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America is attacked.
Terrorists hijack aircrafts and crash them into the World Trade Centers and The Pentagon. Another hijacked aircraft goes down in a field in Pennsylvania, apparently the result of passengers trying to regain control of the plane. These events were the most deadly terrorist attack ever on American soil, and put America on a course that will forever change how we do busniess at home and abroad. -
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The War on Terror
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Operation Enduring Freedom begins.
In response to the attacks on 9/11, America and her allies begin military operations in Afghanistan against the Taliban and al Qaeda with the mission of capturing or killing Osama bin Laden and destroying military training camps. War is good for many businesses, and America feels the effects of a war time economy. http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2005/RAND_MG231.pdf http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/28/world/operation-enduring-freedom-fast-facts/ -
The Patriot Act becomes law.
Using the 9/11 attacks as justification, congress passes the Patriot Act. This bill is used by the FBI and other organizations to perform surveillance on American citizens suspected of being involved in terrorist activity. This bill has been extremely controversal since its inception and many claim it was rushed pass the Senate without representatives even reading it. Law enforcement and spying policy hasn't been the same since. https://www.congress.gov/bill/107th-congress/house-bill/3162 -
CIA begins conducting drone strikes over sovereign nations
On November 26, 2002 the CIA began using drones to attack targets outside of Afghanistan. The first strike was against terrorists in Yemen and killed 6. Over the years, these strikes have been one of the top foreign policy issues for the US, and our foreign relations have suffered. https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/category/projects/drones/drones-graphs/ -
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Insisting that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, President Bush authorized the invasion of Iraq. Millions of people world wide gathered in protest. The Iraq War would last almost ten years and cost the US trillions of dollars and thousands of American lives. The war leads to trillions of dollars of debt. http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/30/world/meast/operation-iraqi-freedom-and-operation-new-dawn-fast-facts/ -
Saddam hangs.
On Dec 13, 2003 Saddam was captured by US Army forces. He was tried and hanged by a jury of Iraqi officials at Camp Justice, a base in Baghdad. A symbolic end to the war that was started for false reasons, and has done more harm than good for American relations. http://www.biography.com/people/saddam-hussein-9347918#saddams-fall -
President Obama stops using "GWOT"
While the US was heavily engaged in two wars that were started with the justification of fighting "terror anywhere it is found", President Obama stops using the term Global War on Terror in favor of "overseas contingency operations". Public relations plays a huge roll in organizations, our government isn't exempted. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/25/obama-war-terror-overseas-contingency-operations -
Operation Neptune Spear
SEALs with the Navy's DEVGRU storm a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and bring to an end a decade long manhunt for Osama bin Laden. America publically sent military forces into a sovereign country to conduct operations. This move sends a message to the world about how we're willing to conduct affairs worldwide. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-13257330 -
OIF ends.
US troops pull out of Iraq and hand control over to the Government of Iraq. Costing the US lives, money, foreign respect, and progress, this war has changed how we organize and conduct busniess. http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/30/world/meast/operation-iraqi-freedom-and-operation-new-dawn-fast-facts/ -
ISIL
Taking advantage of civil unrest and a power vaccum in Iraq after the war, ISIL was able to cross the boarder from Syria and establish a major foothold in the region. This has led to a situation arguably worse than the Saddam regime. America is currently trying to figure out how involved we want to be in this situation, however, it stands to greatly impact how we move into the future as a world power. -
OEF ends.
13 years after it began, OEF ends. For all that the US poured into this war, virtually nothing in Afghanistan has changed. America is a very different country than she was in 01, and this war and the reason for which it began had a lot to do with that change. In some ways we are better off, in others...maybe not. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja5Q75hf6QI http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/28/world/operation-enduring-freedom-fast-facts/
