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Independence and monarchy of Afghanistan
In 1919 there was a war with Britain over Afghanistan independence. Finally in 1926 they established a monarchy. -
Suez war
Britain, Israel, and France wanted control of the Suez Canal. Egypt was in control of it at the time and so Israel launched an attack on the country. However, Egypt was strong and held their ground proving that they were a powerhouse in the cold war. -
Six Day War
Nasser blocked the Gulf of Aqaba. This prevented Israel from shipping. Israel was not too happy with this and they launched an attack on Egypt and other Arab nations. Israel ended up winning and they gained Sinai Peninsula, West Bank, and the Golan Heights. Israel nearly tripled in size. -
Yom Kippur War
Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on the Jewish holiday. Israel was not ready for this so they were on the defensive until they can mobilize. The war ended with a small change in Israeli territory. -
Camp David Accords
President Jimmy Carter hosted a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. Israel withdrew troops from Sinai Peninsula and Egypt recognized Israel as a country. -
Saddam Hussein
Saddam was the leader of the Ba'athist party. They were Arad nationalist and secular. He became leader of Iraq in 1979. He started the Iran/Iraq war and was accused of human rights violations. -
Iranian Hostage Crisis
Iran held 52 U.S. hostages for 444 days. Iran did not like Jimmy Carter so they refused to give the hostages back until someone else was in office. So, shortly after Reagan takes the office the hostages are released. The hostages were blindfolded and paraded down streets. They were yelled and and humiliated -
Iran/Iraq War
The Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, started the conflict with Iran. The war was difficult. It was long, there were more sophisticated weapons, and there was a new style of warfare. After years of fighting the war ended in a stalemate. -
Persian Gulf War
Iraq wanted to capture oil assets, achieve a higher stature among the neighboring leaders, and they wanted to take land that Iraq thought was theirs. Iraq invaded Kuwait and that’s when the US got involved. There were many operations that put troops in Saudi Arabia and drove Iraq out of Kuwait. -
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Taliban
The Taliban is a Sunni fundamentalist group. They practice Muslim traditions and allow al-Qaeda to freely operate -
ISIS
This terrorist group stems from al-Qaeda in Iraq. They have territory in Syria and Iraq. They do terrorist acts all around the world. They have a caliphate system. -
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Putin
Putin has served many terms as the president of Russia. He was a former member of the KGB and rose to power after Boris Yeltsin. He has increased control of the media, used oligarchies to benefit Russias economy. He also has some very aggressive foreign policies. -
Uyghurs
The Uyghurs are a minority in China. They mostly live in a crucial mineral part of China. China is afraid that they are going to revolt and start their own country. In response to this fear, China has created detention centers and boarding schools for kids to be brainwashed into liking China. They have relocated many of the Han Chinese to this region as well. China has increased their surveillance of this area and forced sterilizations. This conflict is still happening today. -
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping is the current president of China and has been for 12 years. He was removed term limits so he can stay in power longer. He is tackling corruption and has punished over 1.3 million party members. He was control over the internet, companies, and has assertive foreign policies. -
Belt and Road Initiative
This is a $1 trillion infrastructure investment along old land and sea trade routes. China wants to rebuild the Silk Road and connect them to the rest of the world. They are going to construct ports, roads, and railways. China wasn't to boost their economy and create interdependence. -
Russia invades Ukraine
Putin gathered his army and invaded Ukraine. Russia did this to demilitarize Ukraine, denazify leadership, prevent NATO expansion, ensure Ukraine remains neutral, and to topple the Ukrainian government and leaders. This war is still going on and many countries are giving aid to Ukraine. -
Taiwan
Taiwan became independent in 1949 as the Chiang Kai Shek and Nationalist party. They still calm independence to this day. China however feels as if Taiwan is a part of China, and they are just allowing Taiwan to operate. This has led to some recent riots and disputes. -
Modern Israel
Since 2013 there have been a terrorist attack in East Jerusalem which killed 7 Israelis. Israel raided a refugee camp killing 9 Palestinians. And there is constant fighting. The Gaza Strip's population has been displaced due to conflict. Israel and Palestine are currently working on a peace agreement.