Bush, George W. (1946–)
BUSH, GEORGE W. (1946–)
U.S. president (2001–). The son of George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush graduated from Yale University and Harvard University. He worked in the petroleum industry, and he later served as governor of Texas (1995–2001). He was elected U.S. president as a result of the controversial elections of November 2000; his opponent, Albert Gore, received more popular votes than Bush, but the Supreme Court intervened to resolve the disputed Florida electoral vote in Bush's favor. The Bush administration's involvement in the Middle East centered around counter-terrorism policies following the attacks of 11 September 2001; Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001 and launched a war against Iraq's Saddam Hussein in March 2003, toppling the Hussein government. After some initial hesitation, he also followed the efforts of his predecessor, Bill Clinton, to forge an Israeli-Palestinian peace. He became the first U.S. president to call openly for the creation of a Palestinian state, though his administration refused to deal with Palestinian Authority leader Yasir Arafat. At the same time, Bush called Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon a "man of peace." The Bush administration, forming a "Quartet" along with the United Nations, Russia, and the European Union, developed a "Road Map" for peace that was presented at the Aqaba Summit in June 2003.
SEE ALSO Aqaba Summit;Arafat, Yasir;Clinton, William Jefferson;Hussein, Saddam.