21.4 Regions After the Cold War Reading Essential

Name:

Class:

Date:

A New Era Begins: Reading Essentials and Study Guide: Lesson 4

ReadingEssentials and Study Guide

A New Era Begins

Lesson 4 Regions After the Cold War

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

What motivates political change?

How can economic and social changes affect a country?

Reading HELPDESK

Content Vocabulary

jurisdiction the limits or territory within which authority may be exercised

corruption impairment of integrity, virtue, or moral principle

Academic Vocabulary

evolve develop; work out

evident apparent

TAKING NOTES: Summarizing

Powered by Cognero

Page 1

Name:

Class:

Date:

A New Era Begins: Reading Essentials and Study Guide: Lesson 4

1. ACTIVITY As you read, use this chart this list the major events in these regions since the end of

the Cold War.

IT MATTERS BECAUSE

After the end of the Cold War, important developments occurred throughout the Middle East,

Africa, Asia, and Latin America. A desire for a better life and a movement toward democracy led

more people to participate in the affairs of their countries.

Middle East and North Africa

GUIDING QUESTION What changes have occurred in the Middle East and North Africa since the

1990s?

The Middle East and North Africa are some of the most unstable, or changing, areas in the world

today. Many countries in this region have experienced a number of problems. They include political

instability, ethnic tensions, high unemployment, poverty, poor education, and limited civil liberties.

Region Overview

Powered by Cognero

Page 2

Name:

Class:

Date:

A New Era Begins: Reading Essentials and Study Guide: Lesson 4

Disputes over territory between the Israelis and Palestinians continue. Violence also continues.

There have been efforts to reach a peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians,

represented by the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization). However, the efforts have failed so

far. Terrorist attacks still occur. In addition, conflict over territory remains, especially over the city

of Jerusalem.

Iran is an oil-rich country. It remains under the control of Muslim clerics. They enforce strict

obedience to Islamic law. The regime limits the rights of women. It also limits the right to free

assembly and a free press. In 2009 Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected president of Iran. In

response, hundreds of thousands of Iranians protested the election results. They claimed that the

election was organized dishonestly. The Iranian military oppressed the protesters. The violent

actions of the military were recorded on cell phones, and the videos were posted on the Internet.

The United States, under the direction of President George W. Bush, invaded Afghanistan in 2001

and Iraq in 2003. The invasions followed the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New

York City on September 11, 2001. Afghanistan was under the control of the Taliban and was

providing a home for Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden was the head of al-Qaeda and he claimed

responsibility for the attacks in the United States. In 2011 U.S. forces killed bin Laden in Pakistan.

The United States next attacked Iraq in 2003. After the attack, Iraq experienced a civil war. It

was between the two Muslim groups, the Shia and the Sunni. The Shia Muslims controlled southern

Iraq, and the Sunni Muslims controlled central Iraq. There were elections in 2010 in Iraq. Nuri Kamal

al-Maliki became prime minister. Protests occurred across Iraq in 2011 as people sought better

government services.

Revolutionary Upheaval

North Africa and the Middle East have experienced a massive uprising. It has led to regime change

in Tunisia and Egypt. Most countries in the region have a high number of young people. For

example, more than half of Egypt¡¯s 80 million people are under the age of 25. Most of these young

people are unemployed. President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali had ruled Tunisia for 23 years with an

oppressive government. Mass protests against his government began in December 2010. Ben Ali

was forced to flee the country. Other protests in the region soon followed.

In Egypt President Hosni Mubarak also headed an oppressive regime. He maintained power through

a large security force. It used torture and brutality to suppress, or totally stop, any political

opposition. By January 28, 2011, hundreds of thousands of Egyptians started to gather in Tahrir

(Liberation) Square in downtown Cairo. The crowds included women and people from all walks of

life. Through social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, protesters were able to

organize the gatherings and inform others of what was happening. The protests continued for 18

days. Mubarak¡¯s security forces sometimes retaliated with violence against the protestors. The

Egyptian army finally sided with the protestors. Mubarak was forced to leave the country.

In Libya, protesters started a rebellion against the authoritarian regime of Colonel Muammar alPowered by Cognero

Page 3

Name:

Class:

Date:

A New Era Begins: Reading Essentials and Study Guide: Lesson 4

Qaddafi. Antigovernment opponents took control of Benghazi, a city in the west. It is an area that

contains most of Libya¡¯s oil wells. Colonel Qaddafi¡¯s troops advanced towards Benghazi. They began

to use force against the protesters. In response, the UN Security Council voted to approve military

action. In March 2011, American and European forces began a campaign of airstrikes against

Colonel Qaddafi and his government. Libyan rebel forces took control of Tripoli, the capital of Libya,

in August and removed Qaddafi from power. Qaddafi was killed in October, and the creation of a

new Libya began.

Protests have spread throughout the entire region. They have occurred in Algeria, Yemen, Jordan,

Bahrain, Oman, Morocco, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. The protests in these other nations have

been answered with force. Even so, after decades of conflict, political oppression, and exploitation,

the revolutionary upheaval led by young people has brought a new beginning to the Middle East

and North Africa.

PROGRESS CHECK

2. Comparing and Contrasting How are the uprisings in Egypt and Libya similar? How are they

different?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Africa South of the Sahara

GUIDING QUESTION What challenges have confronted countries in Africa south of the Sahara

since the end of the Cold War?

African societies have not yet solved many of the problems that they have faced since

independence. Most African states are still poor. African concerns have not gained much attention

in the international community. There are signs of progress toward political stability in some

countries. Other nations, however, are still experiencing by civil war. Some are ruled by brutal

dictators.

Region Overview

Africans have found ways to handle their political problems, to cooperate with one another, and to

promote and protect their interests. In 1991 the Organization of African Unity (OAU) agreed to

establish the African Economic Community (AEC). They intended the AEC to promote economic and

political cooperation among African nations, similar to the EU. In 2001 the African Union (AU)

replaced the OAU. The new organization has already mediated, or helped solve, several of the

Powered by Cognero

Page 4

Name:

Class:

Date:

A New Era Begins: Reading Essentials and Study Guide: Lesson 4

conflicts in the region. The AU also promotes democracy and economic growth in Africa.

Africa is evolving. Economic and political change is often a slow and painful process. Africa began

to industrialize only a century ago. It was introduced to ideas of Western democracy at the same

time. As a result, African societies are still looking for ways to combine Western political

institutions and economic practices with indigenous, or native, traditions and values.

African countries face many social and economic problems. Rapid population growth has slowed

economic growth. In the first decade of the 2000s, Africa¡¯s population growth rate was 2.3

percent. This is much higher than the rate in the rest of the world, which was 1.24 percent. As a

result, poverty remains widespread. Cities have grown tremendously. By 2007, approximately 39

percent of Africans lived in urban areas. Massive slums and pollution remain a common feature in

cities.

Moreover, HIV/AIDS remains a serious concern in Africa. More than two-thirds (22.5 million) of all

persons with HIV are living in Africa south of the Sahara. In this area, 1.5 million people became

infected with HIV during 2009. More than 1.3 million died of AIDS in the area that year.

Some African nations have started an impressive effort to fight AIDS. In Uganda, President Yoweri

Museveni organized a program to fight AIDS. It involved many leaders in Ugandan society.

International health and social service agencies also joined the effort. Uganda has made significant

progress in its fight against AIDS. The number of cases of HIV in Uganda has stayed at about the

same level since the early 2000s.

Africa has witnessed women leaders in several countries. For example, Luisa Diogo became prime

minister of Mozambique in 2004. There has also been a trend toward multi-party elections. In

Senegal, for example, national elections held in the summer of 2000 brought an end to the rule of

the Socialist Party. That party had dominated politics in Senegal for forty years.

Religion has played a role in dividing parts of Africa. An Islamic resurgence, or return as a major

force, was evident in a number of African countries. It occurred in Ethiopia where Muslim

tribespeople rebelled against a Marxist regime. They eventually established an independent Eritrea.

More recently, in Nigeria and other nations of West Africa, divisions between Muslims and Christians

have resulted in violence. In the early 2000s, local Muslim officials in Nigeria decided to apply

Islamic law throughout their jurisdictions. As a result, riots between Christians and Muslims broke

out in several northern cities. Local officials managed to reach a compromise. They established

policies that limit some of the harsher aspects of Islamic law. As a result, the violence has

decreased. Even so, the dispute continues to threaten the fragile unity of Nigeria, Africa¡¯s most

populous country.

C?te d'Ivoire

The religious tensions that broke out in Nigeria have spread into neighboring states. C?te d'Ivoire

Powered by Cognero

Page 5

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download