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In-Depth Information
negotiated with them in 1999 soon col-
lapsed. Despite the ongoing civil strife
with the terrorists of the Basque ultramili-
tant group ETA, Aznar did make progress
on the economic side and reassured many
Spanish voters who had been alarmed by
the excessive libertarianism of the
González period. Aznar also sought to
enhance his country's role in world affairs
by joining the U.S.-led coalition that
invaded Iraq in 2003, contributing several
thousand Spanish troops to the occupa-
tion force. Although this commitment was
vehemently criticized in Spain, he insisted
that his country must take part in a global
struggle against terrorism that included the
ETA insurgency as well as attacks on the
United States by militant Islamists and
the support alledgedly given to such forces
by Iraq. In designating the expeditionary
unit sent to the Middle East as the Plus
Ultra brigade, Aznar deliberately evoked
the memory of Spain's former military
glory and his belief that it must rise once
again to the status of a respected power.
As he approached the completion of his
second term, Aznar confidently prepared
to hand over the party leadership to a
hand-picked successor.
Only days before the scheduled election,
on March 11, 2004, a series of explosions in
the principal railroad station of M
ADRID
and
aboard several suburban train lines killed
nearly 200 people. The government at first
blamed this terrorist assault on ETA, but
evidence almost immediately revealed that
it was the work of Islamic extremists pun-
ishing Spain for her presence in Iraq. The
parliamentary election that followed
became a repudiation of what was thought
to be an attempt by Aznar to protect his
Middle Eastern policy and falsely divert
blame to the Basques. The Popular Party
was defeated, and the new Socialist leader,
J
OSÉ
L
UIS
R
ODRÍGUEZ
Z
APATERO
, with sup-
port from other parties on the Left, became
prime minister. One of the new administra-
tion's first actions was to withdraw the
Spanish troops from Iraq. This was followed
by a promise to work more closely with
European Union members rather than
maintaining Aznar's close friendship with
America. Aznar, for his part, announced
that he would be spending some time in the
United States as a visiting professor at
Georgetown University.
Azores (Açores)
This Portuguese-ruled archipelago in the
North Atlantic lies 800 miles from Portu-
gal's coast. It comprises nine large islands
and a number of islets. The Azores consti-
tute an autonomous region of Portugal,
and the capital is Ponta Delgada. The total
area of the archipelago is 900 square miles,
and its population amounts to approxi-
mately a quarter of a million. The chief
products are fruits, grains, and wine.
Portugal established settlements on these
islands one by one during the 15th century
and was confirmed in the possession of the
entire archipelago in 1479. As the islands
became an assembly point for Spanish trea-
sure ships sailing to and from the Americas
during the period of Spain's overlordship of
Portugal (1580-1640), they were frequently
the site of battles with English raiders.
Ruled as separate colonies, the islands were
united under a single governorship in 1766
and given their own legislature in 1895.
They played a part in the M
IGUELITE
W
AR
when they were seized by the supporters of
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