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Creation of Israel
Israel was established as a homeland for the Jewish people after World War 2. The creation of Israel put Israel in a state of war from the moment it was created. -
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The Middle East
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Suez Canal
Because of the growing relations between Egypt and other communist countries, America and Britain no longer planned to fund the Aswan High Dam. Egyptian President Abdul Nasser then nationalized the Suez Canal, which was controlled by Britain and France. Israel, Britain, and France began planning for an invasion. Soon after, the Soviet Union threatened to use force to ensure peace in the Middle East. Tensions remained high until November 15th, when United Nations forces were brought into Egypt. -
Yom Kippur War (Seven Days War)
Full size image
On the Jewish day of a atonement, Yom Kippur, Egyptian and Syrian military forces launched an attack knowing that the military of Israel would be participating in the religious celebrations. Israel was extremely outnumbered. On October 28th, Israeli and Egyptian military leaders met to implement the cease-fire at the Sinai. -
OPEC Oil Embargo
News Report
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries was dominted by Arab countries. A war erupted between Arab countries and Israel. OPEC announced an embargo of oil to countries that supported Israel. The embargo ended relatively quickly but oil prices rose considerably. This became a partial cause of a recession. -
Camp David Accords
President Carter helped forge peace between Israel and Egypt. The Camp David Accords were signed by the Egyptian President and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin after 13 days of negotiations. They met to discuss an overall peace between the two nations. -
The Iranian Revolution
Revolution footage
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy and its replacement with an Islamic republic. Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahalvi, faced mass demonstrations, strikes and riots against his rule. He was replaced by Ayatollah Khomeini, who set up a government that claimed to be based on Islamic principles. -
Iran Hostage Affair
66 Americans were held hostage for 444 days after a group of Islamists took over the American Embassy in Tehran during the Iranian revolution. Many attempts to negotiate the safe return of the hostages were made, but failed. Afterwards, a rescue mission, Operation Eagle Claw, was attempted, but also failed. On January 20, 1981 the remaining hostages were released. -
Taliban
Taliban is an Islamist militant and political group that once ruled parts of Afghanistan. It was formed during the war against the Soviet Occupation of Aghanistan.It came to power during Afghanistan's civil war. The Taliban is condemned for its treatment of women and support of similar terrorist agencies. -
Iran-Contra Affair
Reagan's address
President Ronald Reagan's administration supplied weapons to Iran (Iran being our enemy) in attempt to secure the release of American hostages. The U.S. used the sales money to provide funding and weapons to the Contra guerillas in Nicaragua. The contras was a Nicaraguan rebel guerrilla force from 1979 to 1990; it opposed a left-wing government, with support from the United States. -
Al Quaeda
A Saudi Arabian man named Osama Bin Laden was born into wealth, which he used to fund an organization called Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda recruited Muslims and channeled money and arms to the Afghan resistance. He later dedicated himself to driving westerners out of the middle east -
The Persian Gulf War / Operation Desert Storm
Sadam Hussien and Iraq had massive war debt. Sadam clamied that oil-rich Kuwait was part of Iraq. Iraq invaded Kuwait, then headed toward Saudi Arabia. If Iraq controlled both of these countries they'd control 1/2 of the oil. In late 1990, over 500,000 us troops were place in Saudi Arabia. Iraq military targets were bombed for weeks. Afterwards, a massive ground attack was launched, and Iraq soliders surrendered. -
9/11
News Report
19 members of Al Quaeda hijacked 4 planes on Tuesday, September 11th, 2001. Two of the planes were intentionally crashed into the Twin towers. Another was crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia. Another target was to be in Washington, D.C., but suspicious passengers attempted to take control of the plane, and it crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. Afterwards, numerous hate crimes on Muslims and South Asians were reported. -
Islamic Fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism is used to describe religious ideologies that advocate a return to the "fundamentals" of Islam. -
War on Terror
Raw war footage
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other NATO as well as non-NATO countries. It was typically used with a particular focus on militant Islamists and al-Qaeda. -
Iraq War
The Iraq War was a conflict that occurred in Iraq from March 20, 2003 to December 15, 2011. Before to the war, the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom claimed that Iraq's alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction was a threat to their security. The invasion of Iraq led to a capture of Saddam Hussein, creation of a democratic government. U.S soliders were withdrawn on Dec 15, 2011
