George W. Bush Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Foreign policy === {{Main|Foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration}} [[File:George W Bush Overseas Visits.svg|thumb|Countries visited by President George W. Bush during his time in office]] During his presidential campaign, Bush's [[Foreign policy of the United States|foreign policy]] platform included support for stronger economic and political relationships with Latin America, especially Mexico, and a reduction of involvement in "[[nation-building]]" and other small-scale military engagements. The administration pursued a [[national missile defense]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://fas.org/nuke/control/abmt/news/010501bush.html |title=President Bush Speech on Missile Defense |publisher=[[Federation of American Scientists]] |date=May 1, 2001 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-date=March 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313022704/http://www.fas.org/nuke/control/abmt/news/010501bush.html }}</ref> Bush was an advocate of China's entry into the [[World Trade Organization]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/east/04/05/china.WTO/ |title=Bush backs China's WTO entry despite standoff |publisher=CNN |date=April 6, 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515133508/http://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/east/04/05/china.WTO/ |archive-date=May 15, 2011 }}</ref> Bush began his second term with an emphasis on improving strained relations with European nations. He appointed long-time adviser [[Karen Hughes]] to oversee a global public relations campaign. Bush lauded the pro-democracy struggles in Georgia and Ukraine.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/freedomagenda/|publisher=[[White House]]|title=Freedom Agenda|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|access-date=November 22, 2016|archive-date=November 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123053955/https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/freedomagenda/|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2006, Bush reversed decades of U.S. policy when he visited India in a trip focused particularly on areas of [[Nuclear power|nuclear energy]], counter-terrorism co-operation, and discussions that would eventually lead to the [[India–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-03-02-nuclear-pact_x.htm |title=Nuclear deal announced as Bush visits India |newspaper=USA Today |date=March 2, 2006 |access-date=March 16, 2010 |archive-date=December 16, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091216211123/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-03-02-nuclear-pact_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060302-5.html |title=U.S.–India Joint Statement |date=March 2, 2006 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611161845/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060302-5.html |archive-date=June 11, 2009 |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |publisher=[[White House]] }}</ref> This was in stark contrast to the stance taken by his predecessor, Bill Clinton, whose approach and response to India after the 1998 nuclear tests has been characterized as "sanctions and hectoring".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29825.html |title=Roemer key to U.S.–India relationship – Daniel Libit and Laura Rozen |work=Politico |date=November 23, 2009 |access-date=March 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091126182109/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29825.html |archive-date=November 26, 2009 }}</ref> Midway through Bush's second term, questions arose whether Bush was retreating from his freedom and democracy agenda, which was highlighted in policy changes toward some oil-rich former Soviet republics in central Asia.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/23/AR2006042301017.html |title=Retreat From the Freedom Agenda |access-date=September 1, 2008 |last=Diehl |first=Jackson |date=April 24, 2005 |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-date=June 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612133517/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/23/AR2006042301017.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[File:Vladimir Putin at APEC Summit in China 19-21 October 2001-13.jpg|thumb|President Bush with Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]] in Shanghai, October 21, 2001. Russia had cooperated with the U.S. in the war on terror.]] Bush signed the [[Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty]] with Russia. He withdrew U.S. support for several international agreements, including, in 2002, the [[Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty]] (ABM) with Russia.<ref>Margot Light, "Russian-American Relations under George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin". ''Irish Studies in International Affairs'' (2008): 25–32.</ref> This marked the first time in post-World War II history that the United States had withdrawn from a major international arms treaty.<ref name=acaabm>{{cite web|title=U.S. Withdrawal From the ABM Treaty: President Bush's Remarks and U.S. Diplomatic Notes|url=http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2002_01-02/docjanfeb02|publisher=Arms Control Association|access-date=June 5, 2022|archive-date=May 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520171252/https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2002_01-02/docjanfeb02|url-status=live}}</ref> Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]] stated that American withdrawal from the ABM Treaty was a mistake.<ref name=nyt>{{cite news|title=Bush Pulls Out of ABM Treaty; Putin Calls Move a Mistake|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/13/international/bush-pulls-out-of-abm-treaty-putin-calls-move-a-mistake.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 13, 2001|access-date=June 5, 2022|archive-date=June 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605171349/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/13/international/bush-pulls-out-of-abm-treaty-putin-calls-move-a-mistake.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Bush emphasized a careful approach to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians; he denounced [[Palestine Liberation Organization]] leader [[Yasser Arafat]] for his support of violence, but sponsored dialogues between Prime Minister [[Ariel Sharon]] and Palestinian National Authority President [[Mahmoud Abbas]]. Bush supported Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, and lauded the democratic elections held in Palestine after Arafat's death. Bush also expressed U.S. support for the defense of Taiwan following the stand-off in April 2001 with China over the [[Hainan Island incident]], when an [[Lockheed EP-3|EP-3E Aries II]] surveillance aircraft collided with a [[People's Liberation Army Air Force]] jet, leading to the detention of U.S. personnel. From 2003 to 2004, Bush authorized U.S. military intervention in Haiti and Liberia to protect U.S. interests. Bush condemned the [[War in Darfur|militia attacks Darfur]] and denounced the killings in Sudan as genocide.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jim |last=VandeHei |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/01/AR2005060101725.html |title=In Break With UN, Bush Calls Sudan Killings Genocide |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 2, 2005 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-date=October 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111017060259/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/01/AR2005060101725.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Bush said an international peacekeeping presence was critical in Darfur, but he opposed referring the situation to the [[International Criminal Court]]. On June 10, 2007, Bush met with [[Albanian Prime Minister]] [[Sali Berisha]] and became the first president to visit Albania.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/10/world/europe/10cnd-prexy.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613054655/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/10/world/europe/10cnd-prexy.html |archive-date=June 13, 2007 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |title=Bush is Greeted Warmly in Albania |first=Sheryl Gay|last=Stolberg |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 10, 2007 }}</ref> He later voiced his support for the [[2008 Kosovo declaration of independence|independence of Kosovo]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.america.gov/st/peacesec-english/2008/February/20080219131902idybeekcm0.4052851.html |title=Bush Hails Kosovo Independence |date=February 19, 2008 |publisher=america.gov |access-date=September 19, 2008 |archive-date=August 21, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080821091013/http://www.america.gov/st/peacesec-english/2008/February/20080219131902idybeekcm0.4052851.html }}</ref> In early 2008, Bush vowed full support for admitting [[Ukraine]] and [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] into [[NATO]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Bush stirs controversy over NATO membership |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/04/01/ukraine.analysis/ |publisher=CNN |date=April 1, 2008 |access-date=February 7, 2022 |archive-date=September 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913044706/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/04/01/ukraine.analysis/ |url-status=live }}</ref> despite Russia's opposition to the further [[enlargement of NATO]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Bush-Putin row grows as pact pushes east |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/apr/02/nato.georgia |work=The Guardian |date=April 2, 2008 |access-date=February 8, 2022 |archive-date=February 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220208091130/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/apr/02/nato.georgia |url-status=live }}</ref> During the [[2008 Russo-Georgian diplomatic crisis]], Bush condemned Russia for recognizing the separatist government of [[South Ossetia]].<ref>{{cite news |date=August 26, 2008 |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/26/russia.vote.georgia/ |title=Russia condemned for recognizing rebel regions |publisher=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830194251/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/26/russia.vote.georgia/ |archive-date=August 30, 2008 }}</ref> When Russian troops invaded Georgia later that summer, Bush said: "Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century."<ref>{{cite news |date=August 15, 2008 |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-08-15-bush-georgia_N.htm |title=Bush hits Russia on 'bullying and intimidation' |newspaper=USA Today |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022031242/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-08-15-bush-georgia_N.htm |archive-date=October 22, 2012 }}</ref> ==== September 11, 2001, attacks ==== {{Main|September 11 attacks}} [[File:FEMA - 3905 - Photograph by SFC Thomas R. Roberts taken on 09-14-2001 in New York.jpg|thumb|left|President Bush, beside firefighter [[Bob Beckwith]], addressing rescue workers at the [[World Trade Center site]]]] The September 11 terrorist attacks were a major turning point in Bush's presidency. That evening, he addressed the nation from the [[Oval Office]], promising a strong response to the attacks. He also emphasized the need for the nation to come together and comfort the families of the victims. Three days after the attacks, Bush visited [[World Trade Center site|Ground Zero]] and met with Mayor [[Rudy Giuliani]], firefighters, police officers, and volunteers. Bush addressed the gathering via a megaphone while standing on rubble: "I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010914-9.html |date=September 14, 2001 |title=President Bush Salutes Heroes in New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420061531/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010914-9.html |archive-date=April 20, 2010 |access-date=June 23, 2009 |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |publisher=[[White House]] }}</ref> {{listen | filename = Bush Addresses Congress 9-20-01.ogg | title = President Bush declares "freedom at war with fear", September 20, 2001 | type = speech }} In a September 20 speech, Bush condemned [[Osama bin Laden]] and his organization [[al-Qaeda]], and issued an ultimatum to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, where bin Laden was operating, to "hand over the terrorists, or{{nbs}}... share in their fate".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010920-8.html |date=September 20, 2001 |title=Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-date=May 27, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527194111/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010920-8.html |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |publisher=[[White House]] }}</ref> The Taliban's leader, [[Mullah Omar]], refused to hand over bin Laden.<ref name="Peter Bergen">{{cite news |author=Peter Bergen |date=August 21, 2015 |title=The man who wouldn't hand over bin Laden to the U.S. |publisher=CNN |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/29/opinions/bergen-mullah-omar/ |access-date=September 12, 2016 |archive-date=December 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214082005/http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/29/opinions/bergen-mullah-omar |url-status=live }}</ref> The continued presence of U.S. troops in [[Saudi Arabia]] after the 1991 [[Gulf War]] was one of the stated motivations behind the September 11 attacks. In 2003, [[Operation Southern Watch|the U.S. withdrew]] most of its troops from Saudi Arabia.<ref>{{cite news|date=April 29, 2003|title=US pulls out of Saudi Arabia|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2984547.stm|work=BBC News|access-date=February 7, 2022|archive-date=May 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521195120/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2984547.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> {{clear}} ==== War on terror ==== {{Main|War on terror}} [[File:Major military operations of the War on Terror.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Countries with major military operations throughout the war on terror launched by Bush, including those launched after his presidency]] In Bush's September 20 speech, he declared that "our war on terror begins with Al Qaeda, but it does not end there."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2001/US/09/20/gen.bush.transcript/ |date=September 20, 2001 |title=Transcript of President Bush's address to a joint session of Congress on Thursday night, September 20, 2001 |access-date=June 23, 2009 |publisher=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://edition.cnn.com/2001/US/09/20/gen.bush.transcript/ |archive-date=February 25, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Malkasian|first=Carter|author-link=Carter Malkasian|date=2021|title=The American War in Afghanistan: A History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k8owEAAAQBAJ|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-755077-9|page=56|access-date=July 24, 2023|archive-date=March 12, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312005345/https://books.google.com/books?id=k8owEAAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> In his January 29, [[2002 State of the Union Address]], he asserted that an "[[axis of evil]]" consisting of [[North Korea]], [[Iran]], and [[Ba'athist Iraq]] was "arming to threaten the peace of the world" and "pose[d] a grave and growing danger".<ref name="sotu2002">{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html |date=January 29, 2002 |title=President Delivers State of the Union Address |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502151928/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |publisher=[[White House]] |archive-date=May 2, 2009 }}</ref> The Bush Administration asserted both a right and the intention to wage [[preemptive war]], or [[preventive war]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/nsc/ |title=National Security Council |publisher=The White House |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090701203207/http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/nsc/ |archive-date=July 1, 2009 }}</ref> This became the basis for the [[Bush Doctrine]] which weakened the unprecedented levels of international and domestic support for the United States which had followed the September 11 attacks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob1.htm |title=President Bush: Job Ratings |publisher=Polling Report |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob1.htm |archive-date=February 25, 2008 }}</ref> Dissent and criticism of Bush's leadership in the War on Terror increased as the war in Iraq continued.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cumings |first1=Bruce |author2=Ervand Abrahamian, Moshe Ma'oz |title=Inventing the Axis of Evil: The Truth About North Korea, Iran, and Syria |publisher=New Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-59558-038-2 |oclc=62225812 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/inventingaxisofe00bruc }}</ref><ref>Lopez, George E., "Perils of Bush's Pre-emptive War Doctrine", ''[[The Indianapolis Star]]'', October 3, 2003.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/nsc/nss5.html |title=Prevent Our Enemies from Threatening Us, Our Allies, and Our Friends with Weapons of Mass Destruction |access-date=April 20, 2010 |archive-date=May 21, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521184234/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/nsc/nss5.html |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |publisher=[[White House]] |url-status=live }}</ref> The Iraq war sparked many protests and riots in different parts of the world.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2002-09-28 |title=Protesters stage anti-war rally |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/2285861.stm |access-date=2023-10-27 |archive-date=October 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027155137/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/2285861.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2006, a [[National Intelligence Estimate]] concluded that the Iraq War had become the "[[cause célèbre]] for [[jihad]]ists".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/26/nie.iraq/index.html|title=NIE: Al Qaeda 'Damaged' Becoming More Scattered|last1=Koppel|first1=Andrea|date=September 26, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/26/nie.iraq/index.html|archive-date=February 25, 2008|publisher=CNN|last2=Barrett|first2=Ted}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/23/AR2006092301130.html |title=Spy Agencies Say Iraq War Hurting U.S. Terror Fight |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=September 24, 2006 |first=Karen |last=DeYoung |access-date=August 22, 2017 |archive-date=September 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910054726/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/23/AR2006092301130.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ==== Afghanistan invasion ==== {{Main|War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)}} [[File:GW Bush and Hamid Karzai in Kabul 2006-03-01.jpg|thumb|left|President Bush and President [[Hamid Karzai]] of Afghanistan in Kabul, March 1, 2006]] On October 7, 2001, U.S. and British forces initiated bombing campaigns that led to the arrival of [[Northern Alliance]] troops in [[Kabul]] on November 13. The main goals of the war were to defeat the [[Taliban]], drive [[al-Qaeda]] out of Afghanistan, and capture key al-Qaeda leaders. In December 2001, the Pentagon reported that the Taliban had been defeated,<ref name="taliband">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/11/world/nation-challenged-military-campaign-taliban-defeated-pentagon-asserts-but-war.html |access-date=June 23, 2009 |date=December 11, 2001 |author1=Shanker, Tom |author2=Eric Schmitt |newspaper=The New York Times |title=A Nation Challenged; Military Campaign; Taliban Defeated, Pentagon Asserts, but War Goes On |archive-date=February 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/11/world/nation-challenged-military-campaign-taliban-defeated-pentagon-asserts-but-war.html }}</ref> but cautioned that the war would go on to continue weakening Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders.<ref name=taliband /> Later that month the UN had installed the [[Afghan Transitional Administration]] chaired by [[Hamid Karzai]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/isaf.cfm |title=Fact Sheet: International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan |publisher=[[Center for Defense Information]] |date=February 14, 2002 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-date=February 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/isaf.cfm }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4673026.stm |title=More Dutch troops for Afghanistan |work=BBC News |date=February 3, 2006 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4673026.stm |archive-date=February 25, 2008}}</ref> Efforts to kill or capture al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden failed as he escaped [[Battle of Tora Bora|a battle in December 2001]] in the mountainous region of [[Tora Bora]], which the Bush Administration later acknowledged to have resulted from a failure to commit enough U.S. ground troops.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/12/AR2006061200843.html |title=U.S. Concludes bin Laden Escaped at Tora Bora Fight |access-date=September 6, 2015 |date=April 17, 2002 |newspaper=The Washington Post |first1=Barton |last1=Gellman |first2=Thomas E. |last2=Ricks |archive-date=May 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508213656/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/12/AR2006061200843.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It was not until May 2011, two years after Bush left office, that bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces under the Obama administration. Despite the initial success in driving the Taliban from power in Kabul, by early 2003 the Taliban was regrouping, amassing new funds and recruits.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0508/p01s02-wosc.html?related |title=Taliban Appears To Be Regrouped and Well-Funded |access-date=September 1, 2008 |date=May 8, 2003 |work=The Christian Science Monitor |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0508/p01s02-wosc.html?related |archive-date=February 25, 2008 }}</ref> The 2005 failure of [[Operation Red Wings]] showed that the Taliban had returned.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://go.bloomberg.com/political-capital/2014-01-09/gates-bombs-away-in-memoir-and-how-the-green-lantern-drove-a-decision/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109153516/http://go.bloomberg.com/political-capital/2014-01-09/gates-bombs-away-in-memoir-and-how-the-green-lantern-drove-a-decision/ |archive-date=January 9, 2014 |title=Gates: Bombs Away in Memoir – How Green Lantern Drove a Decision |last1=Capaccio |first1=Tony |date=January 9, 2014 |publisher=Bloomberg L.P. |access-date=January 9, 2014}}</ref> In 2006, the [[Taliban insurgency]] appeared larger, fiercer and better organized than expected, with large-scale allied offensives such as [[Operation Mountain Thrust]] attaining limited success.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=285|title=World Cannot Give Up on Afghanistan, Coalition Officials Say|last=Garamone|first=Jim|date=June 28, 2006|publisher=[[United States Department of Defense]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060802215853/http://www.defenselink.mil/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=285|archive-date=August 2, 2006|access-date=September 1, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5107816.stm |title=Frustrated Karzai toughens stance |access-date=September 1, 2008 |date=July 22, 2006 |work=BBC News |first=Alastair |last=Leithead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5107816.stm |archive-date=February 25, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-06-19-taliban-afghanistan-cover_x.htm |title=Revived Taliban waging 'full-blown insurgency' |access-date=September 1, 2008 |date=July 22, 2006 |newspaper=USA Today |first=Paul |last=Wiseman |archive-date=July 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726025741/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-06-19-taliban-afghanistan-cover_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> As a result, Bush commissioned 3,500 additional troops to the country in March 2007.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/10/AR2007031001397.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=May 31, 2008 |last=Baker |first=Peter |date=March 11, 2007 |page=A11 |title=Additional Troop Increase Approved |archive-date=August 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817093442/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/10/AR2007031001397.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ==== Iraq invasion ==== {{Main|Iraq War}} [[File:George W. Bush walks with Ryan Phillips to Navy One.jpg|thumb|upright|President Bush, with [[Naval Flight Officer]] Lieutenant Ryan Philips, after landing on the USS ''Abraham Lincoln'' prior to his [[Mission Accomplished speech]], May 1, 2003]] Beginning with his January 29, 2002 [[State of the Union]] address, Bush began publicly focusing attention on Iraq, which he labeled as part of an "[[axis of evil]]" allied with terrorists and posing "a grave and growing danger" to U.S. interests through possession of [[weapons of mass destruction]].<ref name=sotu2002 /><ref>{{cite web |title=Iraq: The War Card |url=http://www.iwatchnews.org/accountability/iraq-war-card |publisher=The Center for Public Integrity |access-date=November 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.iwatchnews.org/accountability/iraq-war-card |archive-date=February 25, 2008 }}</ref> In the latter half of 2002, CIA [[National Intelligence Estimate|reports]] contained assertions of [[Saddam Hussein]]'s intent of reconstituting nuclear weapons programs, not properly accounting for Iraqi [[Biological warfare|biological]] and [[Chemical warfare|chemical weapons]], and that some Iraqi missiles had a range greater than allowed by the UN sanctions.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/reports/general-reports-1/iraq_wmd/Iraq_Oct_2002.htm |title=Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs |date=October 2002 |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911171932/https://www.cia.gov/library/reports/general-reports-1/iraq_wmd/Iraq_Oct_2002.htm |archive-date=September 11, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB129/index.htm |title=CIA Whites Out Controversial Estimate on Iraq Weapons |publisher=The National Security Archive |date=July 9, 2004 |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090623070452/http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB129/index.htm |url-status=live |archive-date=June 23, 2009 }}</ref> Contentions that the Bush Administration manipulated or exaggerated the threat and evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capabilities would eventually become a major point of criticism for the president.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/67019/the-first-casualty|title=The First Casualty|last1=Ackerman|first1=Spencer|date=June 30, 2003|magazine=The New Republic|access-date=November 17, 2019|last2=Judis|first2=John B.|issn=0028-6583|archive-date=January 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121035818/https://newrepublic.com/article/67019/the-first-casualty|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Hersh, Seymour M., "The Stovepipe", ''[[The New Yorker]]'', October 27, 2003.</ref> In late 2002 and early 2003, Bush urged the United Nations to enforce Iraqi [[disarmament]] mandates, precipitating a [[Iraq disarmament crisis|diplomatic crisis]]. In November 2002, Hans Blix and [[Mohamed ElBaradei]] led UN weapons inspectors in Iraq, but were advised by the U.S. to depart the country four days prior to the U.S. invasion, despite their requests for more time to complete their tasks.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-03-17-inspectors-iraq_x.htm |agency=[[Associated Press]] |title=U.S. advises weapons inspectors to leave Iraq |work=USA Today |date=March 17, 2003 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-date=August 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825014028/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-03-17-inspectors-iraq_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The U.S. initially sought a [[UN Security Council]] resolution authorizing the use of military force but dropped the bid for UN approval due to vigorous opposition from several countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldpress.org/specials/iraq/chapterVII.htm |title=Enforcement Measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter |access-date=September 1, 2008 |date=February 13, 2003 |work=[[United Nations Charter]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.worldpress.org/specials/iraq/chapterVII.htm |archive-date=February 25, 2008 }}</ref> The Bush administration's claim that the Iraq War was part of the War on Terror had been [[Criticism of the war on terror|questioned and contested]] by political analysts.<ref>Williams, Shirley. "[https://www.theguardian.com/comment/story/0,3604,1072390,00.html The seeds of Iraq's future terror] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429020623/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/oct/28/iraq.politics |date=April 29, 2021 }}"</ref> More than 20 nations (most notably the United Kingdom) designated the "[[Multi-National Force – Iraq|coalition of the willing]]" joined the United States<ref>{{cite news |first=Steve |last=Schifferes |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2862343.stm |title=US names 'coalition of the willing' |work=BBC News |date=March 18, 2003 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2862343.stm |archive-date=February 25, 2008 }}</ref> in invading Iraq. They launched the invasion on March 20, 2003. The Iraqi military was quickly defeated. The capital, [[Baghdad]], fell on April 9, 2003. On May 1, Bush declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq. The initial success of U.S. operations increased his popularity, but the U.S. and allied forces faced a growing insurgency led by sectarian groups; Bush's "[[Mission Accomplished speech|Mission Accomplished]]" speech was later criticized as premature.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101031006/|title=Mission Not Accomplished|last=Monsivais|first=Pablo M.|date=October 6, 2003|magazine=Time|access-date=June 23, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101031006/|archive-date=February 25, 2008}}</ref> From 2004 until 2007, the situation in Iraq deteriorated further, with some observers arguing that there was a full-scale [[Sectarian violence in Iraq (2006–07)|civil war in Iraq]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Colin Powell says Iraq in a 'civil war' |url=http://www.truth-out.org/archive/item/67163:colin-powell-says-iraq-in-a-civil-war |publisher=[[Truthout]] |date=November 28, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211072616/http://www.truth-out.org/archive/item/67163%3Acolin-powell-says-iraq-in-a-civil-war |archive-date=February 11, 2007 |access-date=February 17, 2007 }}</ref> Bush's policies met with criticism, including demands domestically to set a timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq. The 2006 report of the bipartisan [[Iraq Study Group]], led by [[James Baker]], concluded that the situation in Iraq was "grave and deteriorating". While Bush admitted there were strategic mistakes made in regard to the stability of Iraq,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article764622.ece |title=Bush: we went to war on faulty intelligence |work=The Times |location=UK |date=December 14, 2005 |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-date=February 11, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211072616/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article764622.ece }}</ref> he maintained he would not change the overall Iraq strategy.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/10/images/20061021_d-0072-515h.html |title=President George W. Bush speaks during a video teleconference with Vice President Dick Cheney, on screen, and military commanders |date=October 21, 2006 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-date=February 11, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211072616/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/10/images/20061021_d-0072-515h.html |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |publisher=[[White House]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bush Reviews Iraq War Strategy as Violence Mounts (Update3) |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=at9X1Z7oilgY |publisher=Bloomberg L.P. |date=October 21, 2006 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070211072616/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=at9X1Z7oilgY |archive-date=February 11, 2007}}</ref> According to [[Iraq Body Count]], some 251,000 Iraqis have been killed in the civil war following the U.S.-led invasion, including at least 163,841 civilians.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.iraqbodycount.org/ |title=Iraq Body Count |access-date=September 18, 2016 |archive-date=March 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306030957/https://www.iraqbodycount.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In January 2005, elections recognized by the West as free and fair were held in Iraq for the first time in 50 years.<ref name="iraq votes">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/01/30/iraq.main/index.html |title=Sporadic violence doesn't deter Iraqi voters |publisher=CNN |date=January 31, 2005 |access-date=May 31, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225062850/http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/01/30/iraq.main/index.html |archive-date=February 25, 2008 }}</ref> This led to the election of [[Jalal Talabani]] as president and [[Nouri al-Maliki]] as Prime Minister of Iraq. A referendum to approve a constitution in Iraq was held in October 2005, supported by most [[Shiite]]s and many [[Kurds]].<ref>{{cite news |publisher=Fox News |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,173349,00.html |title=Iraq Constitution Passes in Referendum |date=October 25, 2005 |access-date=May 31, 2008 |agency=Associated Press |archive-date=June 14, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614094704/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,173349,00.html }}</ref> On January 10, 2007, Bush announced a [[Iraq War troop surge of 2007|surge of 21,500 more troops for Iraq]], as well as a job program for Iraqis, more reconstruction proposals, and $1.2{{nbs}}billion (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|1.2|2007|r=1}}{{nbs}}billion in {{Inflation-year|US}}) for these programs.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/16558652 |title=Admitting strategy error, Bush adds Iraq troops |publisher=[[NBC News]] |date=January 11, 2007 |access-date=April 16, 2020 |archive-date=August 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804053044/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/16558652 |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 1, 2007, Bush used his second-ever veto to reject a bill setting a deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops,<ref>{{cite news |first1=Sheryl Gay |last1=Stolberg |last2=Zeleny |first2=Jeff |title=Bush Vetoes Bill Tying Iraq Funds to Exit |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 1, 2007 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/02/washington/02policy.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818114650/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/02/washington/02policy.html |archive-date=August 18, 2006 }}</ref> saying the debate over the conflict was "understandable" but insisting that a continued U.S. presence there was crucial.<ref>{{cite news |publisher=CNN |date=March 19, 2008 |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/18/bush.iraq/index.html |title=Bush on anniversary: War in Iraq must go on |access-date=March 19, 2008 |archive-date=August 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817130859/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/18/bush.iraq/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In March 2008, Bush praised the Iraqi government's "bold decision" to launch the [[Battle of Basra (2008)|Battle of Basra]] against the [[Mahdi Army]], calling it "a defining moment in the history of a free Iraq".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/28/iraq.main/index.html |title=Baghdad on lockdown as rockets, bombs fly |publisher=CNN |date=March 28, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818114650/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/28/iraq.main/index.html |archive-date=August 18, 2006 }}</ref> He said he would carefully weigh recommendations from his commanding General [[David Petraeus]] and Ambassador [[Ryan Crocker]] about how to proceed after the end of the military buildup in the summer of 2008. He also praised the Iraqis' legislative achievements, including a pension law, a revised de-Baathification law, a new budget, an amnesty law, and a provincial powers measure that, he said, set the stage for the [[2009 Iraqi governorate elections|Iraqi elections]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/27/bush.iraq/index.html |title=Bush: Baghdad's move against Shiite militias a 'bold decision' |publisher=CNN |date=March 27, 2008 |archive-date=August 18, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818114650/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/27/bush.iraq/index.html }}</ref> By July 2008, American troop deaths had reached their lowest number since the war began,<ref name="cuts-nyt">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/01/world/middleeast/01iraq.html |title=Citing Stability in Iraq, Bush Sees Troop Cuts |date=August 1, 2008 |access-date=August 3, 2008 |newspaper=The New York Times |author1=Myers, Steven Lee |author2=Sabrina Tavernise |archive-date=August 18, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818114650/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/01/world/middleeast/01iraq.html }}</ref> and due to increased stability in Iraq, Bush announced the withdrawal of additional American forces.<ref name="cuts-nyt" /> During Bush's last visit to Iraq in December 2008, Iraqi journalist [[Muntadhar al-Zaidi]] [[Bush shoeing incident|threw both of his shoes at him]] during an official press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister [[Nouri al-Maliki]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7783325.stm Bush shoe-ing worst Arab insult] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530150415/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7783325.stm |date=May 30, 2012 }}, BBC, December 16, 2008.</ref> Al-Zaidi yelled that the shoes were a "farewell kiss" and "for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq".<ref>{{cite news|title = Shoes thrown at Bush on Iraq trip|work = BBC News|date = December 14, 2008|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7782422.stm|access-date = December 15, 2008|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081215055005/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7782422.stm|archive-date = December 15, 2008|url-status = live|df = dmy-all}}</ref> In March 2010, [[Center for Public Integrity]] released a report that President Bush's administration had made more than 900 false pretenses in a two-year period about the alleged threat of Iraq against the United States, as his rationale to engage in war in Iraq.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/22794451 "Study: Bush led U.S. to war on 'false pretenses'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804053112/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/22794451 |date=August 4, 2020 }} . Retrieved March 22, 2010</ref> ==== Surveillance ==== {{See also|Global surveillance disclosures (2013–present)}} Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, Bush issued an executive order that authorized the [[President's Surveillance Program]]. The new directive allowed the [[National Security Agency]] to monitor communications between suspected terrorists outside the U.S. and parties within the U.S. without obtaining a warrant, which previously had been required by the [[Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act]].<ref>{{cite press release |title=Press Briefing by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and General Michael Hayden |date=December 19, 2005 |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051219-1.html |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-date=August 18, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818114650/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051219-1.html |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |publisher=[[White House]] }}</ref> {{as of|2009}}, the other provisions of the program remained highly classified.<ref name="IG">{{cite report |url=https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/Newsroom/Reports%20and%20Pubs/report_071309.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160928163435/https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/Newsroom/Reports%20and%20Pubs/report_071309.pdf |archive-date=September 28, 2016 |title=Unclassified Report on the President's Surveillance Program |author=Inspectors General of the DoD DOJ CIA NSA and ODN |date=July 10, 2009 |access-date=July 11, 2009 |quote=The specific intelligence activities that were permitted by the Presidential Authorizations remain highly classified, except that beginning in December 2005 the President and other Administration officials acknowledged that these activities included the interception without a court order of certain international communications where there is 'a reasonable basis to conclude that one party to the communication is a member of al-Qa'ida, affiliated with al-Qa'ida, or a member of an organization affiliated with al-Qa'ida'. }}</ref> Once the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] [[Office of Legal Counsel]] questioned its original legal opinion that FISA did not apply in a time of war, the program was subsequently re-authorized by the President on the basis that the warrant requirements of FISA were implicitly superseded by the subsequent passage of the [[Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists]].<ref>U.S. Department of Justice White Paper on NSA Legal Authorities. {{cite web |url=http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/nsa/dojnsa11906wp.pdf |title=Legal Authorities Supporting the Activities of the National Security Agency Described by the President |date=January 19, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113171414/http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/nsa/dojnsa11906wp.pdf |archive-date=January 13, 2013 }}</ref> The program proved to be [[NSA warrantless surveillance (2001–07)|controversial]]; critics of the administration and organizations such as the [[American Bar Association]] argued that it was illegal.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gonzales defends wiretaps amid protest |publisher=CNN |access-date=September 2, 2007 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/24/nsa.strategy/index.html |date=January 26, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902055948/http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/24/nsa.strategy/index.html |archive-date=September 2, 2006 }}; {{cite news |title=Lawyers Group Criticizes Surveillance Program |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 14, 2006 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/13/AR2006021302006.html |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-date=December 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203142901/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/13/AR2006021302006.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In August 2006, a U.S. district court judge ruled that the [[NSA electronic surveillance program]] was unconstitutional,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/01/AR2006090101410.html |title=Judge Asked to Suspend Ruling Against Wiretaps |access-date=September 1, 2008 |date=February 9, 2006 |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-date=August 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829170504/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/01/AR2006090101410.html |url-status=live }}</ref> but on July 6, 2007, that ruling was [[Vacated judgment|vacated]] by the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit]] on the grounds that the plaintiffs lacked [[standing (law)|standing]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Andrea |last=Hopkins |title=Court dismisses lawsuit on spying program |work=Reuters |date=July 6, 2007 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0642400020070706 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818114650/https://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0642400020070706 |archive-date=August 18, 2006 }}</ref> On January 17, 2007, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales informed U.S. Senate leaders that the program would not be reauthorized by the President, but would be subjected to judicial oversight.<ref>{{Cite wikisource|title=AG letter to Senate leaders regarding FISC decision and conclusion of Terrorist Surveillance Program|date=January 17, 2007|first=Alberto|last=Gonzales|location=Washington, D.C.|scan=Index:AG letter to Senate leaders regarding FISC decision and conclusion of Terrorist Surveillance Program.djvu}}</ref> Later in 2007, the NSA launched a replacement for the program, referred to as [[PRISM (surveillance program)|PRISM]], which was subject to the oversight of the [[United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court]].<ref name="WaPo1">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/us-intelligence-mining-data-from-nine-us-internet-companies-in-broad-secret-program/2013/06/06/3a0c0da8-cebf-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html |title=U.S. intelligence mining data from nine U.S. Internet companies in broad secret program |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 6, 2013 |access-date=June 6, 2013 |first1=Barton |last1=Gellman |first2=Laura |last2=Poitras |archive-date=June 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623010047/http://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/us-intelligence-mining-data-from-nine-us-internet-companies-in-broad-secret-program/2013/06/06/3a0c0da8-cebf-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This program was not publicly revealed until reports by ''[[The Washington Post]]''<ref name="WaPo1" /> and ''[[The Guardian]]''<ref name="Greenwald1">{{cite news |last=Greenwald |first=Glenn |title=NSA taps in to internet giants' systems to mine user data, secret files reveal |work=The Guardian |date=June 6, 2013 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data |access-date=June 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818114650/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/06/us-tech-giants-nsa-data |archive-date=August 18, 2006 |location=London }}</ref> emerged in June 2013.<ref name="WaPo1" /> ==== Interrogation policies ==== {{See also|Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture|Torture Memos}} Bush authorized the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] to use [[waterboarding]] and several other "[[enhanced interrogation techniques]]" that several critics, including Barack Obama, would label as torture.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Talev |first1=Margaret |author2=Marisa Taylor |date=April 23, 2009 |access-date=June 23, 2009 |title=Bush-era interrogations: From waterboarding to forced nudity |newspaper=McClatchyDC |url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article24534550.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208212311/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article24534550.html |archive-date=December 8, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author-link=Mark Mazzetti |first=Mark |last=Mazzetti |url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/secret-interrogation-memos-to-be-released/ |title=Obama Releases Interrogation Memos, Says C.I.A. Operatives Won't Be Prosecuted |work=The New York Times |date=April 16, 2009 |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417194704/http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/secret-interrogation-memos-to-be-released/ |archive-date=April 17, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-torture7feb07,1,3156438.story |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=May 30, 2008 |last=Miller |first=Greg |title=Waterboarding is legal, White House says |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080212181334/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-torture7feb07%2C1%2C3156438.story |archive-date=February 12, 2008 |date=February 7, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/15/politics/cia-documents-torture/index.html |title=New documents shine light on CIA torture methods |first=Ryan |last=Browne |publisher=CNN |access-date=December 12, 2021 |date=June 15, 2016 |archive-date=December 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212223125/https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/15/politics/cia-documents-torture/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Between 2002 and 2003, the CIA considered certain enhanced interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding, to be legal based on secret Justice Department legal opinions arguing that terror detainees were not protected by the [[Geneva Conventions]]' ban on torture, which was described as "an unconstitutional infringement of the President's authority to conduct war".<ref name="cbs-waterboard">{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cheney-defends-us-use-of-waterboarding/ |title=Cheney Defends U.S. Use Of Waterboarding |access-date=May 1, 2008 |date=February 8, 2008 |publisher=CBS News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080211123715/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/08/national/main3807334.shtml |archive-date=February 11, 2008 |url-status=live |agency=CBS/AP }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/cheney-rumsfeld-bush-officials-claim-credit-nabbing-bin-laden-talk-waterboarding-article-1.143079|title=Cheney, Rumsfeld, other Bush officials claim credit for nabbing Bin Laden, talk up waterboarding|last=Kennedy|first=Helen|date=May 8, 2011|newspaper=Daily News|access-date=April 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818114650/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/cheney-rumsfeld-bush-officials-claim-credit-nabbing-bin-laden-talk-waterboarding-article-1.143079|archive-date=August 18, 2006|location=New York}}</ref> The CIA had exercised the technique on certain key terrorist suspects under authority given to it in the [[Bybee Memo]] from the Attorney General, though that memo was later withdrawn.<ref name="certain_olc">{{cite web |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/documents/memostatusolcopinions01152009.pdf |title=Memorandum for the Files: Re: Status of Certain OLC Opinions Issued in the Aftermath of the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 |first=Steven G. |last=Bradbury |author-link=Steven G. Bradbury |access-date=May 12, 2009 |publisher=[[United States Department of Justice]] |date=January 15, 2009 |archive-date=May 8, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508100811/http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/documents/memostatusolcopinions01152009.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> While not permitted by the [[U.S. Army Field Manuals]] which assert "that harsh interrogation tactics elicit unreliable information",<ref name="cbs-waterboard" /> the Bush administration believed these enhanced interrogations "provided critical information" to preserve American lives.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/feb/05/india.terrorism |title=CIA admit 'waterboarding' al-Qaida suspects |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=February 21, 2008 |last=Tran |first=Mark |location=London |date=February 5, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818114650/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/05/india.terrorism |archive-date=August 18, 2006 }}</ref> Critics, such as former CIA officer [[Bob Baer]], have stated that information was suspect, "you can get anyone to confess to anything if the torture's bad enough."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Investigation/story?id=1322866 |access-date=July 26, 2009 |title=CIA's Harsh Interrogation Techniques Described |first1=Brian |last1=Ross |first2=Richard |last2=Esposito |date=November 18, 2005 |work=ABC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818114650/http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Investigation/story?id=1322866 |archive-date=August 18, 2006 }}</ref> On October 17, 2006, Bush signed the [[Military Commissions Act of 2006]] into law.<ref name="detainee">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-09-28-congress-terrorism_x.htm |title=Bush's detainee interrogation and prosecution plan approved by Senate |access-date=September 1, 2008 |agency=Associated Press |date=September 28, 2005 |work=USA Today |archive-date=October 7, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007104328/http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-09-28-congress-terrorism_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The new rule was enacted in the wake of the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court's]] decision in ''[[Hamdan v. Rumsfeld]]'', {{ussc|548|557|2006}},<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/opinion/28thu1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307071657/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/opinion/28thu1.html |archive-date=March 7, 2008 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|title=Rushing Off a Cliff|date=September 28, 2006|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 17, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> which allowed the U.S. government to prosecute [[unlawful combatant|unlawful enemy combatants]] by military commission rather than a standard trial. The law also denied the detainees access to ''[[habeas corpus]]'' and barred the torture of prisoners. The provision of the law allowed the president to determine what constitutes "torture".<ref name="detainee" /> On March 8, 2008, Bush vetoed H.R. 2082,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.2082.ENR: |title=Bill Text: 110th Congress (2007–2008): H.R.2082.ENR |work=THOMAS |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=October 27, 2010 |archive-date=December 9, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209034910/http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.2082.ENR: }}</ref> a bill that would have expanded congressional oversight over the intelligence community and banned the use of waterboarding as well as other forms of interrogation not permitted under the [[FM 34-52 Intelligence Interrogation|United States Army Field Manual on Human Intelligence Collector Operations]], saying that "the bill Congress sent me would take away one of the most valuable tools in the War on Terror".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna23526436 |title=Bush vetoes bill banning waterboarding |agency=Associated Press |publisher=NBC News |date=March 8, 2008 |access-date=July 29, 2012 }}</ref> In April 2009, the ACLU sued and won release of the secret memos that had authorized the Bush administration's interrogation tactics.<ref name="Ass'tAtt'yGen'lBybeeMemo">{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/24/cia.torture/|title=Previously secret torture memo released|date=July 24, 2008|access-date=July 29, 2012|publisher=CNN}}</ref> One memo detailed specific interrogation tactics including a footnote that described waterboarding as torture as well as that the form of waterboarding used by the CIA was far more intense than authorized by the Justice Department.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/16/bush-memo-footnotes-defin_n_188008.html |title=Bush memo footnotes define waterboarding as torture |newspaper=HuffPost |access-date=July 26, 2009 |first=Sam |last=Stein |date=April 16, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818114650/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/16/bush-memo-footnotes-defin_n_188008.html |archive-date=August 18, 2006 }}</ref> ==== North Korea condemnation ==== {{Main|North Korea–United States relations}} Bush publicly condemned [[Kim Jong-il]] of North Korea and identified North Korea as one of three states in an "[[axis of evil]]". He said that "the United States of America will not permit the world's most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons."<ref name=sotu2002 /> Within months, "both countries had walked away from their respective commitments under the U.S.–DPRK [[Agreed Framework]] of October 1994."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nwc.navy.mil/press/Review/2003/Summer/art1-su3.htm|title=The United States, North Korea, and the End of the Agreed Framework|last=Pollack|first=Jonathan D.|publisher=Naval War College Review|date=Summer 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060818114650/http://www.nwc.navy.mil/press/Review/2003/Summer/art1-su3.htm|archive-date=August 18, 2006|volume=LV I|issue=3}}</ref> North Korea's October 9, 2006, [[2006 North Korean nuclear test|detonation]] of a nuclear device further complicated Bush's foreign policy, which centered for both terms of his presidency on "[preventing] the terrorists and regimes who seek chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons from threatening the United States and the world".<ref name=sotu2002 /> Bush condemned North Korea's position, reaffirmed his commitment to "a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula", and said that "transfer of nuclear weapons or material by North Korea to states or non-state entities would be considered a grave threat to the United States", for which North Korea would be held accountable.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061009.html |title=President Bush's Statement on North Korea Nuclear Test |date=October 9, 2006 |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822122622/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061009.html |archive-date=August 22, 2008 |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |publisher=[[White House]] }}</ref> On May 7, 2007, North Korea agreed to shut down its nuclear reactors immediately pending the release of frozen funds held in a foreign bank account. This was a result of a series of three-way talks initiated by the United States and including China.<ref>{{cite news |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270397,00.html |title=North Korea Ready to Shut Down Reactor 'Immediately' |publisher=Fox News |date=May 7, 2007 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509020138/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C270397%2C00.html |archive-date=May 9, 2007 }}</ref> On September 2, 2007, North Korea agreed to disclose and dismantle all its nuclear programs by the end of 2007.<ref>{{cite news |title=U.S.: North Korea agrees to shut down nuke facilities |agency=Associated Press |publisher=CNN |date=September 2, 2007 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/02/koreas.nuclear.ap/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070917103449/http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/02/koreas.nuclear.ap/index.html |archive-date=September 17, 2007 }}</ref> By May 2009, North Korea had restarted its nuclear program and threatened to attack South Korea.<ref>{{cite news |last=McCurry |first=Justin |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/27/north-korea-threat-attack-south |work=The Guardian |location=UK |title=North Korea restarts nuclear reactor and threatens to attack south |date=May 27, 2009 |access-date=June 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528094725/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/27/north-korea-threat-attack-south |archive-date=May 28, 2009 }}</ref> On June 22, 2010, "While South Korea prospers, the people of North Korea have suffered profoundly," he said, adding that communism had resulted in dire poverty, mass starvation, and brutal suppression. "In recent years," he went on to say, "the suffering has been compounded by the leader who wasted North Korea's precious few resources on personal luxuries and nuclear weapons programs."<ref>{{cite news |last=Park |first=Joseph |url=http://continentalnews.net/2010/06/24/george-w-bush-delivers-message-at-korean-war-prayer-meeting-in-seoul-892.html |work=Continental News |location=France |title=George W. Bush Delivers Message At Korean War Prayer Meeting In Seoul |date=June 22, 2010 |access-date=June 24, 2010 |archive-date=August 22, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822122622/http://continentalnews.net/2010/06/24/george-w-bush-delivers-message-at-korean-war-prayer-meeting-in-seoul-892.html }}</ref> ==== Syria sanctions ==== Bush expanded economic sanctions on Syria.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bush expands sanctions on Syria |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7244088.stm |work=BBC News |access-date=February 16, 2008 |date=February 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822122622/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7244088.stm |archive-date=August 22, 2008 }}</ref> In 2003, Bush signed the [[Syria Accountability Act]], which expanded sanctions on Syria. In early 2007, the [[United States Department of the Treasury|Treasury Department]], acting on a June 2005 [[executive order]], froze American bank accounts of Syria's Higher Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Electronics Institute, and National Standards and Calibration Laboratory. Bush's order prohibits Americans from doing business with these institutions suspected of helping spread [[weapon of mass destruction|weapons of mass destruction]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-29109026_ITM|title=U.S. Treasury moves to clamp down on Syrian entities accused of spreading weapons|date=January 4, 2007|url-access=registration|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515002136/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-29109026_ITM|archive-date=May 15, 2011}}</ref> and being supportive of terrorism.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 30, 2003 |access-date=May 31, 2008 |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/s/ct/rls/rm/2003/25778.htm |title=Syria and Terrorism |publisher=U.S. Department of State }}</ref> Under separate executive orders signed by Bush in 2004 and later 2007, the Treasury Department froze the assets of two Lebanese and two Syrians, accusing them of activities to "undermine the legitimate political process in Lebanon" in November 2007. Those designated included: Assaad Halim Hardan, a member of Lebanon's parliament and current leader of the Syrian Socialist National Party; Wi'am Wahhab, a former member of Lebanon's government (Minister of the Environment) under Prime Minister Omar Karami (2004–2005); Hafiz Makhluf, a colonel and senior official in the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate and a cousin of Syrian President [[Bashar al-Assad]]; and Muhammad Nasif Khayrbik, identified as a close adviser to Assad.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://legacy.utsandiego.com/news/world/20071105-1349-terroreconomy.html |title=Administration announces sanctions to combat Syrian influence on Lebanon |newspaper=[[U-T San Diego]] |agency=Associated Press |date=November 6, 2007 |access-date=September 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140709231554/http://legacy.utsandiego.com/news/world/20071105-1349-terroreconomy.html |archive-date=July 9, 2014 }}</ref> ==== PEPFAR ==== In the State of the Union address in January 2003, Bush outlined a five-year strategy for global emergency AIDS relief, the [[President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief]] (PEPFAR). Bush announced $15{{nbs}}billion for this effort<ref>{{cite news|url=http://today.duke.edu/2009/01/mersontip.html|title=News Tip: AIDS Relief in Africa is One of Bush's Most Visible Legacies, Says Duke Expert|date=January 14, 2009|work=Duke Today|access-date=January 30, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811161128/http://today.duke.edu/2009/01/mersontip.html|archive-date=August 11, 2011|publisher=[[Duke University]]|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> which directly supported life-saving antiretroviral treatment for more than 3.2 million men, women and children worldwide.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.pepfar.gov/results/index.htm|title=Latest Results|access-date=July 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211102755/http://www.pepfar.gov/results/index.htm|archive-date=February 11, 2011|publisher=U.S. Government}}</ref> The U.S. government had spent some $44{{nbs}}billion on the project since 2003 (a figure that includes $7{{nbs}}billion contributed to the [[The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria|Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria]], a multilateral organization),<ref>{{cite news |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/11/201195.htm |title=The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation |publisher=U.S. Department of State |date=November 29, 2012}}</ref> which saved an estimated five million lives by 2013.<ref name="Foreign Policy">{{cite news |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/02/14/what_george_w_bush_did_right?page=0,0 |last=Caryl |first=Christian |title=What George W. Bush Did Right |work=Foreign Policy |date=February 14, 2013 |archive-date=May 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528181334/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/02/14/what_george_w_bush_did_right?page=0%2C0 }}</ref> ''The New York Times'' correspondent [[Peter Baker (author)|Peter Baker]] wrote in 2013 that "Bush did more to stop AIDS and more to help Africa than any president before or since."<ref name="Foreign Policy" /> By 2023, PEPFAR was estimated to have saved over 25 million lives, alleviating the severity of the [[Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS|HIV/AIDS epidemic]] especially in [[Sub-Saharan Africa]], and was called "George W. Bush's greatest accomplishment" by [[Vox (website)|Vox]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2023-03-02 |title=PEPFAR - HIV.gov |url=https://www.hiv.gov/federal-response/pepfar-global-aids/pepfar/ |access-date=2023-07-02}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Beauchamp |first=Zack |date=2023-07-28 |title=Republicans are threatening to sabotage George W. Bush's greatest accomplishment |url=https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/7/28/23809119/republicans-hiv-aids-pepfar-george-w-bush |access-date=2023-07-29 |website=Vox |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Fauci |first1=Anthony S. |last2=Eisinger |first2=Robert W. |date=2018-01-25 |title=PEPFAR — 15 Years and Counting the Lives Saved |journal=New England Journal of Medicine |volume=378 |issue=4 |pages=314–316 |doi=10.1056/NEJMp1714773 |issn=0028-4793 |pmid=29365298 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page