WI: 9/11 carried out by far-left extremists

Well if it does happen is done by a far left group or groups. The Culture War will ramp up to near Civil War. It will make the ugliness we have now seem like a 60's hippie Be-in. I shudder at the horror. As for what groups might do it,...unknown. There haven't been any with juice for decades. Not even in 2001. It would have to be something with overseas connections wealth direction, and indoctrination. Russia is unlikely. A rogue element within Chinese Intelligence possibly. This would be a cultural upheaval with profound consequences for the republic. A crack down on the press public meetings right of association. It would tear out the heart of what America means. Think Joe McCarthy, and Father Coughlin with armed followers. This facing left radicals organized armed, and just as nuts. The Reichstag Fire, and what it led to comes to mind. This perhaps what ideo-left-fanatics, and rogue overseas players would want.
 
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Folks, this is topic is not about "How plausible is it for far-left extremists to carry out a 9/11-esque attack" but "What happens after such an attack by far-left extremists".

Who does it is very important, though. You want it done by some sort of coalition, but who's in the coalition? Is it the FARC? The Shining Path? The Baader-Meinhof? Japanese Red Army? The PLO (not actually leftist, but deeply entangled with many of the other groups)? If the operation is carried out entirely by a combination of Americans and Westerners, be ready to see some heightened security, but that's about it. If the JRA's involved, it's time for some fun racism and clamping down by the Japanese government. Partially or entirely by South American factions? Get ready for a war that combines the worst aspects of Afghanistan and Vietnam.
 
One alternate possibility: the Weather Underground starts a large arson fire on one of the upper floors, that brings the North Tower down in 1975.

[ before the 1994 bombing attempt, and the subsequent full-building inspection and repairs, there was no sprinkler system, and numerous floors where the fireproofing had fallen off the steel support beams or never been applied in the first place, due to shoddy construction. A sufficiently bad 1970s fire fueled by normal office contents could've collapsed the structure ]

This would lead to a major political backlash against the Left, such that Ford (or Reagan) wins in 1976.
 
This isn't going to happen because the US security apparatus has always been first and foremost been dedicated to rooting out any hint of left-wing militancy.

Now far-right terrorists, on the other hand...
 

Art

Monthly Donor
Agreed, about right-wing terrorists, Oklahoma City was just a few years before. And right-wing groups can blend in the heartland of America, far better than Arabic or left-wing terrorists can. Besides, any domestic left wing terrorists would be getting long in the tooth probably.
 
As was mentioned for the left to even approach doing a 9/11 there'd need to be a POD in the 1970's at least. ...maybe earlier. Malcom X not killed? A more organized Black Panthers, and a coalition of SDS offshoots. They tried doing grass roots among the poor in that era. In this timeline perhaps they had some measure of success. So a radicalized generation of young Blacks, and increasingly down sized Whites. Think the #45 red caps the same families, but moved to the left. Remember not a few MAGA folks had voted for Obama hoping he really was bringing change. That failure gave us what we have now. Of course as I said before there'd be an overseas connection. Possibly several players. On the Day After when it becomes clear that Americans did this,...leftist ones. The best scenario might be what George Bush did at OTL's National Memorial Service. "We are in the midnight of our grief". I so remember this it's what a true national leader would do, and he did. This, and Bush with Secretary of State Powell taking the offensive in this narrative for unity, and not division might save us. If the President were killed,...remember the White House was a target. His trip to Florida butterflied away. If Chaney were the POTUS,...the reaction would be more brutal. People would be dusting off their copies of the "Turner Diaries" on the right, and Malcom X's "Ballot or the Bullet" on the left. Ultimately an asymmetrical Civil War that would still be going on. Similar to Columbia's at best, and Syria at worst. I can see no other than this.
 
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Instead of Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda carrying out 9/11, it is far-left extremists (either communists or anarchists would do) who carry out 9/11 (or a roughly similar attack) against the "symbols of capitalism"? What is the impact of such an attack being carried out by far-left extremists instead of jihadists? What happens next in the US and the world as a whole?
Interesting fact: OTL it’s said that a far-left terrorist group did try to take credit for 9/11:

https://web.archive.org/web/2001091...re.com/newswire/stories/20010911_3_meno.shtml
Japan's Red Army Claims Responsibility for US Attacks: Al Jazeerah
Middle East News Online
By Middle East News Online Reporter
Posted Tuesday September 11, 2001 - 01:38:29 PM EDT


Amman (MENO) - In an unconfirmed report, sources from the Amman offices of Al Jazeerah satellite news channel indicated that a call came in from a caller who was "speaking Arabic with an accent" claimed that the Japanese Red Army is claiming responsibility for today's attacks against U.S. targets in New York and Washington D.C.

Middle East News Online has been unable to verify these claims.

The communist group said that the attacks came in retaliation for US atomic bombs that killed thousands of Japanese in the World War II in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The Japanese Red Army is an international militant group formed around 1970 after breaking away from Japanese Communist League-Red Army Faction. The JRA was led by Fusako Shigenobu until her arrest in Japan in November 2000. The JRA's historical goal has been to overthrow the Japanese Government and monarchy and to help foment world revolution.

Earlier today, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine initially took responsibility, but later an official from the organization denied any involvement.

Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat condemned the attacks.

© 2001 Middle East News Online.
 
Interesting fact: OTL it’s said that a far-left terrorist group did try to take credit for 9/11:

https://web.archive.org/web/2001091...re.com/newswire/stories/20010911_3_meno.shtml

Given that
In April 2001, Shigenobu issued a statement from detention declaring the Japanese Red Army had disbanded, who said that their battles should be done by legal means.[/QUOTE], the call is likely a prank or someone want to take credit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Red_Army
 

Marc

Donor
For alternatives to be more than ASB, we need motive, means, opportunity. Without those, it becomes cartoonish. Oh yeah, the Shining Path does it, even though it's impossible, what happens to South America?
 
Folks, this is topic is not about "How plausible is it for far-left extremists to carry out a 9/11-esque attack" but "What happens after such an attack by far-left extremists".

The problem is the POD and type of leftist group affects the response. You’re getting probability questions because how these gaps in the premise are filled in dramatically changes the outcome.
 
For alternatives to be more than ASB, we need motive, means, opportunity. Without those, it becomes cartoonish. Oh yeah, the Shining Path does it, even though it's impossible, what happens to South America?

The motive is simple: there's hardly a bigger example of naked capitalism and globalism that the World Trade Center. We lose the strike on the Pentagon and White House, though.

Means and opportunity - about the same as al-Qaeda. There's no reason to assume that the Shining Path couldn't put together a few dozen folks to do the same thing. We're not talking about a suitcase nuke here.
 
The motive is simple: there's hardly a bigger example of naked capitalism and globalism that the World Trade Center. We lose the strike on the Pentagon and White House, though.

Means and opportunity - about the same as al-Qaeda. There's no reason to assume that the Shining Path couldn't put together a few dozen folks to do the same thing. We're not talking about a suitcase nuke here.

There are several problem with such notion:
1. Shining Path never had the sort of international backing and reach as al-Qaeda, JI or the secular pro-Palestine terrorists.
2. Shining Path mainly focused on activities in Peru and highly local in recruitment anyway, their aim is to topple Peru first; and
3. The capture of its leader in 1992 several affect Shining Path's capacity,

http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/ar...ysis-insurgency-and-counterinsurgency-tactics
Another significant weakness of the Shining Path was their inability to find sanctuary and outside support. Support from foreign governments can often mean the difference between success and failure for an insurgency. Unfortunately, the Shining Path ostracized themselves from other communist regimes as they made disparaging statements against the Soviet Union and China, which they described as ‘revisionist.’[xxviii] Furthermore, they refused to cooperate with the other leftist organizations within Peru. They often clashed and outright attacked Izquierda Unida (IU), “the coalition of Marxist parties that participates in Peru’s electoral process.”[xxix] The Shining Path took issue with the Left’s decision to participate in electoral politics after twelve years of military rule (1968-1980)...

Finally, as mentioned above, the Shining Path’s dependence on and reverence of Guzmán proved to be a fatal mistake as the organization became largely inactive after his September 12, 1992 capture. During the 18 months preceding his capture, approximately 3,600 Senderistas and rank-and-file members were either captured or surrendered themselves.[xxxix] It is important to note that his capture coincided with an offer of amnesty to his supporters under the Repentance Law.[xl] Having lost their Comrade Gonzalo, numerous rank-and-file members offered crucial intelligence to the Peruvian Armed Forces that allowed them greater insight into the insurgents’ plans. As Lewis Taylor explains, “The personality cult ultimately proved to be Sendero’s Achilles’ heel, in that the General Secretary’s arrest dented severely cadre morale and undermined the belief of many grass-roots Party members in a victorious outcome.”
 
Could hardliners come to power in Cuba durring the Special Period? If they fail to bring about an improvement in the economic situation they could assume their overthrow to be inevitable and decide to go out with a bang. They have the training facilities of Cubana at their disposal, and extensive contacts with radical organizations like FARC.
 
Could hardliners come to power in Cuba durring the Special Period? If they fail to bring about an improvement in the economic situation they could assume their overthrow to be inevitable and decide to go out with a bang. They have the training facilities of Cubana at their disposal, and extensive contacts with radical organizations like FARC.

The problem is that the Castro brothers are quite well-received and it would be difficult to overthrow themselves. Moreover, most authoritarian regime does not want to go out with a bang. Exile and living in luxurious house arrest is a better alternative. At the end of the day, fanatical ideologues rarely reached the position of national leader.
 
The problem with taking another random actor is that terrorism demand several thing

1: Money to finance the terror act.
2: A large group of sympathisers where talent can be recruited
3: Experience
4: Motive to hit the target in question

There doesn't exist any Left Wing terror groups, who live up to all these four point. In fact post-9/11 no group have been able to commit a similar act of terror. In fact it was only because of the willingness of the Saudi and American states to ignore Al Qaeda in the year up to 2001 which enable Al Qaeda to grow organized enough and gain the necessary experience to commit this act of terror. A Left Wong terror group would never be ignored long enough to develop the tools to commit this terror act. The only example of a left wing terror group which would be able to do it would be IRA, and they lack motive and it goes against their usual modus operandi.
 
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