Trying to settle a bet: I swear that years ago I saw an old 1990s (I think) New York Times cover article championing Osama Bin Laden as a "freedom fighter" instead of as a terrorist.
I know there have been major shifts over time how the US views or portrays different actors in the middle east - was there a time when we considered him positively and can anyone link me to that NYT article? TIA.
Edit: have been doing some more searching and my guess is if there was a positive article about him it probably was from the mid 80s around when we were arming and funding the Mujahideen against the Soviet Union. Would still love a link whether to NYT or similar mainstream news.
Might you be thinking of this article, "Anti-Soviet Warrior puts his Army on the road to peace", from The Independent in 1993? It was, at the time, just about a mainstream British newspaper.
When the history of the Afghan resistance movement is written, Mr Bin Laden's own contribution to the mujahedin - and the indirect result of his training and assistance - may turn out to be a turning- point in the recent history of militant fundamentalism; even if, today, he tries to minimise his role. 'When the invasion of Afghanistan started, I was enraged and went there at once - I arrived within days, before the end of 1979,' he said. 'Yes, I fought there, but my fellow Muslims did much more than I. Many of them died and I am still alive.'