Notes for World History
THE RISE OF GLOBAL TERRORISM
- With the end of the Cold War, the USA was left as the world’s only superpower.
- However, the new world order turned out to be quite different. Much of the rest of the world did not wish to be led by USA, and disagreed with the USA’s world-view.
- Since US was so powerful both militarily and economically, it was difficult for small countries to challenge the USA in conventional ways. To the extremists, it seemed that terrorism was the only way to strike at USA and its allies.
- Terrorism was nothing new- there had been many terrorist organizations during late 19th and early 20th centuries, but these were mostly localized.
- It was in the 1970s that terrorists began to act outside their own territories. The main target of the terror attacks was the USA and its interests.
- The culmination of this terror campaign was the terrible events of 11 September 2001 when the World Trade Center in New York was completely destroyed.
