Review of US Foreign Policy and Islamic Fundamentalism

Flashcards reviewing US Foreign Policy and Islamic Fundamentalism

What action by Kuwait angered Iraq before the invasion?

The drilling of diagonally under the border into Iraqi oil wells and pumping out Iraqi oil and then selling it as Kuwaiti oil by Kuwait.

Which country had the United States been supporting in its war against Iran?

The United States had been supporting Iraq in its war against Iran.

Describe Kuwait, prior to the invasion.

A very small country and very, very rich country.

What false claims did the Kuwaitis make to the United States congressmen?

Kuwaitis lied to American congressmen, claiming that Iraqi soldiers were breaking into Kuwaiti hospitals and murdering babies to gain support for intervention.

The Kuwaiti girl's parent who testified

The daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador to The United States.

Why did The United States send in the marines and soldiers to Saudi Arabia?

To protect Saudi Arabian oil fields from a potential Iraqi invasion.

What were the goals of Operation Desert Shield?

To protect Saudi oil and security of The United States.

Unilaterally

Need to have more than one country working.

What is Mecca?

The holiest site in Islam, the birthplace of Muhammad, and the site of an annual pilgrimage.

What permissions did The United States receive that ok'd their presence?

Permission from the king of Saudi Arabia and support from other Muslim and Arabic countries.

What reasons did The United States give for liberating Kuwait?

Liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation and uphold truth, justice, and self determination.

What was the purpose of the gear that American soldiers used in the desert?

Protective gear for poison gas, uncomfortable and hot.

What was Desert Storm?

The liberation of Kuwait in January 1991.

What were some ways the US military avoided the mistakes of Vietnam?

Support the troops, avoid the mistakes of Vietnam, and ensure overwhelming military force.

What was the size of the Iraqi army?

The fourth largest army in the world but ultimately underestimated by The United States.

What destruction happened during the invasion of Kuwait?

The Iraqi army setting Kuwait oil derricks on fire, creating a haze and raining oil.

How long did the ground war of Desert Storm last?

A hundred hours.

How did The United States reshape its role after Vietnam?

Taking a more active role in policing the rest of the world and trying to do the right thing.

What was happening in Somalia that led to US intervention?

Warlords were taking food and medicine and hoarding it as a way of gathering power and control around the South.

What action did the US take in Bosnia?

The United States led the United Nations in to prevent genocide.

What policies did The United States maintain after the Cold War that caused tension?

Continued to enlarge NATO, kept military bases in Saudi Arabia, and did not engage in regime change in Iraq.

What presence was unacceptable to Islamic fundamentalists in Saudi Arabia?

The presence of nonbelievers on the Peninsula of Arabia.

What is Al Qaeda?

A new organization that began targeting American presence overseas long before nine eleven.

How did Muslim fundamentalists view the United States?

The US is a force for suppression of Islam and needs to be out of the Saudi Peninsula.

Why did Iran refer to The United States as the Great Satan?

A force for evil because of our global military presence and the way in which The United States has treated Iran and other Islamic nations.

What was 9/11?

Attacks on The United States in February, where you had two airplanes being used as bombs on the Twin Towers, but also an attack on the Pentagon. And, also, we don't know.

Who was suspected for the 9/11 attack?

Osama Bin Laden was behind the attack.

Why did President Bush state the 9/11 attacks happened?

The reason why this happens is they hate us for our freedoms.

What excuse did President Bush claim in order to engage the Unites Stated in another war?

Enlarge the powers of the president to get The United States engaged in another war.

What action did the United States use as justification to invade Afghanistan?

We're going after Osama Bin Laden.

What does Colin Powell's quote, 'Pottery Barn' mean?

If we're gonna break something, we have a responsibility to fix it.

What excuse did the United States use to invade Iraq?

Saddam Hussein is supported by dude, we got less than ten minutes, so hold your water, please, is in cahoots with Al Qaeda and that Saddam Hussein is trying to develop weapons of mass destruction, poisons gas, trying to to build a nuclear bomb.

What key takeaways should we learn from Islamic fundamentalism?

That Islamic fundamentalism became the boogeyman that communism used to be and that The United States tried to shape the world in our own image.