9/11 delayed

lets assume that 9/11 was cancelled, and resources directed into another program.......
lets say Al Qaeda poisons the water supply of Washington DC and New York in 2003, with casualties upward 100,000 immediate, and more die off as hospitals are overwhelmed. casualties include almost all of the Congress, and the president and vice president......:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
what happens????
does the U.S. use nukes?
 
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lets assume that 9/11 was cancelled, and resources directed into another program.......
lets say Al Qaeda poisons the water supply of Washington DC and New York in 2003, with casualties upward 100,000 immediate, and more die off as hospitals are overwhelmed. casualties include almost all of the Congress, and the president and vice president......:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
what happens????
does the U.S. use nukes?

Nukes might be a little bit unlikely, I would think. One thing that's lacking is that instantaneous moment of horror that a mushroom cloud would provide. In this case, it would be more of a gradual event.

That being said, if you had a more gradual attack like this killing tens or hundreds of thousands, I could easily see that the US wouldn't give nearly a damn as it did about civilian casualties. You might see America invading Afghanistan without using the NA as its glove, so to speak, as well as a lot more liberal use of whatever the largest non-nuclear bomb is, along with all the other ones in general.
 
Nukes might be a little bit unlikely, I would think. One thing that's lacking is that instantaneous moment of horror that a mushroom cloud would provide. In this case, it would be more of a gradual event.

That being said, if you had a more gradual attack like this killing tens or hundreds of thousands, I could easily see that the US wouldn't give nearly a damn as it did about civilian casualties. You might see America invading Afghanistan without using the NA as its glove, so to speak, as well as a lot more liberal use of whatever the largest non-nuclear bomb is, along with all the other ones in general.

but if al qaeda managed to get russian nukes and detonate them?
 
but if al qaeda managed to get russian nukes and detonate them?

So clearly the goal for you is to see how to get the US to use nukes in response to a 9/11 or worse class event. Simple, have Al-Qaeda take a nuke to Manhattan, Washington, or hell, anywhere in mainland America with any population. Someone else already did a good timeline on this, u should check it out (the thread is "A WMD 9/11" if I'm not mistaken)
 
lets say Al Qaeda poisons the water supply of Washington DC and New York in 2003, with casualties upward 100,000 immediate, and more die off as hospitals are overwhelmed

I don't know much about chemical warfare but I do know that it would be incredibly difficult to create all those chemicals and/or bacteria right under the noses of the US government (or alternatively, bring them in from somewhere else, which is arguably harder). I'm not sure how easy it would be to disperse this in the water supply, but to get massive quantities of poisonous substance into the city's water would probably be no mean feat.

casualties include almost all of the Congress, and the president and vice president......:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
what happens????

If it's an instant killer, then probably most will survive after the first reports of death. Some people will definitely survive. The US will probably do similar things to OTL.

does the U.S. use nukes?

No. Why would we?? Every conceivable military target in the world can be destroyed with Tomahawks and Mk 84 JDAMs. Why would we use such a controversial weapon if we can't even get any good benefit out of it besides wanton civilian destruction? Using a nuclear weapon in this scenario would be tantamount to political seppuku for any American politican.

but if al qaeda managed to get russian nukes and detonate them?

I don't really think that they could do that. I admit that I'm not fully versed on Russia's nuclear weapon security, but it's harder than it sounds.

So clearly the goal for you is to see how to get the US to use nukes in response to a 9/11 or worse class event. Simple, have Al-Qaeda take a nuke to Manhattan, Washington, or hell, anywhere in mainland America with any population. Someone else already did a good timeline on this, u should check it out (the thread is "A WMD 9/11" if I'm not mistaken)

Even if AQ somehow managed to use nuclear weapons, there would be absolutely no need for similar retaliation. See above.
 
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