Cheat sheet for those having trouble keeping up with current events (yes this is noticeably incomplete but I think it's a good start):
good guys, bad guys...
Under REAGAN:
Shiites in Iran - bad guys (Muslim fundamentalists, fighting secularists in Iraq)
Shiites in Iraq - bad guys (Muslim fundamentalists allied with Iran)
Sunnis in Iraq - good guys (secularists fighting Iran's fundamentalists)
Mujahideen (including the Taliban) - good guys (fighting Russia and Iran)
Northern Alliance - bad guys (fighting the Taliban, allied with Iran)
Saudi Arabia - good guys (repressive despotic government but friendly with the US)
Osama Bin Laden - ??? (CIA backed in Afghanistan against Russia which was good, but opposed to Hussein's government in Iraq and US military bases in Saudi Arabia which was bad)
Under BUSH JR:
Shiites in Iran - bad guys (though they like the US invasion of Iraq)
Shiites in Iraq - good guys (fundamentalist majority backed by the US)
Sunnis in Iraq - bad guys (secularist minority fighting the fundamentalist government)
Taliban (one faction of Mujahideen) - bad guys (refused to build Unocal pipeline)
Northern Alliance - good guys (fighting the Taliban, allied with Iran, restored the Opium trade)
Saudi Arabia - good guys (despite being the home of most of the alleged 9/11 hijackers and financiers)
Osama Bin Laden - ??? (alleged mastermind behind 9/11 attacks which is bad, but not so bad that any serious effort has been taken to apprehend him)
al Queda in Macedonia - good guys
al Queda allied with the Northern Alliance - good guys
al Queda anywhere else - bad guys
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Under REAGAN:
Shiites in Iran - bad guys (Muslim fundamentalists, fighting secularists in Iraq)
Shiites in Iraq - bad guys (Muslim fundamentalists allied with Iran)
Sunnis in Iraq - good guys (secularists fighting Iran's fundamentalists)
Mujahideen (including the Taliban) - good guys (fighting Russia and Iran)
Northern Alliance - bad guys (fighting the Taliban, allied with Iran)
Saudi Arabia - good guys (repressive despotic government but friendly with the US)
Osama Bin Laden - ??? (CIA backed in Afghanistan against Russia which was good, but opposed to Hussein's government in Iraq and US military bases in Saudi Arabia which was bad)
Under BUSH JR:
Shiites in Iran - bad guys (though they like the US invasion of Iraq)
Shiites in Iraq - good guys (fundamentalist majority backed by the US)
Sunnis in Iraq - bad guys (secularist minority fighting the fundamentalist government)
Taliban (one faction of Mujahideen) - bad guys (refused to build Unocal pipeline)
Northern Alliance - good guys (fighting the Taliban, allied with Iran, restored the Opium trade)
Saudi Arabia - good guys (despite being the home of most of the alleged 9/11 hijackers and financiers)
Osama Bin Laden - ??? (alleged mastermind behind 9/11 attacks which is bad, but not so bad that any serious effort has been taken to apprehend him)
al Queda in Macedonia - good guys
al Queda allied with the Northern Alliance - good guys
al Queda anywhere else - bad guys
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