contemporary history

Brave New World
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Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapters 15 and 16
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)

Introduction

The Cold War ended over a decade  before the 21st century began. What was supposed to be a “Brave New  World” free of the threat of nuclear conflict and a long period of peace  and prosperity has been less than what was expected. Yes, communism as a  threat to the world and to the dominance of the United States and  capitalism has come to pass, but even though the threat of war from the  USSR never materialized (thankfully) a new threat did rise up to  challenge the U.S. and the West for control. The rise of radical Islamic  groups bent on destroying those they call infidels, especially the  United States and Western Europe have caused more than a little death,  destruction, and despair to a world hoping those threats had ended.
Instructions

For the initial post, address one of the following:

Option 1: Why wasn’t the U.S. and its vastly  superior intelligence and military able to stop these attacks? How  effective are current measures in dealing with attack prevention? Have  we really learned from past mistakes?
Option 2: What new problems did the Iraqi War cause  for the U.S. and its allies around the world? What effects has it had  on the U.S. economy?
Option 3: How much more difficult is it to battle  an idea or faith, even a violent one, skewed and brutal than to defeat a  nation in war like the U.S. and its allies did during World War II?  Consider the role technology plays in the dissemination of faith.
Option 4: Compare  European imperialism to current globalism. How has each changed society,  both in industrialized nations and developing nations? Is the claim  that globalism is a form of imperialism valid?

Option 5: Where do we go from here? Who will the  best friends and the worst enemies of the United States be in the coming  decades? Will we really, finally achieve that peace and prosperity we  all hoped would come to pass?