United States

The Arab Spring, intervention in Libya, and the killing of Osama bin Laden

American foreign policy was tested by the huge changes that were taking place early in 2011 in the Middle East, where popular uprisings led to regime change in Tunisia (see Jasmine Revolution) and Egypt (see Egypt Uprising of 2011) and to widespread demonstrations aimed at achieving government reform throughout the region. Collectively, these events would become known as the “Arab Spring.” When Libyan strongman Muammar al-Qaddafi brutally turned the considerable forces of his military on those rebelling against his rule (see Libya Revolt of 2011), a coalition of U.S. and European forces sought to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe by intervening militarily with warplanes and cruise missiles. On March 27, as the conflict continued, the United States handed over the primary leadership of the effort to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Pres. Barack Obama (seated second from left) and various government officials—including Vice Pres. Joe Biden (seated left), Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates (seated right), and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (seated second from right)—receiving updates in the Situation Room of the White House during the Osama bin Laden mission, May 2011.Pete Souza—Official White House Photo

At the end of April the southeastern United States, especially Alabama, was ravaged by a rash of destructive tornadoes and severe storms that left more than 300 dead (see Super Outbreak of 2011).

On May 1 Obama made a dramatic late-night television appearance to announce that U.S. special forces had killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11 attacks of 2001, in a firefight at a fortified compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. U.S. forces took custody of the body, confirmed bin Laden’s identity through DNA testing, and buried his body at sea.