Millennia:	3rd millennium
Centuries:	20th century - 21st century - 22nd century
Decades:	1970s 1980s 1990s - 2000s - 2010s 2020s 2030s
Years:	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Categories:	- - -

The 2000s is the current decade, spanning from 2000 to 2009. The decade has been dominated by several wide-ranging topics, including international trade, 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.

Technological advancements have been drastic. Digital 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 e-mail address, a cell phone, and a digital audio player are quickly becoming as common in many western countries as having a television set was in the 1960s; many in the West feel that it has become necessary to own a cell phone and email address to maintain social connections and employment. The use of internet commerce has also become widely popular, with such online elements as checking accounts, travel reservations, stock trading, and retail shopping.

Most major political developments in the 2000s revolved around the War on Terrorism, which was triggered by the September 11, 2001 attacks and led to the war in Afghanistan and the Iraq War. These and other events have dominated the news almost daily, including the many controversies regarding their justifications and consequences. The Iraq War, launched in 2003, has generated extreme controversy around the world, with many questioning its justification or the United States' motives. Tensions have escalated in the Middle East because of the War in Iraq and the 2006 Lebanon War. North Korea generated a nuclear crisis by withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and conducting a successful nuclear test.

Social issues which became more pronounced included issues pertaining to homosexuality, in particular the issue of gay marriage, which was legalized by some major developed nations, including Canada and Spain, but met continued resistance in many countries and in most U.S. states. Other social issues of concern are gender equality, human rights, health care (particularly in the United States), and terrorism, with its possible connection to religious fundamentalism.

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" while others may refer to it as the "twenty hundreds"; 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. The most common format (in the English language) in referring to the individual years is to read out the full name; i.e. 2007 as "two thousand and seven". Less commonly, but occasionally in the media, a shorter version such as "twenty-oh-seven" is used.

Determining a name for the decade has been problematic, especially in the United States. The term "Noughties" has been suggested by the BBC,^[1][2] but this term has not gained general currency.

Other proposed names include:

*aughts, aughties, the Twenty-O's, and double-aughts, from 'aught',^[3] 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

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."^[4]

Footnotes

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ [2]
3. ^ Timothy Noah, "Name That Decade",

Slate, 27 Dec. 2004.
4. ^ http://www3.unesco.org/iycp/kits/Resolutions%20UN/uk_57_6.pdf www3.unesco.org Retrieved on 05-25-07