Spring 2015 A Year Before 9/11 The fifteen Years of BlazeVOX By Geoffrey Gatza Table of Contents 2000 ........................................................................................................................................................... 2 2001 ............................................................................................................................................................ 5 2002 ............................................................................................................................................................ 7 2003 ........................................................................................................................................................... 9 2004 ......................................................................................................................................................... 12 2005 .......................................................................................................................................................... 15 2006 ......................................................................................................................................................... 19 2007 .......................................................................................................................................................... 21 2008 ........................................................................................................................................................ 26 2009 ......................................................................................................................................................... 32 2010 ......................................................................................................................................................... 40 2011 ........................................................................................................................................................... 51 2012 ........................................................................................................................................................... 57 2013 .......................................................................................................................................................... 64 2014 .......................................................................................................................................................... 73 2000 Socialist president, Ricardo Lagos, elected in Chile (Jan. 16). George W. Bush and Al Gore take Iowa caucuses in U.S. presidential race (Jan. 22). Austria at center of European dispute after conservative People's Party forms coalition with the far-right Freedom Party, headed by xenophobe Jörg Haider (Feb. 3). First Lady Hillary Clinton officially enters N.Y. Senate race (Feb. 6). Hijackers seize Afghan plane; release hostages in Stansted, England (Feb. 6–12). Britain ends self-rule in Northern Ireland after Irish Republican Army misses disarmament deadline (Feb. 11). NEAR spacecraft becomes first to orbit an asteroid (Feb. 14). Wary investors cause stock plunge; beginning of the end of the Internet stock boom (Feb. 25). Reformists win control of Iranian parliament for first time since 1979 Islamic revolution (Feb. 26). Gun maker Smith & Wesson limits the manufacture and distribution of handguns in light of lawsuits (March 17). Mass murder or suicide of hundreds in Ugandan doomsday cult (March 18). Acting Russian president Vladimir V. Putin formally chosen for post (March 25). Microsoft loses antitrust suit; appeal expected (April 3). Controversial Osprey plane crash kills 19 marines (April 8). Cuban boy Elián González reunited with father after federal raid of Miami relatives' home (April 22). Vermont approves same-sex unions (April 25). “I love you” virus disrupts computers worldwide (May 4). South Carolina removes Confederate battle flag from capitol dome (May 18). Chile ends Augusto Pinochet's immunity, clearing way for trial on murder and torture charges during years as dictator (May 24). Israeli troops withdraw from Lebanese security zone after 22 years of occupation (May 24). Former Indonesian president Suharto under house arrest, charged with corruption and abuse of power (May 29). Britain restores parliamentary powers to Northern Ireland after Sinn Fein agrees to disarm (June 4). Presidents of North and South Korea sign peace accord, ending half-century of antagonism (June 15). British find 58 bodies of illegal Asian immigrants suffocated in Dutch truck that transported them (June 20). Elián González returns to Cuba with father (June 23). U.S. navy resumes shelling exercises of Puerto Rico's Vieques Island, used as a training site (June 25). Human genome deciphered; expected to revolutionize the practice of medicine (June 26). Iraq believed to resume missile program (June 30). Vicente Fox Quesada elected president of Mexico (July 2). Bashar al-Assad succeeds late father, Hafez al-Assad, as Syrian president (July 10). Concorde crash kills 113 near Paris (July 25). Republican convention picks Texas governor George W. Bush as presidential candidate; Dick Cheney for vice presidential spot (Aug. 2). Democratic convention selects Vice President Al Gore and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman to head ticket (Aug. 14). Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee, accused of stealing sensitive nuclear weapons data, freed after serving nine months in prison (Sept. 13). Olympic Games open in Australia (Sept. 15). Six-year Whitewater investigation of the Clintons ends without indictments (Sept. 20). Yugoslav opposition claims victory; incumbent Slobodan Milosevic denies results (Sept. 25). Danish voters reject euro (Sept. 26). Abortion pill, RU-486, wins U.S. approval (Sept. 28). Palestinians and Israelis clash, spurred by visit of right-wing Israeli leader Ariel Sharon to a joint Jewish/Muslim holy site; “Al Aksa intifada” continues unabated (Sept. 30 et seq.). Nationwide uprising overthrows Yugoslavian president Milosevic (Oct. 5). Vojislav Kostunica sworn in as Yugoslav president (Oct. 7). 17 U.S. sailors on navy destroyer Cole die in Yemen terrorist explosion (Oct. 12). U.S. presidential election closest in decades; Bush's slim lead in Florida leads to automatic recount in that state (Nov. 7–8). Republicans file federal suit to block manual recount of Florida presidential election ballots sought by Democrats (Nov. 11). Philippine president Joseph Estrada impeached after receiving gambling payoffs (Nov. 13). Florida Supreme Court rules hand count of presidential ballots may continue (Nov. 21). Global warming talks collapse at Hague conference (Nov. 25). Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris certifies Bush as winner by 537 votes (Nov. 26). Mad Cow disease alarms Europe (Nov. 30 et seq.). Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak resigns (Dec. 9). U.S. Supreme Court orders halt to manual recount of presidential votes in Florida (Dec. 9). Supreme Court seals Bush victory by 5–4; rules there can be no further recounting (Dec. 12). 2001 Congo president Laurent Kabila assassinated by bodyguard (Jan. 16). Son Joseph Kabila takes over amid continuing civil war. Ariel Sharon wins election in Israel (Feb. 6). Right-wing leader chosen overwhelmingly as nation's fifth prime minister in just over five years during worst Israeli-Palestinian violence in years. Background: Middle East. The long-simmering resentment of Macedonia's ethnic Albanians erupts into violence in March. The rebels seek greater autonomy within Macedonia. After six months of fighting, a peace agreement is signed (Aug. 13). British-led NATO forces enter the country and disarm the guerrillas. Background: Macedonia and the Balkans. U.S. spy plane and Chinese jet collide (April 2); Sino-American relations deteriorate during a standoff. The 24 crew members of the U.S. plane were detained for 11 days and released after the U.S. issued a formal statement of regret. Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic is delivered to UN tribunal in The Hague to await war-crime trial (June 29). Without U.S., 178 nations reach agreement on climate accord, which rescues, though dilutes, 1997 Kyoto Protocol (July 23). In response to Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, U.S. and British forces launch bombing campaign on Taliban government and al-Qaeda terrorist camps in Afghanistan (Oct. 7). Bombings continue on a daily basis. Background: Afghanistan. Irish Republican Army announces that it has begun to dismantle its weapons arsenal, marking a dramatic leap forward in Northern Ireland peace process (Oct. 23). Background: Northern Ireland Primer. At a UN-sponsored summit in Bonn, Germany, Afghani factions meet to create a post-Taliban government (Nov. 27). Hamid Karzai is selected as head of the transitional government (Dec. 5). Background: Who's Who in Afghanistan. Taliban regime in Afghanistan collapses after two months of bombing by American warplanes and fighting by Northern Alliance ground troops (Dec. 9). Israel condemns the Palestinian Authority as a "terror-supporting entity" and severs ties with leader Yasir Arafat following mounting violence against Israelis (Dec. 3). The Israeli Army begins bombing Palestinian areas. Background: Middle East. In final days of presidency, Bill Clinton issues controversial pardons, including one for Marc Rich, billionaire fugitive financier (Jan. 20). George W. Bush is sworn in as 43rd president (Jan. 20). U.S. submarine Greeneville sinks Japanese fishing boat, killing 9 (Feb. 9).