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And then, of course, there are the
"contras."
After the Nicaraguan people overthrew the U.S.-backed dictatorship of
the Somoza family in 1979, the CIA gathered together the remnants of
Somoza's hated National Guard and sent them back to Nicaragua with all
the weapons they could carry--to loot, burn, and kill.
"[The contras are] the moral equivalent of our founding fathers."
(Ronald Reagan, 1985) I'm a contra too! [44]
In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to prop up a friendly
regime. Soviet occupation met fierce popular resistance. The CIA stepped
in to arm, finance and train the Afghan mujahedin guerrillas, working
closely with the Pakistani and Saudi governments. With generous support
from Washington and its allies, the Mujahedin defeated the Soviets after
a brutal decade-long war. [45]
Among the CIA's collaborators in this war was a Saudi named Osama bin
Laden. Together with the CIA, bin Laden supplied the Afghan mujahedin
with money, and guns to fight the Soviets. The Afghan war helped
militarize an international Islamic movement to rid the Muslim world of
foreign domination. Ultimately, this movement didn't like the United
States any more than the Soviets. At that time, however, the U.S.
backers of bin Laden and the mujahedin were not overly concerned about
their wider goals. [46]
[Osama bin Laden:] We will drive all infidel troops from Muslim lands!
[Ronald Reagan:] That's right! Let's whip the Evil Empire!
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