Alternate scenario: a non-9/11 world
OK, here's the most obvious alternate history scenario one could possibly come up with.
So here's the set of events (or more like, lack thereof).
1) Sometime in the late 90s, Osama bin Laden dies of some stupid infection, or cancer, or something like that. Let's say extensive fapping to porn videos inside his bunker. Al Qaeda never carries out the 9-11 plot, and people in New York go about their business as usual on 9-11-2001, their biggest concern being that the tickets for Michael Jackson's 30th career anniversary gig have been sold out. Bush Jr never attacks the Taliban, so they continue to rule in Afghanistan, where the Afghan Northern Alliance resumes its feud with them (after blaming the assassination of its leader Ahmed Shah Massoud on them, an event which indeed happened on September 9).
2) Bush Jr never attacks Iraq either, since the UN inspectors never find WMDs there (this implies that Saddam has fully cooperated with the inspectors - but not before destroying his chemical weapons). However, Saddam's regime is coming under increasing pressure from several sides: the continuous sanctions and rising food prices in the region are causing social unrest in the country, threatening to ignite a popular uprising of the Arab-Spring style; the Kurdish militia in the North intensifies its activities, secretly supported by CIA; Iran funds Shia insurgency in the South, and the rest of the Arab League turn a blind eye to all that, for fear of Saddam. It looks like his days are numbered. The various think-tanks in Washington are busy, playing out various scenarios on their draw-boards, which however do not involve sending US troops to the Gulf.
Since there hasn't been any major terror act in the world for years, there isn't much incentive for development in counter-insurgency strategies. Instead, the hawks in Washington are mostly occupied with promoting the expansion of NATO into Eastern Europe and Caucasus, and accelerating the building of the missile shield, much to the displeasure of Russia.
...Meanwhile, far in the East, a forgotten foe is rearing its cute silver-haired head, as rumors of the return of the mythical dragons into the world begin to pass from mouth to mouth...
Oh, forget about the last bit. Or should you?...
So what happens next? LET'S PLAY!
So here's the set of events (or more like, lack thereof).
1) Sometime in the late 90s, Osama bin Laden dies of some stupid infection, or cancer, or something like that. Let's say extensive fapping to porn videos inside his bunker. Al Qaeda never carries out the 9-11 plot, and people in New York go about their business as usual on 9-11-2001, their biggest concern being that the tickets for Michael Jackson's 30th career anniversary gig have been sold out. Bush Jr never attacks the Taliban, so they continue to rule in Afghanistan, where the Afghan Northern Alliance resumes its feud with them (after blaming the assassination of its leader Ahmed Shah Massoud on them, an event which indeed happened on September 9).
2) Bush Jr never attacks Iraq either, since the UN inspectors never find WMDs there (this implies that Saddam has fully cooperated with the inspectors - but not before destroying his chemical weapons). However, Saddam's regime is coming under increasing pressure from several sides: the continuous sanctions and rising food prices in the region are causing social unrest in the country, threatening to ignite a popular uprising of the Arab-Spring style; the Kurdish militia in the North intensifies its activities, secretly supported by CIA; Iran funds Shia insurgency in the South, and the rest of the Arab League turn a blind eye to all that, for fear of Saddam. It looks like his days are numbered. The various think-tanks in Washington are busy, playing out various scenarios on their draw-boards, which however do not involve sending US troops to the Gulf.
Since there hasn't been any major terror act in the world for years, there isn't much incentive for development in counter-insurgency strategies. Instead, the hawks in Washington are mostly occupied with promoting the expansion of NATO into Eastern Europe and Caucasus, and accelerating the building of the missile shield, much to the displeasure of Russia.
...Meanwhile, far in the East, a forgotten foe is rearing its cute silver-haired head, as rumors of the return of the mythical dragons into the world begin to pass from mouth to mouth...
Oh, forget about the last bit. Or should you?...
So what happens next? LET'S PLAY!