Tensions Rise Again The Cold War Ends A

Tensions Rise Again, The Cold War Ends, A New Role in the World, September 11, Struggle Against Terrorism, War in Iraq, • What led to the collapse of the SU? • What did the US do to try to bring peace to the Middle East? • Why did the US enter the Persian Gulf? • What efforts have Americans made to combat terrorism?

**President Nixon made great efforts towards peace with China and the SU. Nixon met with SU leaders and signed an arms control agreement, which limited the number of nuclear weapons each side could have. Nixon also agreed to the have US and SU work together in space exploration.

**When Jimmy Carter was elected his goal was to bring peace between Egypt and Israel. The two countries met and worked out a peace treaty. Carter also hoped to lower tensions in the Cold War. Those hopes were crushed when the SU invaded Afghanistan. Carter spoke out against the attempt to expand the SU. The US refused to send athletes to the 1980 Olympic Games.

In the 1980 s, there was no end in sight for the Cold War. President Reagan believed that US needed to strengthen its military. The US and the SU both started spending more money on weapons. However, the SU economy was not as strong as the US. The high cost of weapons weakened the SU.

In 1985, a new leader named Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the SU. He began allowing more political and economic freedom. The US and SU signed a new arms control agreement and began destroying nuclear weapons. The arms race was over.

Eastern European nations continued to gain more freedoms and began working on overthrowing the communist governments. The Berlin Wall was destroyed and the SU was broken up into 15 independent nations. The Cold War was now over.

The US was now the world’s only superpower. In 1990 Iraq invaded its neighbor Kuwait. Iraq wanted to take control of Kuwait’s rich oil fields. The US demanded that Iraq leave Kuwait, but they refused. American troops were sent to the Middle East. This was known as the Persian Gulf War. The fighting lasted six weeks and Iraq was driven out of Kuwait.

On September 11, 2001 terrorists carried out a massive attack against the US. Terrorists hijacked airplanes and crashed two planes into the World Trade Center in New York and one into the pentagon in Washington DC.

All over the country millions of people lined up to donate blood, food, clothing, and money. Firefighters from all over the country went to New York to help. By standing together the US made it clear that they were determined and strong.

The US demanded that al Qaeda leaders be handed over to the US, but they refused. US forces began attacking Taliban troops and al Qaeda based in Afghanistan. The US began helping Afghanistan establish a new democratic government.

The US also sent troops to Iraq to take down its leader Saddam Hussein. Iraq was thought to have weapons of mass destruction. Iraq was quickly defeated and Hussein was removed as the leader.