2000s

This article is about the decade starting at the beginning of 2000 and ending at the end of 2009. For the century or millennium starting in 2000 (or 2001 depending on the calendar system in use), see the links below.

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Thus far, the 2000s has been marked with generally a continuation of the social issues the world inherited from the 1990s and the post-Cold War era which included the rise of terrorism, the rapid expansion of communications and telecommunications with cell phones and the Internet, international pop culture, and the expansion of globalization. Politically, the 2000s has been almost entirely dominated by a War on Terrorism, with major terrorist attacks including the World Trade Center attack, the Moscow Theatre Siege, the Madrid train bombings, the Beslan school hostage crisis, and the 2005 London bombings. In the news almost daily especially in the West, the war on terrorism and the rise of American global influence has helped fuel the development of a politically and socially divided world. The 2000s have also witnessed the incredible economic growth of the world's two most populous nations, India and China, and the ramifications their growth has had on the western world.

2000: This article is about the year 2000. For other uses of 2000, see 2000 (number)....

2009: 2009 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar....

Terrorism: The term terrorism is largely synonymous with "political violence," and refers to a strategy of using coordinated attacks which typically fall outside of the time, place, and manner of conduct commonly understood as within the bounds of conventional warfare....