Middle East

Okay, so we had the democratically elected President Mussadiq killed in the 50's. Then we installed the Shah, who was never elected. Then he became brutal, his secret police torturing and killing political opponents. Then the Iranian people overthrew him in the 80's and voted the Ayatollah Khomeini into power, taking Americans hostage at the same time. Then we provided neighbouring Iraq with all the weapons they needed to kill hundreds of thousands of Iranians. Then in the Contra-scandal we sold weapons to Iran, so that they can kill Iraqis. Then, after decades of sanctions and embargoes we declared Iran as part of the "Axis of Evil" for supporting terrorism, even though there were tons of evidence pointing to our so-called ally, Saudi Arabia. All this is pretty confusing, but the most confusing question is: why don't they like us?

Good Iranian Bad Iranian. Down, boy, down!
How Iranians see themselves. How Americans view Iranians

Footnote: The War Office can now confirm that Iran poses no immediate threat, due to unplanned earthquakes and other "Hand of God" incidents. Our President is happy to say that it will not be necessary to "democratize" this country in the forseeable future. US travellers are still advised not to choose Iran as a holiday destination, as there still is a high incidence of Arabs in the area and a lack of Western Values.