Ahmed Shah Massoud was perhaps the most capable leader in Afghanistan on September 9th, 2001. He supported women's rights to a decent extent and ws capable of controlling his troops and weeding out corruption. (link)
Lets say he wasn't killed on September 9th, as in OTL. Perhaps his would-be assassins are more thoroughly searched and their bomb is found, or something similar. The September 11th attacks still take place as OTL, but when the Northern Alliance begins to take over Afghanistan with US help, they have a capable leader. Massoud will almost certainly be tapped by the US to become President of Afghanistan. What then? Will Afghanistan be better off today? Will the War on Terror overall go better?
Some things to consider; Massoud was a Tajik. The ethnically Pashtun Taliban may fight harder against him than they do against Karzai, especially since he was their Enemy No.1 for all the years they were in power.
Lets say he wasn't killed on September 9th, as in OTL. Perhaps his would-be assassins are more thoroughly searched and their bomb is found, or something similar. The September 11th attacks still take place as OTL, but when the Northern Alliance begins to take over Afghanistan with US help, they have a capable leader. Massoud will almost certainly be tapped by the US to become President of Afghanistan. What then? Will Afghanistan be better off today? Will the War on Terror overall go better?
Some things to consider; Massoud was a Tajik. The ethnically Pashtun Taliban may fight harder against him than they do against Karzai, especially since he was their Enemy No.1 for all the years they were in power.