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The '2000s' are the current decade, spanning from 2000 to 2009. The decade has generally been dominated by several wide-ranging topics, including economic issues such as international trade and concerns over energy supplies and global warming; the explosion in telecommunications; a growing concern with international terrorism and war; and an escalation of the social issues of the 1990s.
Economic developments have largely focused on the explosion of Asia's economic and political potential, with China experiencing immense economic growth, moving toward the status of a regional power and billion-consumer market. India, along with many other developing countries, has seen a rapid increase in its economy, accelerated by increased technological integration with the economies of more developed countries. A trend connecting economic and political events in North America, Asia and the Middle East is the rapidly increasing demand for fossil fuels, which—along with fewer new petroleum finds, greater extraction costs, and political turmoil, forced two other trends: a soar in the price of petroleum products and a subsequent push by governments and businesses to promote the development of "green" technology.
Technologically, advancements have been drastic. Digital format technologies have advanced, not only with computers and the widespread proliferation of broadband internet, but also with mobile phones, digital cameras, and various digital music formats. Having an email address and a cell phone are quickly becoming as common as having a television set, and in many western countries are considered necessary by some to maintain social connections and employment.
Most major political developments in the 2000s revolved around the War on Terrorism, which was triggered by the September 11, 2001 attacks and the 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis, and led to the Iraq War. These and other events have dominated the news almost daily, including the many controversies regarding their consequences and justifications. The Iraq War, launched in 2003, has generated extreme controversy around the world, with many questioning its justification or questioning the United States' motives. Tensions have escalated in the Middle East not only because of the War in Iraq, but also the 2006 Lebanon War. North Korea has generated a nuclear crisis of its own by withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its reporting of a successful nuclear test.
Social issues which became more pronounced included issues of homosexuality, in particular the issue of gay marriage, which is legalized by some major developed nations, including Canada and Spain, but is resisted by many states in the United States. Other social issues of concern are terrorism and its possible connection to religious fundamentalism, gender equality, and human rights, and (particularly in the United States) healthcare.

Contents

Names of the decade

Footnotes

See also

Names of the decade

In contrast to the decades from 1920 to 1999, which are called "the Twenties", "the Sixties", and the like, the 2000s have no universally-accepted name. Some people refer to the decade simply as the "two thousands"; this can be written as "the 2000s" or "the '00s". But simply saying "the 2000s" can cause confusion, since this ''could'' refer to the entire 21st century—or even the entire millennium.
Looking for a name for the decade has been problematic, especially in the United States. The term "Noughties" has been suggested by the BBC,^[1][2] and in fact, in most English-speaking countries, "Noughties" and "Noughts" have come to be the most widely recognized and accepted terms.^[3] But in North America this term has not become popular, largely because few Canadians or Americans even recognize the use of naught or nought to mean zero; to their ears, ''Noughties'' sounds like it is related to the adjective ''naughty''.
Other proposed names have been almost innumerable, and include:
:
★ ''aughts'', ''aughties'',''the Twenty-O's'', and ''double-aughts'', from 'aught',^[4] which, like "naught" means "zero" (aughts was one of the more popular terms in the early ''20th'' century)
:
★ ''nils'' and ''nillies'', from 'nil', meaning "nothing"
:
★ ''2Ks'', from the Greek term ''khilioi'', meaning "thousand"
:
★ ''ōzies'', from the practice of calling the number zero 'O'
:
★ ''zeroes'', ''double zeroes'', ''ohs'', ''double ohs'', and ''oh-ohs''
However, none of the above suggestions represent any consensus.
The United Nations General Assembly declared the decade of 2000–2009 as the "International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World."^[5]

Footnotes

1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/e-cyclopedia/585224.stm
2. http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/01/08/news/columnists/john_hunneman/20_38_121_7_06.txt
3. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1735921.stm ''News.bbc.co.uk'' Retrieved on 05-25-07
4. Timothy Noah, "Name That Decade",
''Slate'', 27 Dec. 2004.
5. http://www3.unesco.org/iycp/kits/Resolutions%20UN/uk_57_6.pdf ''www3.unesco.org'' Retrieved on 05-25-07

See also

★ 2000s in fashion

★ 2000s in music

★ 2000s in books

★ 2000s in film

★ 2000s in economics

★ 2000s in television

★ 2000s in sports

★ 2000s in technology & science

★ 2000s in video games