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Timelines 2000-2010: US, Europe, Latin America, Africa&Asia

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Timeline 2000-2010: United States

2000: President Bill Clinton signs Commodities Futures Modernization Act (CFMA), deregulating the derivatives markets and credit-default swaps. Enron would go on to become the largest corporate fraud in history. Washington would become unashamedly captive to Wall Street. Presidential election stolen by George W Bush.

2001: "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US" August Presidential Briefing brushed aside, one month before 9/11; John Walker Lindh "American Taliban" captured and later sentenced to 20 years; plans to invade Iraq "leaked".

2002: Bush/Blair produce fake evidence of WMDs in Iraq; Defense Secretary Donald ("There are also unknown unknowns") Rumsfeld's military doctrine -- carpet bomb and scrimp on troops -- a disaster; Enron scandal (see 2000 CFMA and 2008 Madoff).

2003: Defense Secretary Colin Powell's UN speech justifying invasion of Iraq; "Mission accomplished" speech of Bush on aircraft carrier; CIA officer Valerie Plame's cover leaked, leading to deputy chief of staff Karl Rove's resignation.

2004: Falluja residents kill four Blackwater mercenaries leading the US Army to flatten the city in revenge; Abu Ghraib torture photos flood the Internet; Pakistan added to US bombing list; Save Darfur coalition formed in NY; Bush re-elected.

2005: Iraq descends into chaos; hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans; Bush bungles rescue operations while commending FEMA head Michael Brown: "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."

2006: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates's Iraq surge; Democrats win majority in Congress and Senate, beginning to turn the tide against Bush's domestic agenda.

2007: Somalia added to US bombing list; Congressman Dennis Kucinich introduces bill to impeach vice-president Richard Cheney.

2008: Oil hits $147 a barrel; Republican VP hopeful Sarah Palin: "The difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick;" Barack Obama elected; stock market/bank crisis (Dow drops 34 per cent, the worst decline since 1931); Wall Street pyramids (Madoff pleads guilty to $65 billion fraud); $2 trillion (not $700b) bank bailout while bankers give themselves huge bonuses.

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Eric writes for Al-Ahram Weekly and PressTV. He specializes in Russian and Eurasian affairs. His "Postmodern Imperialism: Geopolitics and the Great Games", "From Postmodernism to Postsecularism: Re-emerging Islamic Civilization" and "Canada (more...)
 

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