2000s Vocab

Nuclear Proliferation

the spread of nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons technology, or fissile material (any material that can undergo the fission reaction)  to countries that do not already possess them. (also used to refer to the possible acquisition of nuclear weapons by terrorist organizations or other armed groups)

Bush v Gore

the Supreme Court of the United States reversed an order by the Florida Supreme Court for a selective manual recount of that state’s U.S. presidential election ballots. this ensured Bush’s victory 

Strategic Defense

cut the proposed costs of the SDI system from $53 billion to $41 billion over a decade and cut the missile protection system

Al-Qaeda

broad-based militant Islamist organization founded by Osama bin Laden in the late 1980s and became one of the world’s most notorious terrorist organizations after carrying out the attacks of September 11, 2001. Hated the West for not pure lifestyles

state sponsored terrorism

when a government harbors terrorists within its borders or otherwise sponsors terrorism outside of its home country

Axis of Evil

referred to Iran, Iraq, and North Korea by Bush in 2002

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009)

measures to stimulate the U.S. economy during the Great Recession (2008 market crash). These measures included tax cuts, loan guarantees, and government spending, focusing on financial assistance to families, infrastructure, education, healthcare, renewable energy, and small businesses

Bush Doctrine

the idea by Bush that America can treat all countries that support terrorists against the U.S. as enemies

Patriot Act

removed the "wall" that prevented law-enforcement and foreign counterintelligence investigators from sharing information. It allows Internet service providers to disclose customer records voluntarily to the government in emergencies involving an immediate risk of death or serious physical injury and permits victims of hacking crimes to request law enforcement assistance in monitoring trespassers on their computers.

Taliban

an Afghan militant movement with an ideology comprising elements of Pashtun nationalism and the Deobandi current of Islamic fundamentalism. committed a multitude of violent war crimes

Tea Party

conservative social and political movement that emerged in 2009 in the United States, generally opposing excessive taxation and government intervention in the private sector while supporting stronger immigration controls

Abu Ghraib

members of the United States Army and the Central Intelligence Agency committed a series of human rights violations and war crimes against detainees in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq

Saddam Hussein

an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 to 2003

Osama Bin Laden

a Saudi Arabian-born Islamic dissident and militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda from 1988 until his death in 2011

Department of Homeland Security

the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security founded following the 9/11 attacks

ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and ah-Sham)

a Salafi-jihadist group that has conducted and inspired terrorist attacks worldwide, resulting in thousands killed or injured with cells in Afghanistan, West Africa, the Sahara, Somalia, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

No Child Left Behind

requires states to establish student academic standards as well as an assessment system to ensure that all students are meeting the academic standards

Election of 2008

Barack Obama vs John McCain, Obama won and became the first African American man to become president

Election of 2012

Obama defeated Mitt Romney, winning a majority of both the Electoral College and the popular vote

Ukraine Incident

In 2014, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych fled and Russia took control of the Ukrainian region of Crimea, a conflict which still continues to this day, ten years later.

Ferguson, MO

the Ferguson unrest was a series of protests and riots which began in Ferguson, Missouri on August 10, 2014, the day after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by FPD officer Darren Wilson

Black Lives Matter

a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people and to promote anti-racism

Benghazi, Libya

The 2012 Benghazi attack was a coordinated attack against two United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, by members of the Islamic militant group Ansar al-Sharia

Terrorism in Paris

a series of coordinated ISIS attacks took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. (2 suicide bombers, multiple mass shootings) 130 people dies and 416 people were injured

Affordable Care Act (Obama Care)

increases health insurance coverage for the uninsured and implements reforms to the health insurance market

Hillary Clinton

an American politician and diplomat who served as the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a U.S. senator representing New York from 2001 to 2009, and as the first lady of the U.S. to president Bill Clinton from 1993 to 2001, and ran for president (D) in 2016 against Donald Trump 

Hurricane Katrina

a devastating and deadly Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $186.3 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area

Recession of 2008

a sharp decline in economic activity starting in 2007 beginning when the housing market crashed. it went global and lasted officially until June 2009 

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

the official United States policy on military service of non-heterosexual people. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while barring openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual persons from military service. This policy ended in 2011.

INF Treaty and Trump

Less than one year after President Donald Trump informally announced that the United States would withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty