Al Qaeda vs. the United States: Bad News, Worse News Declaring that "the buck stops with me," President Obama announced a set of new directives in response to the foiled bombing of Northwest Flight 253 by the now-infamous "underpants bomber." The list of presidential orders is mostly unexceptionable, and may even make a repeat performance less likely. Of course, if al Qaeda is even remotely strategic, trying an exact repeat of this attempt would be silly. Instead, they'll study the new procedures, look for holes in them, and try some new variation. The good news is that air travel will still be incredibly safe, and no sensible person should alter their normal travel plans because they are worried about the "terrorist threat." What's missing from Obama's list of new initiatives is any sense that U.S. foreign policy might need some rethinking too. One more thing. Al-Balawi 'started to change,' says his wife, after the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. By itself, that mere fact does not mean that U.S. foreign policy is wrong.
Timeline of United States military operations This is a timeline of United States government military operations. The list through 1975 is based on Committee on International Relations (now known as the Committee on Foreign Affairs). Dates show the years in which U.S. government military units participated. The bolded items are the U.S. government wars most often considered to be major conflicts by historians and the general public. Note that instances where the U.S. government gave aid alone, with no military personnel involvement, are excluded, as are Central Intelligence Agency operations. Extraterritorial and major domestic deployments[edit] Portions of this list are from the Congressional Research Service report RL30172.[1] 1775–1799[edit] 1775–83 – American Revolutionary War: an armed struggle for secession from the British Empire by the Thirteen Colonies that would subsequently become the United States. 1785–95 – Northwest Indian War: a series of battles with various native tribes in present-day Ohio. 1800–1809[edit]
9/11: Why Did Al Qaeda Attack the United States? « Rich McSheehy's Weblog I would guess that most of us can recall exactly where we were and what we were doing when we first heard about the horrific attacks on the Twin Towers and the subsequent attack on the Pentagon. There aren’t many moments in your life, no matter how long you live, that you will recall as vividly as the moment you learned about it. The assassination of John F. Kennedy was also like that for me. I don’t think anyone really feels that they have heard a satisfactory explanation of why Lee Harvey Oswald killed him. That was over forty years ago, and there are still many people who don’t believe the results of the official U.S. government investigation. The U.S. government’s 9/11 Commission Report has also failed to gain unanimous support. The World Trade Center could be described as the financial capital of the multinational businesses of the United States. Toward the end of World War II the Nazis in Germany also planned to develop a suicide bomber squadron called the Leonidas Squadron.
2003 invasion of Iraq Four countries participated with troops during the initial invasion phase, which lasted from 19 March to 9 April 2003. These were the United States (148,000), United Kingdom (45,000), Australia (2,000), and Poland (194). 36 other countries were involved in its aftermath. In preparation for the invasion, 100,000 U.S. troops were assembled in Kuwait by 18 February.[20] The coalition forces also received support from Kurdish irregulars in Iraqi Kurdistan. According to U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the coalition mission was "to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people The invasion was preceded by an air strike on the Presidential Palace in Baghdad on 19 March 2003. The main body of coalition forces continued their drive into the heart of Iraq and met with little resistance. Prelude to the invasion[edit] A UN weapons inspector in Iraq, 2002. Preparations for war[edit]
rporal Doug Grant: NZ Soldier Killed In Afghanistan Last updated 19:24 22/08/2011 The Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force today revealed the identity and the circumstances surrounding the death of SAS soldier Corporal Doug Grant. Another New Zealand SAS soldier is reportedly on the way to Afghanistan to replace Corporal Doug Grant. Grant was killed in the country's capital, Kabul, helping save the lives of three British civilians and two Gurkha security guards. The 41-year-old SAS soldier from Linton known as "Dougie" died on Friday in a helicopter on the way to a military hospital after an attack by the Taleban at the British Council diplomatic offices. He leaves behind his wife Tina, their seven-year-old daughter and their five-year-old son. TVNZ reported that another SAS soldier had been sent to take Grant's place. The Defence Force today described the events leading up to his death. "Therefore most of the city, counter-terrorists as well as police and wider military were on standby for some action to occur. - © Fairfax NZ News Comments
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953)[29][a][31] was a war between the Republic of Korea (South Korea), supported by the United Nations, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), at one time supported by China and the Soviet Union. It was primarily the result of the political division of Korea by an agreement of the victorious Allies at the conclusion of the Pacific War at the end of World War II. The Korean Peninsula was ruled by the Empire of Japan from 1910 until the end of World War II. Following the surrender of the Empire of Japan in September 1945, American administrators divided the peninsula along the 38th parallel, with U.S. military forces occupying the southern half and Soviet military forces occupying the northern half.[32] The failure to hold free elections throughout the Korean Peninsula in 1948 deepened the division between the two sides; the North established a communist government, while the South established a right-wing government. Names
Fast facts about NATO - World In April 2009, NATO marked its 60th anniversary as 28 world leaders converged in France. ((iStock)) The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed shortly after the end of the Second World War to counter the threat of Soviet invasion of Western Europe. The treaty setting up the alliance was signed in 1949 by 10 Western European nations as well as Canada and the United States. Membership (year of entry in brackets): Albania (2009) Belgium (1949) Bulgaria (2004) Canada (1949) Croatia (2009) Czech Republic (1999) Denmark (1949) Estonia (2004) France (1949) (West) Germany (1955) Greece (1952) Hungary (1999) Iceland (1949) Italy (1949) Latvia (2004) Lithuania (2004) Luxembourg (1949) Netherlands (1949) Norway (1949) Poland (1999) Portugal (1949) Romania (2004) Slovakia (2004) Slovenia (2004) Spain (1982) Turkey (1952) United Kingdom (1949) United States (1949) With the end of the Cold War, NATO was forced to change to suit the times. Structure 1952-1953 Lt. NATO Milestones:
Vietnam War (1954-75) -- Encyclopedia Britannica Vietnam War, (1954–75), a protracted conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, known as the Viet Cong, against the government of South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. Called the “American War” in Vietnam (or, in full, the “War Against the Americans to Save the Nation”), the war was also part of a larger regional conflict (see Indochina wars) and a manifestation of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies. At the heart of the conflict was the desire of North Vietnam, which had defeated the French colonial administration of Vietnam in 1954, to unify the entire country under a single communist regime modeled after those of the Soviet Union and China. The human costs of the long conflict were harsh for all involved. Ed. Accepting the de facto partition of Vietnam as unavoidable but still pledging to halt the spread of communism in Asia, U.S.
Timeline: Nato A chronology of key events: 1949 April - Twelve states - Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the United States - sign the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington DC. 1950 - US General Dwight Eisenhower appointed supreme Nato commander. 1952 - Greece and Turkey join the alliance. 1955 - West Germany joins Nato; the Soviet Union and eight Eastern European states respond by forming the Warsaw Pact. 1966 - French President Charles de Gaulle announces France's intention to withdraw from Nato's military structure in protest at the dominance of US commanders. 1967 - Nato's new headquarters opened in Brussels. 1982 - Spain joins Nato. 1990 - Nato and Warsaw Pact states sign the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe treaty (CFE) and publish a joint declaration on non-aggression. 1992 - Nato announces its readiness to support peacekeeping activities in the former Yugoslavia. Bosnia operation Expansion Afghan role Bosnia handover
Civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same state or republic,[1] or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly united state.[2] The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.[1] The term is a calque of the Latin bellum civile which was used to refer to the various civil wars of the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC. Civil wars since the end of World War II have lasted on average just over four years, a dramatic rise from the one-and-a-half year average of the 1900-1944 period. While the rate of emergence of new civil wars has been relatively steady since the mid-19th century, the increasing length of those wars resulted in increasing numbers of wars ongoing at any one time. Formal classification (4) (a) That the insurgents have an organization purporting to have the characteristics of a State. Causes of civil war in the Collier–Hoeffler Model Grievance
Topic: NATO’s relations with partners across the globe The contributions from global partners and other countries to NATO-led operations have a direct, advantageous impact for international peace and security. In the Balkans, Argentinean and Chilean forces have worked alongside NATO Allies to ensure security in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In Kosovo, Argentina has helped NATO personnel provide medical and social assistance to the local population and cooperated on peace agreement implementation since 1999. In Afghanistan, a number of global partners such as Australia, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand, work alongside the Allies as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Other countries, such as Japan, support ISAF efforts of stabilisation in Afghanistan without being involved in combat, by funding a large number of development projects and dispatching liaison officers. Typically, partner military forces are incorporated into operations on the same basis as are forces from NATO member countries.