U.S. National Security & the Muslim World – Key Vocabulary

These vocabulary flashcards cover essential terms, people, doctrines, and events from Lectures 010-040 on U.S. national security, Islam, Iran, Afghanistan, and the evolution of U.S. policy in the Middle East and South Asia.

U.S. National Security Perspective (Brownlee)

Argument that the United States faces no existential threat to its territory or population and is historically secure.

Relative Losses in WWII

Only about 407,000 U.S. military deaths versus ~10 million Soviet deaths; 82 % of German losses were on the Eastern Front.

Five Pillars of Islam

The five fundamental religious duties of Muslims: Shahada, Salat, Zakat, Sawm, and Hajj.

Shahada

Islamic testimony proclaiming: “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger.”

Salat

Obligatory ritual prayers performed five times daily by Muslims.

Zakat

Mandatory almsgiving or charity, one of the Five Pillars.

Sawm

Fasting from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan.

Hajj

Pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims must undertake once in their lifetime if physically and financially able.

Jihad

Literally “struggle” or “striving”; can refer to personal or collective efforts in the path of God.

Mujahid / Mujahideen

Individual (plural) who engages in jihad; often used for Afghan fighters of the 1980s.

Muhammad

Prophet of Islam, born 570 CE; began receiving Qur’anic revelations in 610 CE.

Umma

Worldwide Muslim community transcending tribal or ethnic divisions.

Caliphate

System of rule by Muhammad’s successors, known as caliphs.

Righteous Caliphs (632-661 CE)

First four successors: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali.

Sunni Islam

Majority branch (~90 %) that followed Muawiya and later dynasties after Ali’s death.

Shia Islam

Minority branch supporting Ali’s line, beginning with his son Hussein; dominant in Iran and Iraq.

Monroe Doctrine (1823)

U.S. policy opposing European colonization in the Western Hemisphere.

Open Door Policy (1899)

U.S. proposal for equal trading rights in China.

Truman Doctrine (1947)

U.S. pledge to aid democracies threatened by authoritarian forces during the Cold War.

NSC-68 (1950)

Top-secret report advocating containment of the USSR and expansion of U.S. military power.

Containment

Cold-War strategy to block Soviet expansion and influence.

Nixon Doctrine

Policy expecting allies to provide most ground forces while the U.S. supplied aid and nuclear protection.

Twin-Pillars Strategy

1970s U.S. reliance on Iran and Saudi Arabia to secure the Persian Gulf.

Reza Shah Pahlavi

Iran’s king (1925-1941) who renamed Persia to Iran.

Mohammed Reza Shah

Last Shah of Iran, restored by the 1953 coup; ruled until 1979.

Mohammed Mossadegh

Popular Iranian premier overthrown in the 1953 U.S.–UK-backed coup.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

Cleric who led the 1979 Iranian Revolution and founded the Islamic Republic.

Iranian Revolution (1979)

Overthrow of the Pahlavi monarchy and establishment of an Islamic republic.

Operation Ajax (1953)

CIA-MI6 coup that removed Mossadegh and re-installed the Shah.

Nationalization of Iranian Oil

Movement to place Iran’s oil industry under state control, provoking British and U.S. opposition.

British Withdrawal from the Gulf (1971)

UK decision to remove military forces east of Suez, altering regional security.

Carter Doctrine (1980)

U.S. pledge to use force to defend Persian Gulf interests against outside powers.

Operation Eagle Claw (1980)

Failed U.S. mission to rescue hostages in Tehran.

Arc of Crisis

Brzezinski term for instability from the Horn of Africa to South Asia.

Access, Basing, and Overflight (ABO) Rights

Permissions granting U.S. forces entry, facilities use, and airspace transit in foreign states.

Operation Cyclone

CIA program (1979-1989) arming Afghan mujahideen against Soviet forces.

Mujahideen (Afghanistan)

Islamic guerrillas who fought the Soviet Union; later fragmented into warring factions.

People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA)

Communist party that seized power in the 1978 Saur Revolution.

Saur Revolution (1978)

PDPA coup that installed a pro-Soviet government in Afghanistan.

Stinger Missile

Portable, shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile supplied to Afghan fighters.

Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)

Prolonged conflict that devastated both countries; Iraq received covert U.S. support.

Tanker War

Phase of Iran-Iraq War marked by attacks on Persian Gulf shipping.

Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990)

Multifaction conflict; included 1983 bombing of U.S. Marine barracks.

Marine Barracks Bombing (1983)

Suicide attack in Beirut killing 241 U.S. servicemen; hastened U.S. withdrawal.

Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF)

Early U.S. force designed for swift Middle East interventions; precursor to CENTCOM.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)

Unified command overseeing U.S. military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia.

Operation Desert Shield (1990)

Deployment to defend Saudi Arabia after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.

Operation Desert Storm (1991)

Coalition offensive that expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

No-Fly Zones (Iraq)

Post-1991 airspace restrictions protecting Kurdish and Shia regions from Iraqi aircraft.

Operation Desert Fox (1998)

Four-day U.S.–UK bombing of Iraq for non-cooperation with UN inspectors.

Dual Containment

1990s U.S. strategy to limit both Iraqi and Iranian power in the Gulf.

Iraq Liberation Act (1998)

U.S. law endorsing efforts to remove Saddam Hussein and promote democracy in Iraq.

Powell Doctrine

Guidelines requiring clear goals and public support before committing U.S. troops.

Taliban

Islamist movement that ruled Afghanistan 1996-2001 and again from 2021.

Pashtun

Largest Afghan ethnic group; Pashto-speaking Sunni Muslims mainly in south and east.

Tajik

Persian-speaking Sunni Muslims of northern Afghanistan.

Hazara

Shia, Dari-speaking ethnic group of Mongol descent in Afghanistan’s central highlands.

Uzbek (Afghanistan)

Turkic-speaking Sunni community in northern plains of Afghanistan.

Mullah Mohammed Omar

Founding leader (Emir) of the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Osama bin Laden

Al-Qaeda founder who planned the 9/11 attacks from Afghanistan.

Planes Operation (9/11)

Al-Qaeda plot hijacking four airliners on Sept 11 2001, killing 2,977 victims.

American Airlines Flight 11

First hijacked plane; crashed into WTC North Tower at 8:46 a.m.

United Airlines Flight 175

Second hijacked plane; struck WTC South Tower at 9:03 a.m.

American Airlines Flight 77

Hijacked plane that hit the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m.

United Airlines Flight 93

Hijacked plane that crashed in Pennsylvania after passenger revolt at 10:02 a.m.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM)

Al-Qaeda operative and principal architect of the 9/11 attacks.

Ramzi Yousef

Terrorist convicted for the 1993 WTC bombing; KSM’s nephew.

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar

Pashtun mujahideen leader notorious for shelling Kabul in the civil war.

Ahmad Shah Massoud

Tajik mujahideen commander, “Lion of Panjshir,” assassinated in 2001.