January 9: United States
The U.S. starts the largest movement of its forces since WWII. Over the next four months, about 125,000 military personnel in Iraq are going to be moved from Iraq and replaced with fewer armed forces, including more National Guard and Reserve units. Troops are also being replaced in Kuwait and Afghanistan. The U.S. military believes that the troop rotation will allow more flexible and better-equipped forces to deal with the challenges in these countries.
January 13: United States
The United States and India agree to increase bilateral cooperation in the field of civilian nuclear and space programs as well as in high-tech trade. The U.S. also agrees to conduct talks on India’s missile defense. A statement issued by both countries says the agreement is an important step toward transforming the relations between India and the United States.
January 15: United States
The U.S. robotic rover that landed on Mars 10 days ago rolls off its lander onto the Martian surface. It will now search for evidence of water in the Martian soil and send data and photographs of the red planet.
January 19: Canada
Canadian Defense Minister David Pratt says that Canada’s armed forces have been underfunded and overstretched and need to reduce their various peacekeeping missions. Within the past 10 years, Canada has participated in peacekeeping operations in Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Somalia, Cyprus, and Afghanistan.
January 20: United States
The U.S. Democratic presidential candidates start their race for the Democratic Party nomination with the caucuses in Iowa. John Kerry comes first, winning 37.7 percent of votes, followed by John Edwards with 31.8 percent and Howard Dean, with 18 percent. Dick Gephardt, a senior politician from Missouri, wins only 10.5 percent and withdraws from the race. Joe Lieberman and Wesley Clark did not compete in Iowa.
January 21: United States
In his third State of the Union address, U.S. President George W. Bush cites progress in the war on terrorism and in the U.S. economy. He defends the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq and progress made in Iraq’s reconstruction. He also proposes to make the tax cuts permanent and supports a temporary guest-worker program under which millions of illegal immigrants could get temporary legal status in the U.S. The president also calls for a doubling of federal funding to promote abstinence programs in schools and gives his support to defining marriage solely as the union between a man and a woman.
January 22: United States
U.S. weapons experts return from North Korea, where they have inspected a nuclear facility at Pyongyang, and say they have not seen any proof that North Koreans produce a nuclear bomb at this site. However, leading nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker is skeptical and says he was shown what looked like weapons-grade plutonium.
January 29: United States
The United States releases the three youngest detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba. The three boys aged between 13 and 15, whose country of origin was not revealed, were suspected of supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan.
February 10: United States
The United States appoints a permanent envoy to Libya, marking an improvement in relations between the U.S. and Libya. The first American diplomat in 25 years will be stationed in the U.S. interests section of the Belgian embassy in Tripoli.
February 26: United States
Pentagon officials say that Guantanamo detainees who are found not guilty may still be kept in detention if they are considered a security risk. Human-rights groups criticize the Guantanamo trials, saying the detainees have no right to appeal or choose their own counsel.
February 27: United States
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder arrives in the United States to meet with U.S. President George W. Bush for the first time in two years. The meeting is seen as a sign of improved relations between the two countries. The talks are expected to focus on the reconstruction of Iraq, the Middle East conflict, and the war on terrorism.
March 10: United States
The research report prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that obesity is soon expected to overtake smoking as the biggest preventable cause of death in the United States. Two-thirds of U.S. adults and nine million children are either overweight or obese, which, according to the study, is a result of a fast-food lifestyle, increased use of computers, and lack of exercise.
March 16: United States
Twenty-three Afghans released from the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba accuse the U.S. of abuse. Many of the former prisoners, who spent two years in custody, say U.S. forces tortured them physically and mentally and disrespected their religion. There are still about 600 detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
March 22: United States
Colombia’s president, Alvaro Uribe, visits the United States for talks on a bilateral free-trade agreement and to lobby for more military aid. In the past five years, Colombia received over $3 billion in U.S. aid, which makes it the third-largest recipient of U.S. aid, after Israel and Egypt.
March 25: United States
The United States introduces a resolution at the United Nations aimed at preventing terrorists from obtaining weapons of mass destruction. The draft resolution calls on states to pass and enforce laws preventing unauthorized individuals and groups from developing such weapons. The states would also be accountable for all items, responsible for effective border controls, and would cooperate to prevent illegal trafficking.
March 26: United States
U.S. troops clash with Iraqi insurgents in the town of Falluja, which is located within the Sunni Triangle, the traditional power base of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. At least eight people are killed and 25 injured in heavy fighting.
March 26: United States
The United States reinforces its 12,000 troops in Afghanistan with another 2,000 marines in order to intensify the hunt for Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders. Together with Pakistani forces, the U.S. military is pursuing them in the tribal areas on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border where the bin Laden fighters are believed to be hiding.
April 3: United States
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell admits that the evidence he used to convince the UN Security Council to support the war with Iraq may have been wrong. At least two intelligence sources that he referred to are now questionable. His statement might be damaging for the Bush administration in an election year.
April 5: United States
About 1,200 U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces launch a major operation to pacify the Iraqi towns of Falluja and Ramadi, both within the Sunni triangle and the center of opposition to the occupation. The U.S. troops engage in fierce fighting with the Shia Muslim Mehdi Army loyal to radical cleric Moqtada Sadr.
April 14: United States
U.S. President George W. Bush abandons a long-standing American policy and endorses Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan to disengage from the Gaza Strip in exchange for keeping six settlement blocks in the West Bank. Palestinians react angrily, warning that the unilateral plan that gives concessions on behalf of the Palestinians will destroy the peace process. Israeli right-wing politicians and the settlers’ lobby also oppose Sharon’s proposal.
April 15: United States
U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announces that 20,000 U.S. troops scheduled to come back home from their original one-year deployment in Iraq will stay for another 90 days. The announcement comes at a time of an uprising by the followers of Iraqi radical cleric Moqtada Sadr in the town of Falluja and the biggest outbreak of violence since the end of the military operations in Iraq.
April 29: United States
U.S. President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney jointly appear in front of the commission investigating the September 11 attacks. No media are allowed during the hearing and no transcripts of answers will be provided. Neither leader is under oath. President Bush is expected to answer questions about his knowledge of the terrorism threat before the attacks and what action his administration took.
May 3: United States
The U.S. military files charges against six soldiers accused of abusing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. Also, military authorities reprimand six senior U.S. officers, including Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, who was responsible for supervising the prison.
May 4: United States
About 50 former U.S. diplomats sign a letter to President George W. Bush criticizing current American policies in the Middle East, which damage U.S. credibility and prestige. They condemn the administration’s unabashed support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his policies toward the Palestinian occupied territories.
May 5: United States
U.S. President George W. Bush asks Congress for an additional $25 billion, on top of the previous $160 billion already allocated, to cover the surging costs of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The White House also says the money is needed to maintain 135,000 troops in Iraq, who are not going to be reduced and are expected to stay there until 2006.
May 10: United States
Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos arrives in the United States for talks, which will focus on oil and the Angolan elections. Angola has one of the largest oil reserves in Africa and the U.S. is interested in limiting its reliance on oil from the Middle East. It is suspected, however, that dos Santos wants the U.S. to endorse the extension of his 25-year rule in exchange for a promise for more transparency in the country’s oil industry.
May 11: United States
The United States imposes economic sanctions on Syria after accusing it of sponsoring terrorism and failing to stop militants from entering Iraq. The sanctions include a ban on flights between Syria and the U.S.; a ban on all American exports, except for humanitarian items; and a freeze on certain Syrian assets in the U.S.
May 11: United States
An American contractor in Ira q, Nicholas Berg, is beheaded by al-Qaeda suspect Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who says the execution avenges the abuses of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison by U.S. forces. Al-Zarqawi offered to exchange Berg for the Iraqi prisoners, but the coalition forces turned it down. The videotaped graphic images of the killing spark widespread shock and outrage around the world.
May 13: Canada
The Canadian government reveals plans to clean up the country’s most hazardous toxic waste dump, the 81-acre site in Sydney, Nova Scotia, located at the eastern end of the country, which contains 700,000 tons of chemicals. Specialists say it will take 10 years and $288 million to decontaminate the region polluted by 90 years of steel production.
May 27: United States
The United States and Russia sign an agreement aimed at reducing the possibility of terrorists acquiring nuclear materials. The U.S. will pay more than $100 million to recover highly enriched uranium from 24 research reactors in the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and southeastern Asia, and transport it back to Russia for storage. The U.S. has been concerned about the research reactors because of poor maintenance and inadequate security.
June 4: United States
James Pavitt, the CIA deputy director for operations, steps down a day after the resignation of the agency’s director, George Tenet. The intelligence agency has faced months of harsh criticism for not preventing the September 11 attacks and the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
June 7: United States
The world’s largest car producer, General Motors, announces that it plans to invest over $3 billion and double its capacity in China over the next three years. China is the fastest-growing car market in the world.
June 8: Mexico/United States
The U.S. Supreme Court abolishes the 22-year-old rule that restricted Mexican trucks from entering the United States and thus undermined the NAFTA free-trade agreement. According to the rule, Mexican trucks could enter the U.S. only after a study into their environmental impact. Mexico protested the restrictions, which caused losses of billions of dollars a year.
June 15: United States
A new report from the United States Congress accuses China of supplying Iran with nuclear technology in exchange for oil. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission declares that China supervised the installation of equipment to enrich uranium in Iran.
June 16: United States
The U.S. commission investigating the September 11 terrorist attacks reports that there is no evidence linking Iraq to the al-Qaeda militants who attacked the United States. The conclusion contradicts the Bush administration’s claims that Saddam Hussein had long-established ties with al-Qaeda. These alleged links were part of the justification to invade Iraq.
June 27: United States
U.S. and Colombian authorities break a drug-smuggling network in an operation led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The drug traffickers moved Colombian cocaine from the country’s northern coast across Caribbean islands to Florida.
June 27: Mexico
Hundreds of thousands of people march silently through the streets of Mexico City to protest against kidnappings and violent crimes as well as pay tribute to crime victims. Mexico City has the second-highest number of kidnappings in the world, with about 3,000 cases reported annually.
June 28: United States
The United States officially hands over sovereignty to the Iraqi interim government, two days ahead of schedule. During a low-key ceremony in Baghdad, the U.S. administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority, Paul Bremer, passes legal documents to an Iraqi judge, and later leaves Iraq.
June 28: United States
The United States opens a new American liaison office in Libya, thus officially renewing its relations with Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s government. The absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries lasted 24 years.
June 28: Canada
Canada’s governing Liberal Party loses an absolute majority in the parliamentary elections and is forced to form a coalition with other parties. Prime Minister Paul Martin says his party still has a mandate to govern and can work with other parties on a case-by-case basis. Potential partners include Quebec separatists and the New Democrats.
June 30: United States
The United States hands over legal custody of Iraqi former President Saddam Hussein to the new Iraqi interim government. Physically, however, he will stay in U.S. custody until the Iraqi police provide a secure facility. He is expected to be prosecuted on 12 charges, including war crimes and crimes against humanity.
July 7: United States
Roman Catholic archdioceses in the United States face bankruptcy because they are unable to pay compensation to people who claim to have been abused by their priests. The Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, which already settled claims of 130 people and paid out more that $53 million, is expected to be the first to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy.
July 9: United States
Colombian officials report that Cuba has arrested one of Colombia’s biggest drug traffickers, and head of the Cali-based Norte del Valle gang, Luis Hernando Gomez Bustamante. The gang is suspected of smuggling to the United States 500,000 kilograms of cocaine since 1990 valued at $10 billion.
July 14: United States
The United States freezes aid to Uzbekistan, saying Uzbekistan has not made enough progress toward democracy. Since 2001, Uzbekistan has received tens of millions of dollars in U.S. aid as a reward for letting the U.S. use its air base near Afghanistan.
July 25: United States
China and the United States sign an agreement to increase the number of flights between both countries by 460 percent over the next six years. Under this new deal, the number of flights is raised from the current weekly 54 to 249. Also, U.S. airlines will be allowed to build hubs in China beginning in 2007, and the increase number of new flights in 2006, 2008, and 2010.
July 31: United States
The U.S. military hold its first review tribunals for the Guantanamo Bay detainees, to decide whether the 600 prisoners should be freed or continue to be held as enemy combatants. The tribunals were set up after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the prisoners had the right to challenge their detentions.
August 12: United States
After a week of heavy fighting in the Iraqi city of Najaf between the coalition forces and Shia militants, U.S.-led forces surround the city’s Imam Ali Shrine, which is occupied by the followers of radical cleric Moqtada Sadr. Sadr hopes to capitalize on the outrage of the Shia majority in case of an American attack on the shrine. The outcome of the battle for Najaf is important to prove the credibility of the Americans and the new Iraqi government.
August 26: United States
The U.S. Census Bureau annual report shows that despite U.S. economic growth, the number of poor Americans has grown by 1.3 million, reaching 35.9 million, and U.S. poverty has risen to 12.5 percent from 12.2 percent in 2002. The report also shows that the number of people with no health care has grown to 45 million while incomes have remained stagnant.
September 15: United States
Three Americans, Jonathan Idema, Brent Bennett, and Edward Caraballo, are sentenced to prison in Afghanistan for running a private jail in Kabul and torturing Afghans. Idema says that his activity was approved by Afghan and U.S. authorities. His lawyer argued for charges to be dismissed because the Afghan legal system was not fit to try the Americans.
September 20: United States
U.S. President George W. Bush officially lifts all remaining trade sanctions on Libya, which affected trade, aviation, and imports of Libyan oil, as a reward for Libya’s decision to abandon its ambitions to acquire weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. also lifts a freeze on Libya’s assets. However, the U.S. decides to keep some terrorism-related sanctions.
October 7: United States
The Iraq Survey Group (ISG) issues a 1,000-page report, which states that Iraq had no stockpiles of biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons before last year’s U.S.-led invasion. The report is seen as a final proof for great failures of intelligence. The U.S. and U.K. used the allegations about WMD to go to war with Iraq. Despite the lack of weapons, the U.S. government says that Saddam Hussein’s intent and capability to rebuild Iraq’s weapons program justified the decision to invade Iraq.
October 19: United States
U.S. President George W. Bush signs a law which allocates $24 million to promote human-rights groups in North Korea and makes North Koreans eligible for asylum in the U.S. Until now, the U.S. has treated North Koreans as citizens of South Korea.
October 27: United States
Amnesty International issues a strongly worded report on torture and accountability in the war on terror, accusing the United States of allowing abuses of prisoners held by the U.S. in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay. The organization calls on the U.S. government to condemn the use of torture and ban it through legislation.
October 29: United States
More than 1,000 election observers are being deployed across the United States to watch for evidence of disenfranchisement during the November presidential election. This is three times more than in the 2000 presidential election, which ended in voters’ disputes in Florida.
November 4: United States
Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry concedes the state of Ohio to George W. Bush, saying that there are not enough uncounted absentee ballots and provisional ballots that would secure his victory. Ohio’s 20 electoral votes make George W. Bush the winner of the presidential election.
November 4: United States
The Republican Party expands its current majorities in the November 2nd elections, extending the party’s control of Congress. Republicans increase their Senate seats to 55 and increase their majority in the House of Representatives by 26 seats. Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle loses his South Dakota seat, making him the first Senate leader in over 50 years to be voted out of office.
November 4: United States
Greece makes an official protest over the United States’ recognition of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia for its disputed name. Greece and Macedonia have had strained relations over Macedonia’s name, which is also the name of Greece’s northern province. Both countries have held the UN-sponsored talks on the issue for a decade.
November 9: United States
U.S. and Iraqi troops seize the northern third of the Sunni Muslim city of Falluja from insurgents during the second day of a full-scale operation involving 15,000 troops. Falluja has been a stronghold of resistance to the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq.
November 15: United States
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell hands in his resignation. President George W. Bush chooses his national security advisor, Condoleezza Rice, to replace Powell in his new cabinet.
November 27: United States
According to Colombian Defense Minister Jorge Alberto Uribe, the largest guerrilla group in Colombia, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), attempted to assassinate U.S. President George W. Bush during his recent visit to the city of Cartagena. U.S. military aid and intelligence supplies for the Colombian government, as well as the issue of extradition, are the main reasons the FARC wants to assassinate the American president.
December 11: United States
The U.S. military in Afghanistan opens a new offensive, known as Operation Lightning Freedom, against the Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters. The operation is aimed at increasing security ahead of parliamentary elections planned for next spring and encouraging militants to disarm with a recent amnesty.
December 15: United States
A test of the U.S. multibillion-dollar antimissile defense shield fails after an interceptor missile does not take off and is automatically shut down on its launch pad in the central Pacific. The Pentagon spends $10 billion a year to develop the missile system, which was planned to start operation in 2004.
December 17: United States
Japan and the United States sign an agreement on joint cooperation in ballistic missile defense systems, which began after North Korea shot a missile over Japan in 1998. After this joint research, both countries plan to start joint production.
December 21: United States
Documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act reveal new evidence of serious abuses of Iraqi prisoners as well as detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. The documents consist mostly of communications between FBI agents concerned about interrogation techniques they are not supposed to use during investigations.