Create a scenario in which North America is a political and/or religious/cultural hotbed of tension that resembles the Middle East of our timeline.
Isn't this a thing from that book The Mirage?
Middle East is so firey because of its unique history and geography. So basically ASB.
Probably the only two areas that can be plausibly middleasternified are the Balkans and an enlarged Subcontinent that includes Afghanistan, Tibet, Myanmar and maybe some of the Stans.
The Middle East religious and ethnic and sometime both diversities is very difficult to achieve with an European majority America already. Also the Native Americans were also different then. Probably if the Columbus mission had happened later,it could have been possible. With the contact of both Americans and Europeans,this timeline is only ASB.The POD is before 1900. It doesn't take an ASB to break laws of physics to make a very destructive version of North America. Hell you could with a POD of 1500 or even beforehand allowing several centuries of divergence and history to fall through
The Middle East religious and ethnic and sometime both diversities is very difficult to achieve with an European majority America already. Also the Native Americans were also different then. Probably if the Columbus mission had happened later,it could have been possible. With the contact of both Americans and Europeans,this timeline is only ASB.
Then that must be mentioned. From what the OP is,I'm inferring it is an European America that is for this challenge.It doesn't take magic, time travel, alien intervention, God, Allah, or anything remotely impossible for this to occur, especially for a pre-1900 POD. You could go even further, going so far as 4000 BCE and attempt to change the course of history in the Bronze and Iron Ages in the Americas such as the introduction of some key animals to stimulate unique civilisation building thousands of years before the present.
Nothing in the European colonialism can result in the level of conflicts in the Middle East. Please note that the conflict goes back even up to Bronze age and the Iron age. The conflict existed even since then. It is a huge mishmash of ethnicities. You get migrations from the North(Caucasus/Steppe),Northwest(Europe/Balkans),NorthEast(Steppes,Iran and Central Asia),Southeast(Iran),South(Arabia and Africa),Southwest(North Africa),West(accessable by all across the Europe and the Mediterranean) and these regions being very diverse from each other and the History is very very complex compared to anywhere else. Plus this is the birthplace of all the three major religions. The effects and conflicts of the Middle East reverberates even in the nations farthest from there. That is the magnitude. Except Geological or Evolution PODs,this is simply impossible to make North America exactly like the Middle East. Conflicts in Latin America,Indian subcontinent,Africa,Europe exist no doubt. But these are conflicts that can be solved with just a change of type of Governments,more free markets and such. But solving conflicts in the Middle East require deeper solutions.It's wrong to assume that a region can only be a hotbed of conflict due to very specific circumstances. It's all too easy to say "well, the Middle East is like this because [reason X], and we can't just replicate that exact reason". Sure. But you can easily introduce other reasons that would have a similar effect.
Squabbling states can easily arise from a 'non Constitution' POD that sees the Articles fail as well. The thirteen colonies fall apart, and fight wars over their overlapping claims. Decades of unpleasant occupations here and there cause resentment. When the next religious awakening hits, various extremist cults rise to prominence, assuming command over certain regions (a bit like the Mormons of OTL, but generally less pleasant, and getting more support because they generally tie their ideology to the interests of the state where they are welcomed.) Thus, you get a lot of pseudo-theocracies which tie their religious identity to militarist nationalism/imperialism.
Further out west, revolutions against Mexico still occur. Lousiana becomes its own state, occupied by Georgia from time to time (until the next revolution, you know). Texas becomes an ethnically divided powderkeg, where the Latinos get oppressed when the Anglos are in power and vice versa. California goes its own way, but can't control the hinterland, which remains bandit country for quite some time. (A parallel to the desert of inner Arabia, perhaps?) Meanwhile, the vast share of Louisiana Country becomes a disputed no man's land, kept in some vague semblance of order by periodic British peace-keeping missions staged out of Canada. And naturally, Alaska remains Russian, but at some point secedes when oil is found, and becomes a cruel dictatorship based on oil wealth.
All of this can be achieved without any ASB. People who yell "ASB! ASB!" all the time just lack imagination.
Nothing in the European colonialism can result in the level of conflicts in the Middle East. Please note that the conflict goes back even up to Bronze age and the Iron age. The conflict existed even since then. It is a huge mishmash of ethnicities.
You get migrations from the North(Caucasus/Steppe),Northwest(Europe/Balkans),NorthEast(Steppes,Iran and Central Asia),Southeast(Iran),South(Arabia and Africa),Southwest(North Africa),West(accessable by all across the Europe and the Mediterranean)
and these regions being very diverse from each other and the History is very very complex compared to anywhere else.
Plus this is the birthplace of all the three major religions.
The effects and conflicts of the Middle East reverberates even in the nations farthest from there. That is the magnitude.
Except Geological or Evolution PODs,this is simply impossible to make North America exactly like the Middle East.
Conflicts in Latin America,Indian subcontinent,Africa,Europe exist no doubt. But these are conflicts that can be solved with just a change of type of Governments,more free markets and such. But solving conflicts in the Middle East require deeper solutions.
Okay So get competing religions with military and socio strength to compete..The POD is before 1900. It doesn't take an ASB to break laws of physics to make a very destructive version of North America. Hell you could with a POD of 1500 or even beforehand allowing several centuries of divergence and history to fall through
Create a scenario in which North America is a political and/or religious/cultural hotbed of tension that resembles the Middle East of our timeline.