WI No King Ashurbanipal

For those of you who aren't quite sure, Ashurbanipal was the last great king of the Assyrian Empire. In addition to a huge library and various military expeditions around the Middle East, he was also known for destroying the kingdom of Elam (and so it is implied by some, strengthening the Medians and Persians).

So my question is, how would the Assyrian Empire and the rest of the Middle East be affected if Ashurbanipal dies before becoming king? Would his replacements embark on the campaigns he did, and if not, what would that change?
 
This isn't my area of expertise but Shamash-shumu-ukin (is that how you spell it?) would become King of Assyria and Babylonia at the same time then, right? So that would mean no dual kings. I'm not sure how good he would be as a ruler though. After all, he lost against Ashurbanipal.
 
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