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  • Panama
  • George Bush
  • Abu Ghraib
  • Other Resources

Panama

Manuel Noriega was the De facto Leader of panama between the years 1983-1990. In the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama the U.S. removed Noriega from power and detained him as a prisoner of war, replacing him with the then Vice president Guillermo Endara. Tensions arose as supporters of Noriega did not embrace this shift in power. Noriega is then charged in the U.S. with drug-related offenses and was sentenced to 40 years in an American prison. Almost 10 years after the U.S. invasion the first women president, Mireya Moscoso and shortly after Panama officially gains full power over the Panama Canal. The proceeding events show a strengthening of U.S. relations with Panama such as the free trade agreement and the removal of Panama from the international list of uncooperative tax havens.

TIMELINE

1988
US charges Noriega with drug smuggling; Noriega declares state of emergency in the wake of a failed coup.

1989
Opposition wins parliamentary elections, but Noriega declares results invalid. Noriega declares "state of war" in the face of increased threats by Washington. US invades Panama, ousts Noriega and replaces him with Guillermo Endara.

1992
US court finds Noriega guilty of drug offences and sentences him to 40 years imprisonment, to be served in a US prison.

1999
Mireya Moscoso becomes Panama's first woman president.

2000 January
Panama takes full control of the Panama Canal, ending nearly a century of American jurisdiction over one of the world's most strategic waterways.

2004 May
Martin Torrijos, son of former dictator Omar Torrijos, wins presidential elections.

2004 August-September
President Moscoso pardons four Cuban exiles Havana accuses of plotting to kill Cuban President Castro. Cuba severs ties. Newly-inaugurated President Martin Torrijos pledges to repair relations; both countries agree in November to restore ties.

2006 December
Panama and the US agree on a free trade deal.

2009 April
A US federal appeals court says Panama's ex-leader, Manuel Noriega, can be extradited to France. Noriega was released from a Florida prison in September 2008 after serving a 17-year sentence for drug trafficking.

2009 May
Ricardo Martinelli of the conservative opposition Alliance for Change coalition wins presidential election, defeating Balbina Herrera of the ruling centre-left Democratic Revolutionary Party.
 
References:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/country_profiles/1229333.stm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Noriega

George Bush

Elected in 2000, Texan George W. Bush served two consecutive terms as the 43rd president of the United States. His presidency saw the tragedies of the September 11 attacks and marked the beginning of the war on terror. Bush’s approval ratings fell consistently over his two terms as the war in Iraq was met with cynicism and as his response to Hurricane Katrina was criticized. Since the end of his eight years in the white house, Bush has moved back to Texas and is currently writing a book about his presidency.

Timeline

December 13, 2000
Bush claims presidency. Bush assumes the mantle of president-elect in a nationally televised address. He praises Gore and urges national unity after a divisive campaign.

January 20, 2001
Bush is sworn in as the 43rd president. During a 14-minute inaugural address, George W. Bush pledges "to work to build a single nation of justice and opportunity."

September 11, 2001
Terrorist attacks hit the pentagon and the world trade center.
Terrorists hijack four commercial airplanes and crash them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania countryside. Bush denounces the attacks, vowing punishment for those responsible.

September 20, 2001
Bush details global war on terror.
Bush addresses Congress, outlining plans for a prolonged war on terrorism and demanding that the Taliban turn over Osama bin Laden.

January 29, 2002
Bush vows to fight against “Axis of Evil”
In his State of the Union Address, Bush singles out Iran, Iraq and North Korea as an "axis of evil," underscoring expansion of the war on terrorism beyond al Qaeda.

September 2, 2004
Republicans re-nominate Bush.
Bush accepts the Republican nomination for a second term in a speech in New York City emphasizing his ability to keep the nation safe. Democrats had named Senator John Kerry their nominee in July.

November 3, 2004
Bush is reelected.
Bush claims reelection victory, defeating Democratic challenger John Kerry. Bush reaches out to Kerry supporters after another divisive campaign.

January 20, 2005
Bush inaugurated for second term.
Bush is sworn in for his second term as president. He pledges to spread democracy and freedom "with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world."

March 9, 2006
Bush renews Patriot Act.
Bush signs new version USA Patriot Act, the broad anti-terrorism law that gave FBI expanded powers after Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Bush's signature follows approval by House and Senate after an often emotional debate over whether the law tramples on civil liberties.

October 3, 2008
Bush signs bailout.
The president signs $700 billion financial bailout into law, just hours after Congress gave final approval to what may be the biggest government bailout in American history.

Information found at:
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/bush/legacy/timeline/

Link to VII Photo Essay:

Additional Resources:
http://media.www.harbus.org/media/storage/paper343/news/2001/01/22/Features/George.W.Bush.Timeline-23881.shtmlhttp://tampa.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/a_timeline_of_the_george_w_bush_presidency/Content?oid=547210

Abu Ghraib

In the Spring of 2004 the world learned of Abu Ghraib, a central prison in Baghdad, where the American military confined alleged insurgents and people accused of crimes against coalition forces. The photographs that emerged, showing American troops gloating over beaten or tortured figures, shocked Americans and revealed a cleavage in the national psyche. 2004 presented the first widespread recognition of questions that continues to haunt the war on terror. What are the minimal standards of decency our government owes our enemies? May we torture to gain information? What legal guarantees are due these prisoners to justify their confinement? And where do we draw the line between crimes of war and crimes against humanity?— Info culled from the NYTimes

TIMELINE

March 20, 2003
The war in Iraq begins.

May 17, 2003
The New York Times publishes a story out of Basra, Iraq, in which detainees claim they were abused by U.S. and British soldiers. Amnesty International investigators say the patterns of mistreatment may constitute torture.

August 18, 2003
The Los Angeles Times spotlights four Army reservists from Pennsylvania, part of the 320th Reserve Military Police Battalion, charged with mistreating and beating Iraqi POWs.

October-December 2003
Many of the alleged abuses at Abu Ghraib take place.

November 1, 2003
The AP distributes a major story by Charles J. Hanley about alleged abuse at three Iraqi POW camps, including Abu Ghraib, based on interviews with former POWs.

January 13, 2004
Army Spc. Joseph M. Darby, an MP at Abu Ghraib, reports cases of abuse at the prison to military investigators.

January 16, 2004
The U.S. Command in Baghdad issues a one-paragraph press release about an investigation into prisoner abuse. A Lexis-Nexis search shows that most media outlets either ignored the announcement or ran brief stories.

January 19, 2004
Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez orders a criminal investigation into the 800th Military Police Brigade.

January 21, 2004
CNN reports that U.S. male and female soldiers reportedly posed for photos with partially unclothed Iraqi prisoners and that the focus of the Army's investigation is Abu Ghraib.

January 31, 2004
Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba is appointed to head an inquiry into allegations of abuse at Abu Ghraib. On March 3 he presents his report, citing widespread abuse of prisoners by military police and military intelligence officers, to Gen. David McKiernan. On April 6 McKiernan approves the findings, leading to the discharge of two soldiers from the 800th MP Unit and letters of reprimand to six others.

February 23, 2004
The U.S. military announces that 17 personnel have been relieved of duty during the abuse investigation.

March 3, 2004
Jen Banbury, a correspondent for the online magazine Salon, files a story out of Baghdad about allegations of beatings, sleep deprivation, sexual humiliation and neglect leading to deaths at Abu Ghraib.

March 20, 2004
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt announces to the media that six military personnel have been charged with criminal offenses. On May 7, a seventh soldier is charged.

April 28, 2004
CBS' "60 Minutes II" airs graphic photographs of abuse at Abu Ghraib. The scandal quickly becomes major national and international news.

May 7, 2004
United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld stated before the Senate Armed Services Committee, “I feel terrible about what happened to these Iraqi detainees. They are human beings. They were in U.S. custody. Our country had an obligation to treat them right. We didn't do that. That was wrong. To those Iraqis who were mistreated by members of U.S. armed forces, I offer my deepest apology. It was un-American. And it was inconsistent with the values of our nation.”

Timeline is from:
The American Journalism Review, http://www.ajr.org/article.asp?id=3730

Link to VII Photo Essay:

Links:
http://www.newsweek.com/id/105387
http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/abughraib/
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4962547n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

Links to VII Photo Essays:

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