The Iraq War 2003-2011
This group, according to the speaker, overwhelmingly supported Iraq’s federal constitution—about 80% of them approved it.
Who are the Iraqi people?
In 1948, many Palestinian Arabs fled to these two regions after the first Arab Israeli war.
What are the Gaza Strip and the West Bank?
This UN resolution in 1999 created a sanctions committee that linked the Taliban and al‑Qaeda as terrorist entities.
What is UN Security Council Resolution 1267?
This extremist group, led by Osama bin Laden, carried out the 9/11 attacks.
What is al‑Qaeda?
In August 1990, this Iraqi leader ordered the invasion of Kuwait, triggering the Persian Gulf War.
Who is Saddam Hussein?
This ethnic group in Iraq is described as the strongest supporters of a federal, decentralized system, having run their own region for nearly 13 years.
Who are the Kurds?
After the 1949 armistice, this country controlled the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
What is Jordan?
Two days before the 9/11 attacks, this Northern Alliance commander—known as the “Lion of the Panjshir”—was assassinated by al‑Qaeda.
Who is Ahmad Shah Massoud?
This U.S. government agency, created in 2002, was established to coordinate national security efforts after 9/11.
What is the Department of Homeland Security?
This U.S.-led military buildup in Saudi Arabia, meant to protect it from Iraqi attack, began right after Kuwait was invaded.
What is Operation Desert Shield?
According to the speech, these two areas along with foreign affairs and border defense are the key “common interests” that should remain under Iraq’s central government.
What are currency and oil/gas revenues?
This territory, captured by Israel in 1967, remains one of the most disputed areas for Palestinians today.
What is the West Bank?
This December 2001 agreement, reached in Germany with UN backing, installed Hamid Karzai as interim leader of Afghanistan.
What is the Bonn Agreement?
This hijacked flight was the only one that did not reach its intended target, crashing in a Pennsylvania field after passengers fought back.
What is United Flight 93?
This 1991 air campaign marked the official start of the war, using advanced technology like stealth aircraft and smart bombs.
What is Operation Desert Storm?
The speaker argues that this group opposes decentralization because they historically ruled Iraq and still see themselves as its natural leaders.
Who are the Sunnis?
This holy city’s eastern half was taken by Israel during the Six-Day War.
What is East Jerusalem?
This 2002 U.S. military operation in the Shah‑i‑Kot Valley was the largest since Tora Bora, involving nearly 3,000 U.S. and Afghan troops.
What is Operation Anaconda?
This 2001 law expanded government surveillance powers in response to terrorism threats.
What is the USA PATRIOT Act?
This four‑day ground offensive in February 1991 quickly liberated Kuwait and forced Iraqi troops to retreat.
What is Operation Desert Sabre?
The speaker says U.S. withdrawals could open the door to alliances with these Sunni factions, once they no longer view the U.S. as their primary enemy.
Who are the Ba’athists, sheikhs, and secular Sunni leaders?
The ongoing conflict centers heavily on the political status and rights of this group living in Israeli‑controlled territories.
Who are Palestinian Arabs?
On May 1, 2011, this event reignited debate over the future of the war as the U.S. achieved its primary objective from 2001.
What is the killing of Osama bin Laden?
This term refers to the long‑term U.S. military and intelligence campaign launched after 9/11 to dismantle terrorist networks worldwide.
What is the Global War on Terror?
After the war, the U.N. required Iraq to eliminate these types of weapons, which became a major point of conflict in the years that followed.
What are weapons of mass destruction?