Transcript 10th American History Unit III- U.S. Foreign Policy World

10th American History
Unit VI – Looking Toward the Future
Chapter 23 – Into the Twenty-First Century
Section 1 – The Clinton Years
The Clinton Years
The Main Idea
Bill Clinton was a new type of Democrat, and his administration
faced challenges for a new millennium—and scandals as old as
politics.
Reading Focus
• What were the key events in the political rise of Bill Clinton?
• What were some of the major domestic policy questions facing
Clinton?
• What were some major foreign-policy challenges facing Clinton?
• What events led to scandal and impeachment proceedings during
the Clinton presidency?
Key Events in the Political Rise of
Bill Clinton
 Attorney general of Arkansas at 30 years of age
 Nation’s youngest governor at 32 years of age (Arkansas)
 Chaired the National Governors Association in the late
1980s
 Focused on improving education and reforming the welfare
system
 Chaired the Democratic Leadership Council—an
organization of centrists
 Sought the Democratic nomination for the presidency in
1992
 Pushed for middle-class tax cuts and a national health-care
system
 Relied on his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, a top lawyer
The 1992 Election
Clinton’s running mate was Senator Al Gore of
Tennessee.
Three way race between Clinton, Republican President
George H.W. Bush, and an independent candidate, H.
Ross Perot.
Clinton presented himself as the protector of the middle
class.
Clinton won 370 electoral votes to Bush’s 168, although
Clinton won less than 50 percent of the popular vote.
Perot won 19 percent of the popular vote.
Election of 1992
 Election of 1992
 Candidates:
 Republican- George W.
Bush
 Democrat- William Clinton
 Reform Party- Ross Perot
 Issues - primarily around
economic issues and the end
of the Cold War.
 Campaign The third party candidacy of
Ross Perot was a true wild
card in the campaign. Perot, a
self made billionaire, ran a
one-issue campaign - deficit
reduction.
 Clinton’s image of youth
convinced many to vote for
him.
 Outcome- Clinton wins close
race 43%to 38% and 370
electoral to 168.
President William J. Clinton
 42nd President- 1993 - 2001
Democrat
 Who was he?
 Domestic Affairs
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Health Care reform failed
Welfare reform and crime prevention
Brady Bill- waiting period for hand guns.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy toward gays in
the military.
Balanced the budget
Appointed women to highest government
positions- Albright- Secretary of State,
Reno - Attorney General (Waco, Texas
stormed by ATF)
World Trade Center Bombed
“Whitewater real estate controversy”failed business dealings in Arkansas
2nd President to be impeached. Found not
guilty on two articles of impeachment
What did Clinton inherit?
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Changes in the international position of the United
States have complicated the making of its foreign
policy
 The Bush administration left Clinton a series
of unresolved and difficult foreign policy
challenges.
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A last-minute deployment to the chaos in
Somalia,
An escalating war in Bosnia,
An unrepentant Saddam Hussein still firmly
controlling Iraq.
A NATO alliance on the verge of
obsolescence.
A NAFTA treaty with little hope of being
implemented.
Domestic-policy Questions Facing
Clinton
 What to do about the budget deficit
 Campaigned on promise to reduce taxes for the middle class
 Citing budget deficits, Clinton raised taxes.
 Critics complained that the tax increase would hurt the
economy but this did not happen.
 What to do about health care
 Health care costs were rising and tens of millions of Americans
had little or no health insurance.
 Hillary Clinton headed a special task force which proposed a
government-sponsored program of health care.
 The plan was defeated after months of debate.
Domestic Policy Issues
The 1994 Election
 Clinton failed to deliver on his
campaign promises, such as
tax cuts and a health care plan.
 Discontent helped contribute to
a major Republican victory in
the mid-term elections.
 Republicans campaigned with a
document called the Contract
with America.
What to do about
welfare?
The Contract with America
called for changes to the
welfare system.
Clinton proposed his own
welfare-reform plan.
 The Contract had a plan to
balance the budget, fight
crime, and provide tax cuts.
It limited the amount of
time people could receive
benefits.
 Republicans gained 54 seats in
the House and 8 seats in the
Senate—this gave them control
of both houses.
It required most recipients
to find work within two
years of getting benefits.
Congress approved this
plan.
Other Domestic Challenges
 The internet emerged as a major means of
communication and commerce.
Internet
 People were concerned about inappropriate material
on the Internet.
 The White House tried to pass a law to limit
sexually explicit material, but the Supreme Court
ruled that it violated the right to freedom of speech.
Terrorism
Reelection
 Terrorists exploded a bomb in Oklahoma City that
killed 168 people.
 Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were convicted
of the crime.
 In 1996 Clinton defeated Bob Dole of Kansas.
President William J. Clinton
 Foreign Affairs
 NAFTA- North American Free Trade
Agreement
 GATT- Global Agreement on Tariffs
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and Trade
Ethnic cleansing in Bosnia
Peace in Ireland and Middle East
Pulls troops out of Somalia
Signs START I
Grants diplomatic recognition with
Vietnam.
Israeli-Palestinian Declaration of
Principles- Arafat and Rabin
1996-1997- Illegal Immigration
Reform and Immigrant
Responsibility Act- restricts the
availability of suspension of
deportation. Tougher for illegal aliens
to get to stay due to hardship. Must be
in US for 10 years 1st.
What were some major foreignpolicy challenges facing Clinton?
 The Oslo Accords—peace agreement between Israel and
the Palestinians
 Somalia—American forces, who were there to help
distribute food to Somalis affected by the civil war, were
killed.
 Haiti—American forces led a UN effort to remove a
military dictator who had taken over the government.
 Yugoslavia—Clinton helped bring about the Dayton
Accords to stop fighting in the new country of Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
 NAFTA—Clinton fought for and won passage of the North
American Free Trade Agreement.
Foreign Policy Challenges
Oslo Accords
Somalia
• Clinton hosted
the signing of a
peace agreement
between Israel
and the
Palestinians.
• Bush sent troops
to help the UN
distribute food to
victims of the civil
war.
• Agreed to selfrule for
Palestinians in
return for the
Palestinians
recognizing
Israel’s right to
exist
• Never fully
realized
• UN forces also
worked to end the
fighting.
• After a number of
Americans died,
Clinton withdrew
the remaining
soldiers.
• Stopped U.S. from
sending help to
Rwanda.
Haiti
• Clinton pledged
the use of
American troops
to lead a UN
mission to
remove a
military dictator.
• The presence of
UN forces helped
bring about a
generally
peaceful change
in government.
Foreign Policy Challenges
Former Yugoslavia
Violence raged between
the new countries formed
from the breakup of
Yugoslavia.
Clinton helped broker the
Dayton Accords to end
fighting in Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
He urged NATO to act
against Serbia.
The Serb army was forcing
ethnic Albanians from the
Serbian region of Kosovo.
International Trade
Under NAFTA, the United
States, Mexico, and Canada
became a free-trade zone.
Clinton needed to win
congressional approval of
the agreement.
Critics thought NAFTA
would cost American jobs.
Proponents believed
increasing trade would help
the economy.
Clinton also helped create
the World Trade
Organization.
Free Trade and Global Economy
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1994- US joins many countries is adopting GATTGeneral Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
1995- WTO- World Trade Organization. (replaces
GATT)
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Organization that promotes trade and economic
development- settling trade disputes and forming
rules for global trade.
1999- Demonstration in Seattle that WTO doesn’t
use public input, and its decisions harm the
environment, poorer countries, and American
Manufacturing workers.
Growing importance of Multinational
Corporations. (Enron, WoldCom, etc.) Benefit?
Set minimum standards for most forms of
intellectual property.
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World Wide anti-globalization protests- violent
clashes.
FTAA- 2006 Free trade Area of the Americas- 34
Western Hemisphere countries.
NAFTA- North American Free Trade Agreement
 Brings US, Canada and Mexico into a
free-trade zone.
 Supporters- it will strengthen all three
economies, and create more jobs.
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American jobs would be transferred to
Mexico where wages are lower. More
than 100,000 low-wage jobs went to
Mexico after NAFTA passed.
Environment would be harmed due to
Mexico’s lower standards.
Competition with foreign companies
caused US companies to keep wages
low.
 Treaty Ratified- January 1, 1994
NAFTA- North American Free Trade Agreement
1:34 min.
Russia
 President Clinton and his
senior advisers have claimed
a number of foreign policy
successes here.
 However, Russia criticized US
intervention in Yugoslavia.
 US protested Russian attacks
against rebels in the Russian
region of Chechnya.
China
 President Clinton and his
senior advisers have claimed
a number of foreign policy
successes here.
 Clinton tries to lean on China
to give citizens more rights.
 Clinton increases trade with
China- In Oct. 2000 he got
Congress to give China
permanent normal trade
rights with the US.
North Korea
 In 1994, Clinton negotiated
and signed the Nuclear
Accords with North Korea.
 The underlying concern was
that North Korea was
developing nuclear weapons
technology under the guise
of a nuclear power plant.
 In exchange for assistance
with energy needs, North
Korea agreed to abandon all
ambitions for acquiring
nuclear weapons.
Yugoslavia
 1991- Yugoslavia broke up into 5
nations.
 1991- Bosnia- Serbs began “ethnic
cleansing” of certain ethnic groups.
Millions of refugees, and over 200,000
killed. Clinton hesitates to help.
 1995- Dayton Accords- U.S helps
negotiate a peace in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, and US troops sent in to
join NATO troops.
 1998- Kosovo- Serbs attack ethnic
Albanians. US and NATO launch air
strikes. Violation of International law?
 US troops stayed longer than promiseddrawing criticism. 9 Years.
Kosovo
#2 - History-1:59 min
.
Ethnic Cleansing [00:14]
Northern Ireland
 The US was encouraged by
efforts to end decades of
violence between Protestants
and Catholics.
 1996- Clinton asks a US
Senator to lead talks
 1998- Good Friday Accordsagreement for major reforms
in Northern Ireland
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Power sharing between
Protestants and Catholics.
Demilitarization of the
Province
Voters would later agree.
Israel and Palestine- The “Oslo Accords”
 1993- PLO leader Yassir Arafat and
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
signed the agreement in Washington.
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Difficult for both sides
Palestinian self-rule in the Gaza Strip
and the town of Jericho on the West
Bank.
 PLO recognize Israel’s right to exist.
Not everyone on both sides agree
 1995- Rabin assassinated by extremist
 1999- New Prime Minister of Israel
wants new talks.
 Still unable to decide what to do about
many things like Jerusalem.
Afghanistan and the Taliban
 1996- Taliban, an Islamic
fundamentalist group, seize
power. Sanctuary for Osama
bin Laden and his terrorists.
 Clinton demands the Taliban
shut down the terrorist
training camps and turn over
bin Laden. They refuse.
 In 2002, a UPI story stated
that documents discovered in
Afghanistan showed that alQaeda may have plotted to
assassinate Clinton toward
the end of his term.
When the Taliban Ruled Afghanistan [05:38]
Osama and Al-Qaeda
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Al-Qaeda began to emerge as a major terrorist threat. AlQaeda ('The Base') is a conglomerate of groups spread
throughout the world operating as a network.
1998, the group bombed US embassies in Tanzania and
Kenya.
Aug. 20, 1998- Retaliation- Operation Infinite Reach- a
US cruise missile strike on purported terrorist bases in
Afghanistan and Sudan
Clinton also gave orders authorizing the arrest or, if need
be, assassination of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden
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Bin Laden typically selects a few historical incidents,
takes them out of their context and twists their
significance, and uses them as a rational and moral
pretext for his terrorist crimes.
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He lists his enemies as #1- America, #2- Sultanates of the
Perisan Gulf, #3- Corrupted Islamic states.
Late 2000, the terrorists struck again with the USS Cole
bombing. By this time, Clinton has stated he regarded AlQaeda as the foremost threat to national security.
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USS Cole
Iraq
 Clinton launched military strikes
on Iraq several times to punish
violations of UN sanctions
 Operation Desert Fox was the
military code name for a major
three-day bombing campaign on
Iraqi targets from Dec. 16-18, 1998
by US and UK.
 It was a major flare-up in the Iraq
disarmament crisis. The goal of the
cruise missile and bombing attacks
was to "degrade" Saddam
Hussein's ability to produce
weapons of mass destruction.
Somalia- African Country
 Pres. Bush had sent troops into
Somalia to help distribute food
to starving people due to a civil
war there.
 1993- Mission had grown to try
and end the Civil war there.
 American service men were
dying in the violence. The worst
was Oct. 1993 in Mogadishu- 18
killed and 84 wounded. To
capture Idide.
 Clinton chooses to withdraw
American forces.
Somalia- African Country
2:08 min.
Rwanda- African Country
 1994- Due to the experience
of Somalia, Clinton refused
to send forces to Rwanda to
stop a terrible genocide
claiming hundreds of
thousands of lives.
 Clinton criticized because
he did not intervene
militarily to end the
Rwandan genocide.
Rwanda- African Country-1:54 min.
Haiti
 1991- Haitian Military
leaders force the first
democratically elected
President (Jean-Bertrand
Aristide) from office.
 1994-American troops were
sent to Haiti to force the
military rulers to step down.
Haiti: Crisis in the Caribbean [02:08]
Vietnam
 1994- Clinton lifted the
Vietnam trade embargo
 Clinton announces
normalization of
relations with Vietnam
without a full accounting
of U.S. MIAs and
POWs—after having
said as a candidate that
this "was putting the
cart before the horse."
Election of 1996
 Election of 1996
 Candidates:
 Republican- Bob Dole
 Democrat- William Clinton
 Campaign- Despite lingering doubts
about his ethics and character
Americans voting in favor of President
Clinton as the lesser of two evils. He
skillfully reclaimed the center of
political discourse, and successfully
labeled the Republicans as the party of
extremists. Clinton was aided by the
fact that his opponent, Senate Majority
Leader Bob Dole, never seemed to
connect with the voter. If elected he
would have been the oldest of any to
assume the Presidency, and that was
deemed by many as too old.
 Outcome- Clinton wins wit 50 %
of the popular vote.
What events led to scandal and
impeachment proceedings during the
Clinton presidency?
 Whitewater real estate deal
 Kenneth Starr led an investigation into a failed real estate
investment the Clintons were involved in during the 1970s.
 Paula Jones sexual harassment case
 Jones sued Clinton for sexual harassment while he was
governor of Arkansas and she was a state employee.
 Information emerged suggesting that Clinton had an improper
relationship with a White House intern, Monica Lewinsky.
 Monica Lewinsky case
 Clinton accused of lying under oath about Monica Lewinsky.
 House approved two articles of impeachment but the Senate
did not have the two-thirds majority necessary to convict
Clinton.
The Impeachment and Removal of the President by Congress (03:38)