September 11 and War on Terror Flashcards
Grade 11 · Social Studies · Flashcards
Essential terms, people, events, and policies related to the September 11 attacks and the subsequent War on Terror.
Flashcards
- Osama bin Laden
- Saudi-born founder and leader of al-Qaeda; masterminded the 9/11 attacks; killed by U.S. Navy SEALs in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2, 2011.
- George W. Bush
- 43rd U.S. president (2001-2009); declared the War on Terror after 9/11, authorized invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and signed the PATRIOT Act.
- Operation Enduring Freedom
- U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan (2001-2014) that toppled the Taliban, established a new Afghan government, and targeted al-Qaeda.
- Operation Iraqi Freedom
- 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq justified by claims of WMDs and terrorist links; Saddam Hussein was captured and executed; no WMDs were found.
- Department of Homeland Security
- Cabinet-level federal department created in 2002 by merging 22 agencies to coordinate domestic counterterrorism; the largest government reorganization since World War II.
- FISA Court
- Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court; a secret federal court that approves surveillance warrants for national security investigations; role expanded after 9/11.
- Rendition Program
- CIA practice of transferring terrorism suspects to foreign countries for interrogation, sometimes to countries known to use torture; highly controversial.
- ISIS/ISIL
- Islamic State in Iraq and Syria; emerged from al-Qaeda in Iraq, seized large territories in 2014, and carried out numerous terrorist attacks worldwide before losing its territory by 2019.
- Color-Coded Threat System
- Post-9/11 system (green through red) used by DHS to communicate terrorism threat levels; criticized as generating fear without useful information; replaced in 2011.
- Surge (Iraq)
- 2007 strategy of sending 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq under General David Petraeus; credited with reducing violence, though critics debate its long-term effectiveness.
- Abu Ghraib Scandal
- 2004 revelation that U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq had physically and psychologically abused detainees; severely damaged U.S. credibility internationally.
- Islamophobia
- Prejudice, discrimination, or hatred directed at Muslims or those perceived as Muslim; increased significantly in the United States after the September 11 attacks.
- National Security Agency (NSA)
- U.S. signals intelligence agency; its post-9/11 surveillance programs, revealed by Edward Snowden in 2013, sparked major debates about privacy, security, and government overreach.
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