ThePest179
Banned
As it says in the title, what if the Taliban successfully destroys the Northern Alliance (at least six months) before 9/11 happens? How would the US War in Afghanistan be different without a clear local force to support?
An obvious choice would be Ahmed Shah Massud, if he'd be alive in that case.
Could that make the Americans give serious consideration to an alliance of convenience, or at least an understanding, with Iran?With out the Northern Alliance to serve as a base for Allied forces to land in, the United States will be even more handicapped (intially) when invading Afghanistan. However, they could arrange for passage through one of the neighbors of Afghanistan.
You probably need a different administration. The Bush administration (or at least the neoconservative wing that mostly drove foreign policy during his first term) was strongly opposed to Iran. There were tentative Iranian attempts at rapprochement (based on mutual hatred of the Taliban and Iraq), but they were pretty firmly rebuffed. Besides, the Sunni monarchies (especially Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States) absolutely would not support an alliance with Iran, and that's a concern even if the Iraq War wasn't in the cards. And for that matter, hardliners in Iran would be ambivalent at best about such an understanding.Could that make the Americans give serious consideration to an alliance of convenience, or at least an understanding, with Iran?
You probably need a different administration. The Bush administration (or at least the neoconservative wing that mostly drove foreign policy during his first term) was strongly opposed to Iran.