® © 2012 ReferencePoint Press, Inc. Printed in the United States For more information, contact: ReferencePoint Press, Inc. PO Box 27779 San Diego, CA 92198 www. ReferencePointPress.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, web distribution, or information storage retrieval systems—without the written permission of the publisher. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Robson, David, 1966– The decade of the 2000s / by David Robson. p. cm. — (Understanding world history series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-1-60152-325-9 (e-book) 1. History, Modern—21st century—Juvenile literature. 2. Civilization, Modern—21st century—Juvenile literature. I. Title. D862.R63 2012 909.83—dc22 2010052489 Contents Foreword 4 Important Events of the 2000s 6 Introduction 8 Th e Defi ning Characteristics of the 2000s Chapter One 12 What Events Led into the 2000s? Chapter Two 25 Politics, War, and Terrorism Chapter Th ree 37 Science, Technology, and the Power of Nature Chapter Four 49 Pop Culture Chapter Five 60 Economic and Political Upheaval Chapter Six 71 What Is the Legacy of the 2000s? Source Notes 80 Important People of the 2000s 84 For Further Research 87 Index 89 Picture Credits 95 About the Author 96 Foreword When the Puritans fi rst emigrated from England to America in 1630, they believed that their journey was blessed by a cov- enant between themselves and God. By the terms of that covenant they agreed to establish a community in the New World dedicated to what they believed was the true Christian faith. God, in turn, would reward their fi delity by making certain that they and their descendants would always experience his protection and enjoy material prosperity. More- over, the Lord guaranteed that their land would be seen as a shining beacon—or in their words, a “city upon a hill”—which the rest of the world would view with admiration and respect. By embracing this no- tion that God could and would shower his favor and special blessings upon them, the Puritans were adopting the providential philosophy of history—meaning that history is the unfolding of a plan established or guided by a higher intelligence. Th e concept of intercession by a divine power is only one of many explanations of the driving forces of world history. Historians and phi- losophers alike have subscribed to numerous other ideas. For example, the ancient Greeks and Romans argued that history is cyclical. Nations and civilizations, according to these ancients of the Western world, rise and fall in unpredictable cycles; the only certainty is that these cycles will per- sist throughout an endless future. Th e German historian Oswald Speng- ler (1880–1936) echoed the ancients to some degree in his controversial study Th e Decline of the West. Spengler asserted that all civilizations inevi- tably pass through stages comparable to the life span of a person: child- hood, youth, adulthood, old age, and, eventually, death. As the title of his work implies, Western civilization is currently entering its fi nal stage. Joining those who see purpose and direction in history are thinkers who completely reject the idea of meaning or certainty. Rather, they reason that since there are far too many random and unseen factors at work on the earth, historians would be unwise to endorse historical predictability of any type. Warfare (both nuclear and conventional), plagues, earthquakes, tsunamis, meteor showers, and other catastroph- ic world-changing events have loomed large throughout history and prehistory. In his essay “A Free Man’s Worship,” philosopher and math- 4 ematician Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) supported this argument, which many refer to as the nihilist or chaos theory of history. According to Russell, history follows no preordained path. Rather, the earth itself and all life on earth resulted from, as Russell describes it, an “accidental collocation of atoms.” Based on this premise, he pessimistically con- cluded that all human achievement will eventually be “buried beneath the debris of a universe in ruins.” Whether history does or does not have an underlying purpose, his- torians, journalists, and countless others have nonetheless left behind a record of human activity tracing back nearly 6,000 years. From the dawn of the great ancient Near Eastern civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt to the modern economic and military behemoths China and the United States, humanity’s deeds and misdeeds have been and continue to be mon- itored and recorded. Th e distinguished British scholar Arnold Toynbee (1889–1975), in his widely acclaimed 12-volume work entitled A Study of History, studied 21 diff erent civilizations that have passed through his- tory’s pages. He noted with certainty that others would follow. In the fi nal analysis, the academic and journalistic worlds mostly regard history as a record and explanation of past events. From a more practical perspective, history represents a sequence of building blocks—cultural, tech- nological, military, and political—ready to be utilized and enhanced or ma- ligned and perverted by the present. What that means is that all societies— whether advanced civilizations or preliterate tribal cultures—leave a legacy for succeeding generations to either embrace or disregard. Recognizing the richness and fullness of history, the ReferencePoint Press Understanding World History series fosters an evaluation and in- terpretation of history and its infl uence on later generations. Each vol- ume in the series approaches its subject chronologically and topically, with specifi c focus on nations, periods, or pivotal events. Primary and secondary source quotations are included, along with complete source notes and suggestions for further research. Moreover, the series refl ects the truism that the key to understand- ing the present frequently lies in the past. With that in mind, each series title concludes with a legacy chapter that highlights the bonds between past and present and, more important, demonstrates that world history is a continuum of peoples and ideas, sometimes hidden but there none- theless, waiting to be discovered by those who choose to look. 555 Important Events of the 2000s 2002 Terrorists set off three bombs on the island of Bali in Indonesia, killing 202 people; long distance phone giant Worldcom fi les for bankruptcy, despite having defrauded $4 billion from its investors. 2000 Th e former of head of the KGB, 2003 Vladimir Putin, is elected president of US armed forces invade Iraq, Russia; terrorists attack the USS Cole in overthrowing dictator Saddam Yemen, killing 17 people. Hussein and unleashing chaos in that country. 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2001 On September 11, nearly 3,000 people are killed when terrorists hijack four passenger airplanes and attack the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, DC; Apple introduces the iPod, transforming the music industry. 2004 A powerful earthquake in the Asian Pacifi c sets off a tsunami that kills hundreds of thousands of people; Gay marriage is legalized in Massachusetts. 6 2008 Worldwide recession begins, causing a downturn in stock markets and a collapse of the US housing market; in Mumbai, India, Islamic militants kill 164 people and wound more than 300 others; Barack Obama is elected forty- fourth president of the United States. 2005 2009 In August, Hurricanes Katrina In June, the World Health and Ike sweep into the Gulf Organization announces that Coast, submerging the city of the swine fl u outbreak has New Orleans, killing 1,833, and become a pandemic; the Dow leaving thousands more homeless Jones industrial average closes all along the Gulf Coast; In April, at its lowest point in years, and Pope John Paul II dies and is investors lose billions of dollars. succeeded by Joseph Ratzinger, who becomes Pope Benedict XVI. 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2010 2006 On January 12, a massive earthquake Former Iraqi devastates Haiti, killing 230,000 people president Saddam and leaving thousands more homeless; the Hussein is executed Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform by hanging; Twitter, explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 a new electronic workers and resulting in the largest oil spill communication in history. method, is introduced to the public. 2007 Former prime minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto is assassinated on December 27 after greeting her supporters at a rally; in June, the fi rst iPhone goes on sale. 7 Introduction TTThhheee DDDeeefffiiinnniiinnnggg CCChhhaaarrraaacccttteeerrriiissstttiiicccsss ooofff ttthhheee 222000000000sss The 2000s was a decade that began in fear and ended in meltdown. Dogged by terrorism, natural disasters, and economic meltdown, this 10-year period also challenged people around the world to con- front extremism, climate change, and poverty in new and better ways. A Time magazine article published in late 2009 put it more bluntly, labeling the 2000s the “Decade from Hell.” “Th e fi rst 10 years of this century,” writes reporter Andy Serwer, “will very likely go down as the most dispiriting and disillusioning decade Americans have lived through in the post–World War II era.”1 In the minds of many the new millennium will be forever tied to the attacks of September 11, 2001, when Muslim extremists hijacked four airplanes, crashed them into buildings in New York and Washing- ton, DC, and killed nearly 3,000 people. Millions watched the tragedy unfold on television, and in the coming months and years the United States went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq in response. In other nations, political turmoil and violence had long been a fact of life. In the Middle East, the ongoing confl ict between Israelis and Palestinians showed no signs of abating. Clouding any potential path to peace was the Islamic Republic of Iran, which threatened its neighbors by seeking nuclear power, perhaps even weapons. In Asia, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il already possessed nuclear warheads—as many as a dozen—and as his own country starved, he clung to power through acts 8 Th e decade of the 2000s will forever be remembered in the United States as the decade in which a terrorist attack on American soil killed thousands. Among the targets struck on September 11, 2001, was New York’s World Trade Center, pictured here just moments before the twin towers collapsed. 9 of defi ance. Meanwhile, violent confl icts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Ossetia in Georgia, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Darfur, and Mexico compelled world bodies such as the United Nations (UN) and disaster relief organizations to become more vigilant in protecting hu- man rights. Still, misunderstanding and intolerance persisted. In 2005 protests, threats, and murder followed the publication of 12 editorial cartoons in Denmark depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad; in 2007 former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated at a political rally when a bomb exploded near her car. Gathering Storms Natural disasters wreaked havoc across the globe. Parts of Indone- sia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka were swept away in a massive tsunami. New Orleans, Louisiana, and parts of Mississippi were flooded in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; slow government re- sponse compounded the tragedies. China and India suffered mas- sive earthquakes that killed tens of thousands and brought down entire cities. Economic highs and lows were also a consistent factor in the 2000s. In the United States, the median household income fell from $52,500 in 2000 to $50,303 in 2008. By 2009 the American stock market was down 26 percent from 2000. At the start of the decade, 11.3 percent of Americans lived in poverty; by 2008 that percentage had climbed to 13.2. In the East, China became an economic juggernaut, building high-rises in record time, putting millions of its poor to work, and chal- lenging the world to match its growing fi nancial might. Th e European Union (EU), an economic and political merger of 27 nations meant to rival the power of the United States, expanded its reach. Th e EU’s currency, the Euro, quickly became the second most traded currency after the US dollar. But, like so many nations, EU members also struggled to fi ght terrorism, particularly after dead- ly bombings in England and Spain. “Th is has not been a good de- cade for anyone overly sensitive to bad news,”2 writes journalist Joel Achenbach. 10