Islamic event occurred in 629 CE?

The first pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca.

When did Muhammad receive his final revelation of the Qur’an?

632 CE.

Who became the first Caliph after Muhammad’s death?

Abu Bakr.

Who did Shia Muslims originally support for leadership after Muhammad?

Ali and later his son Hussein.

Roughly what percentage of today’s Muslims are Sunni?

About 90 percent.

Name two majority-Shia countries.

Iran and Iraq.

Which Muslim-majority South Asian state has had a female head of state?

Pakistan.

State the purpose of the Monroe Doctrine (1832).

To warn European powers against interference in Western Hemisphere affairs, asserting U.S. dominance.

What was the aim of the Open Door Policy (1899)?

Ensure equal trading rights in China and preserve Chinese territorial integrity.

Which 1947 policy pledged U.S. support for nations threatened by communism?

The Truman Doctrine.

What did NSC-68 (1950) recommend?

A major increase in U.S. military spending and global activism to contain communism.

Define the Cold War strategy of containment.

Preventing Soviet communist expansion through diplomatic, military, and economic tools.

Who was Reza Shah Pahlavi and why was he forced to abdicate?

Iran’s ruler until WWII; forced out by the British in 1941.

Who ruled Iran from 1941 until the 1979 Revolution?

Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi.

What action by Mohammed Mossadegh angered Britain?

Nationalizing Iran’s oil industry in 1951.

Which U.S. President is associated with the policy of containment?

Harry S. Truman.

Who was Truman’s Secretary of State and key Cold War architect?

Dean Acheson.

Which U.S. President opened relations with China and ended Vietnam War involvement?

Richard Nixon.

Who served as National Security Advisor and later Secretary of State under Nixon?

Henry Kissinger.

What foreign-policy focus defined Jimmy Carter’s presidency?

Emphasis on human rights.

Who became Iran’s Supreme Leader after the 1979 Revolution?

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Who is Morris Adelman known for studying?

Economics of the oil industry and oil reserves.

Define a bipolar international system.

A world order dominated by two superpowers (e.g., U.S. and USSR during the Cold War).

What term describes a global order with several states of roughly equal power?

Multipolar international system.

What event describes the CIA-MI6 coup removing Mossadegh?

Operation Ajax (1953).

State the goal of the Eisenhower Doctrine.

Deter Soviet influence in the Middle East by offering U.S. aid to resist communism.

Which 1969 doctrine expected allies to defend themselves while receiving U.S. aid?

The Nixon Doctrine.

What 1979 event replaced Iran’s monarchy with an Islamic Republic?

The Iranian Revolution.

How long did the Iran hostage crisis last?

444 days.

What 1980 policy vowed to defend the Persian Gulf with force if necessary?

The Carter Doctrine.

What major change occurred in the U.S. military after 1973?

End of conscription and creation of the All-Volunteer Force (AVF).

Why did Cyrus Vance resign as Secretary of State?

In protest after the failed Operation Eagle Claw rescue attempt.

Who was Carter’s National Security Advisor advocating a hard line on the USSR?

Zbigniew Brzezinski.

Name the 1979 Soviet action that triggered U.S. support for Afghan Mujahideen.

Invasion of Afghanistan.

What region did U.S. officials label the "arc of crisis"?

Middle East to South Asia, viewed as politically volatile.

Identify Operation Eagle Claw.

The failed 1980 mission to rescue U.S. hostages in Tehran.

Which conflict began with Iraq’s surprise invasion in 1980?

The Iran-Iraq War.

What do access, basing, and overflight rights (ABO) provide?

Permission for U.S. forces to use foreign bases, station troops, and fly through airspace.

What agreement ended the Iran hostage crisis?

The Algiers Accords (1981).

According to Brownlee, what single variable heavily influences U.S. use of direct confrontation?

Expected costs.

List one way the U.S. limited risk while pursuing its interests (Lecture 025).

Using surrogate soldiers, supporting proxy states, or withdrawing after high-casualty attacks.

What CIA program armed the Afghan Mujahideen from 1979-1989?

Operation Cyclone.

What was the MNF for Lebanon?

A U.S., French, Italian, and British peacekeeping force (1982-1984).

How did the U.S. support Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War?

Provided intelligence, loans, and weapons.

What was Operation Praying Mantis?

1988 U.S. naval strikes against Iranian forces after the USS Samuel Roberts mining.

Which civilian Airbus was mistakenly shot down by the USS Vincennes?

Iran Air Flight 655 (1988).

Who led Afghanistan as king from 1933 to 1973?

Mohammed Zahir Shah.

Who declared Afghanistan a republic in 1973?

Daoud Khan.

Name the Afghan leader killed when the Soviets intervened in 1979.

Hafizullah Amin.

Who led the Afghan communist government until 1992?

Mohammad Najibullah.

Which Soviet leader ordered withdrawal from Afghanistan?

Mikhail Gorbachev.

Who was Iraq’s president before Saddam Hussein took full power?

Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr.

What is the Baath Party known for in Iraq?

Arab nationalist party that centralized authoritarian rule under Saddam.

Define the Saur Revolution.

1978 communist coup in Afghanistan by the PDPA.

What U.S. weapon significantly helped Mujahideen counter Soviet air power?

FIM-92 Stinger missiles.

Summarize the Tanker War phase of the Iran-Iraq War.

Both sides attacked oil tankers in the Persian Gulf; U.S. escorted shipping (Operation Earnest Will).

What 1983 event caused U.S. withdrawal from Lebanon?

Suicide bombing of U.S. Marine barracks killing 241 Americans.

Purpose of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).

Command U.S. military operations in the Middle East and parts of South Asia.

What was Operation Desert Shield?

Deployment to Saudi Arabia to deter Iraq after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

What did Operation Desert Storm achieve?

Liberated Kuwait through coalition air-ground campaign.

Why were no-fly zones imposed over Iraq after 1991?

To protect Kurds in the north and Shia in the south from Saddam’s airpower.

What was Operation Desert Fox (1998)?

U.S.-UK bombing of Iraqi WMD sites for noncompliance with UN resolutions.

Explain Dual Containment.

1990s U.S. policy to isolate both Iraq and Iran simultaneously.

What law backed U.S. support for Iraqi opposition groups in 1998?

Iraq Liberation Act.

Why did the U.S. stop short of toppling Saddam in 1991?

Concerns over costs, occupation risks, and Vietnam-like quagmire (Powell Doctrine).

Who articulated the Powell Doctrine?

Colin Powell.

Which doctrine set strict criteria for U.S. military intervention under Reagan?

Weinberger Doctrine.

Identify "The End of History" thesis.

Francis Fukuyama’s claim that liberal democracy’s victory marked history’s ideological endpoint.

What did Charles Krauthammer call the post-Cold-War era?

"The Unipolar Moment" with U.S. as sole superpower.

Who wrote "The Roots of Muslim Rage"?

Bernard Lewis.

What humanitarian mission did George H.W. Bush launch in Somalia (1992)?

Operation Restore Hope.

What battle led to U.S. withdrawal from Somalia in 1994?

The Battle of Mogadishu (18 U.S. deaths).

State the goal of President Clinton’s "enlargement" strategy.

Expand the world’s community of market-based democracies.

Who masterminded the 1993 World Trade Center bombing?

Ramzi Yousef.

What did PDD-39 establish?

U.S. policy to deter, defeat, and respond to terrorism with force and prosecution.

Name Al Qaeda’s founder.

Osama bin Laden.

Who led the Taliban during its 1996-2001 rule?

Mullah Mohammed Omar.

Describe the Taliban’s origin.

Formed from Pashtun students and Mujahideen factions in mid-1990s refugee camps.

Who was bin Laden’s long-time deputy and later leader of Al Qaeda?

Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Which 1998 attacks prompted U.S. strikes on Sudan and Afghanistan?

Bombings of U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.

What ship was attacked by Al Qaeda in 2000?

USS Cole.

What percentage of Afghans are Pashtun?

About 42 percent.

Who was the Tajik commander called "Lion of Panjshir"?

Ahmad Shah Massoud.

Why did Mullah Omar refuse to expel bin Laden?

Ideological affinity, personal loyalty, and strategic ties viewing him as fellow mujahid.

Who was principal planner of the 9/11 attacks?

Khaled Sheikh Mohammed.

Which flight did Mohammed Atta hijack on 9/11?

American Airlines Flight 11 (first to hit WTC).

List the four 9/11 target sites or intended targets.

World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon, U.S. Capitol/White House (Flight 93).

What is the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force?

Early 1980s U.S. force designed for quick Middle-East crisis response.

Define "proven reserves of oil."

Quantified oil recoverable under current economics and technology with high confidence.

What caused Saddam Hussein’s grievances with Kuwait in 1990?

Alleged overproduction lowering oil prices and harming Iraq’s economy.

Who urged Bush not to pursue regime change in 1991?

Brent Scowcroft.

Which British leader pushed Bush to respond firmly to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait?

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

What did the Iran–Iraq Tanker War prompt the U.S. Navy to do?

Escort reflagged Kuwaiti tankers (Operation Earnest Will).

What was Operation Cyclone’s signature weapon delivery beginning 1986?

Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.