I Did Not Inhale: A World Without Osama Bin Laden

Ok, this is the thread for my new timeline, I Did Not Inhale: A World Without Osama Bin Laden. The first part of the title is a quote from Bill Clinton. It has very little to do with the context of that quote, I just needed something from Slick Willy for a catchy title.

Anywho, the basis of this timeline is that there is no 9-11. The PoD is that the cruise missile attack on Afghanistan is successful in killing Osama Bin Laden. This leads to there being no 9-11. George Bush will still win the 2000 election, but he won't have 9-11 as a rallying cry during his presidency.

Before I go any further, is anyone interested? I haven't seen any no-911 time lines before, and so I didn't know if they weren't interesting or no one has been able to write one.
 
I'd be totally stoked to see how this pans out...

What happens with the Taliban? Do they keep on supporting terrorist activities? Would Al-Qaeda still have somewhat of a grudge against the US for killing its leader?

Assuming nothing earthshaking happens in the foreign sphere would we see a more domestically-minded Bush presidency in which he ultimately goes down as an unremarkable right-wing president but noticeably less of the deeply polarizing figure he is today?

Just an inkling of a thought, but maybe a more domestically-minded Bush would pay more attention to economic issues, some high-end mathematician might even see the writing on the wall and get the word out about the recession.
 
I Did Not Inhale:
A World Without Osama Bin Laden
In 1996, after years of fighting, the Taliban, and Islamist extremist regime, seized power in Afghanistan. That same year the World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders(WIFJAJC), Sponsored by Osama Bin Laden, was formed. The group was eventually renamed Al-Qaeda. Before residing in Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda received refuge in Sudan after an Islamist Coup d'état led by Colonel Omar al-Bashir, where they set up training camps. After several failed asassination attempts on Egyptian President Mubarack, and tense relations with Saudi Arabia, Sudan expelled Al-Qaeda and bin Laden.

On August 7thof 1998, Al-Qaeda launched several attacks in East Africa. US embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and in Nairobi, Kenya. The attacks were carried out in the form of truck bombs. Hundreds of People were killed. This attack brought Osama bin Laden to US public attention for the first time.

Kenya_bombing_1.jpg

In response to this attack, Clinton planed one of his own. Some believe that his decision to attack bin Laden and Al-Qaeda was merely an attempt to distract people from the Lewinsky Scandal. Bill Clinton ordered Operation Infinite Reach for August 20th. He fired cruise missiles, flying over Pakistan, to hit several targets in Afghanistan. They had originally planned to also attack a Pharmaceutical Factory Sudan that the Clinton Administration feared was making Chemical Weapons, but at the last minute decided not to and just focus on Afghanistan. Bill Clinton announced the planned strike in a prime time television address.

The cruise missiles hit their intended targets. Among the dead are said to be Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Osama bin Laden. Unbeknownst to world and himself, William Jefferson Clinton just killed one of the greatest threats to world security. This, however, would not stop the onslaught of the media and Congress on him. After the Lewinsky Scandal blew over, he spent the rest of his presidency in quiet. In November of 2000, his Vice President, Al Gore, would lose the presidential election to Republican candidate, George Walker Bush.

Feature_inauguration-01.jpg
 
The PoD is that the cruise missile attack on Afghanistan is successful in killing Osama Bin Laden. This leads to there being no 9-11. George Bush will still win the 2000 election, but he won't have 9-11 as a rallying cry during his presidency.

Before I go any further, is anyone interested? I haven't seen any no-911 time lines before, and so I didn't know if they weren't interesting or no one has been able to write one.

A lightning hitting Osama Bin Laden while on a mountain trip is more probable. :D
 
A lightning hitting Osama Bin Laden while on a mountain trip is more probable. :D

Not only that, but I doubt the death of Bin-Laden would stop 9-11 from happening. The only differences would be what would be targeted, when the attack was launched, and how effective it is.

I'm pretty sure that short of the radical islamist's getting ISOTed to some random planetoid in the depths of space, America will experience something similar (or perhaps worse) than 9-11.
 
Guys he didn't say there would be no terrorist attack, just there would be no 9/11.

Whether or not it was inevitable is up for debate, but lets just sit back and give the author more then a few posts to continue.
 
This needs an earlier and more realistic POD. The Democrats probably still lose control of the White House as a result of the 2000 elections, but OBL needs to perish before 1994 to slow or prevent the advance of neoconservatism in the new century.
 
Just so you know, there will be a terrorist attack, however it will be delayed several years. So you will have a US that has become more complacent.
 
With Bin Laden dead, it's worth noting that it's likely the Millennium Plot and the USS Cole plot might fizzle.
It should also be noted that Bush's business connections to the Bin Laden family were mentioned then, so conspiracy theorists would still tar him with that. (See Beatty and Gwynne, "The Outlaw Bank")
Finally, would we still go into Iraq? If so, expect a lot more scrutiny on Bush... (Though he could escape if they point out that Hussein Kamil said Iraq had no WMD...back when Clinton was in office, but before Desert Fox.)
 
Just wondering, what are the possibilities of a 9-11 like attack on any other country in the world? Like the UK, France, Germany, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia? If the US wasn't hit with a major terrorist attack, then who would be the second most likely candidate?
 
Also to consider: 9/11 and terrorism fears were used to help drive the Republicans to victory in the '02 midterms. So with no 9/11 as a major political shift, or if attack is late enough, it's unlikely that the Republicans would regain the Senate following the Jim Jeffords switch. Max Cleland is probably the only seat that isn't really affected, as many of the attacks that Chambliss used have no validity without the impetus for the creation of DHS. Republicans would also likely loose a few House seats.
 
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