WI: Terrorist Attacks Performed by Russian Agents Instead of Al-Qaeda?

What if, instead of Islamic fundamentalist terrorists tied to al-Qaeda, Russian agents tied to Moscow performed the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, or an equivalent attack? What responses would the Russian and United States Governments take?
 
Last edited:
Why Russians would do that? Even during Cold War on its most tensed time Russians couldn't even think anything such stupid thing. This would lead to WW3 and evne Putin knows that.
 
Why would Russians do that? Even during the Cold War in its most tense time Russians couldn't even think anything so stupid. This would lead to WW3 and even Putin knows that.
Would the United States criticizing Russia for the Second Chechen War or improving relations with Georgia be a good reason?
 
Would the United States criticizing Russia for the Second Chechen War or improving relations with Georgia be a good reason?
No, no it would not.

Responding to criticism or nonviolent political power plays with bloody mass murder is not something rational governments do. Even the Russian oligarchy/kleptocracy knows better than this. Basic diplomacy is tit-for-tat, not wild escalation.

Al-Qaeda and ISIS do crazy shit like that, but we all agree those two aren't rational.

Quite simply, to do something on the scale of 9/11 would require an act of war, or an American bomber flattening St. Petersburg. Or terrorists blowing up downtown Moscow and then being revealed as CIA operatives.

And even then, Russia would be better served by presenting evidence of wrongdoing to the UN and ruin America's reputation worldwide.
 
Last edited:
Would the United States criticizing Russia's conduct in Chechnya be a good reason?

No. This is insanely risky, especially since the US response to the second Chechen war didn't go much beyond verbal condemnation. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/cli...ions-on-russia-over-chechen-conflict-1.259244 Even if the US had imposed serious sanctions, Russia would be more likely to respond with counter-sanctions, developing closer ties to other powers worried about US "hegemony," more pressure on the "near abroad" etc. Not the insane act of mass terrorism (whose sponsorship could not be effectively concealed) against a nuclear power...
 
Would the United States criticizing Russia for the Second Chechen War or improving relations with Georgia be a good reason?

No, if Russian govenment is not totally insane. It doesn't answer to criticism with terrorism. After all even in OTL Russia haven't made terrorist attacks against European nations or USA after they put sanctions over Crimea. Putin is many things but he is not suicidal idiot.
 
What if, instead of Islamic fundamentalist terrorists tied to al-Qaeda, Russian agents tied to Moscow performed the domestic terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, or an equivalent attack? What responses would the Russian and United States Governments take?
Milosovic threatened such domestic things.
 
Last edited:
I agree with the posters who are saying the premise of this thread is utter nonsense and Russia would never do this. Moreover, it fundamentally misunderstands the rationale behind "terrorism". Terrorism is a perfectly rational (albeit evil) choice of a party acting from a position of extreme weakness. The point of terrorism is to get your enemy to massively overreact so that the terrorists gain popularity. Russia is not acting from a position of extreme weakness. Moreover, if for some irrational reason Russia did this it would be an obvious act of war justifying traditional war measures (bombing blockades up to invading Russia).
 
What if, instead of Islamic fundamentalist terrorists tied to al-Qaeda, Russian agents tied to Moscow performed the domestic terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, or an equivalent attack? What responses would the Russian and United States Governments take?
Maybe rogue Serbian security elements fit better for the role. NATO Intervention had been not long long ago then. Milosovic Made threats into this direction during that time.
 
Last edited:
What if, instead of Islamic fundamentalist terrorists tied to al-Qaeda, Russian agents tied to Moscow performed the domestic terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, or an equivalent attack? What responses would the Russian and United States Governments take?

Unless the Kremlin went insane, anyone who brought this up would be laughed out of Dodge
 
I agree with the posters who are saying the premise of this thread is utter nonsense and Russia would never do this. Moreover, it fundamentally misunderstands the rationale behind "terrorism". Terrorism is a perfectly rational (albeit evil) choice of a party acting from a position of extreme weakness. The point of terrorism is to get your enemy to massively overreact so that the terrorists gain popularity. Russia is not acting from a position of extreme weakness. Moreover, if for some irrational reason Russia did this it would be an obvious act of war justifying traditional war measures (bombing blockades up to invading Russia).

And anyone who gives such order or permission should assure participants that it is needful and accedptable. If Putin would go to secretly suggest that someone anyone wouldn't take him seriously and they would want that USA will answer that with all power. Russians should really feel that it is acceptable action.
 
What if, instead of Islamic fundamentalist terrorists tied to al-Qaeda, Russian agents tied to Moscow performed the domestic terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, or an equivalent attack?
Why Russians would do that?
No. This is insanely risky,
No, if Russian govenment is not totally insane... After all even in OTL Russia haven't made terrorist attacks against European nations or USA
But... but... but... everyone from Chechen exiles to FSB defectors to Ukrainian TV and digital media to Radio Free Europe to Georgian academia to Russian independent anti-Putin journalists to a Sunni religious leader have ALL assured me that the Kremlin is the true puppet-master controlling outfits like al-Qaeda & ISIS and that the Paris/Brussels/Barcelona jihadist attacks that took place over the last few years were actually false-flag operations carried out by Spetsnaz on Putin’s orders.

Now you’re telling me that all those sources are wrong? I am shocked! Shocked I tell you! My whole world-view has been flipped on its head. :eek: :rolleyes:

In all seriousness, with Western establishments now adopting the time-honoured Eastern European tradition of framing everything form long-standing social issues to national disasters to electoral outcomes as being part of some nefarious Russian plot it wouldn’t surprise me if in a few years time it’ll be “common knowledge” in the West that Putin orchestrated 9/11 and anyone arguing otherwise would be labelled a “Kremlin propagandist”. :frown:
 
Last edited:
Maybe a WTC bombing in 1993 during an extended former-USSR Civil War, by whichever side isn't in control/doesn't have the nukes, to try and get us to attack Moscow. Too far into Tom Clancy territory?
 
If the Russians had carried out the 9/11 attacks and been found out we wouldn't be able to have this discussion. This is an act of war, and the only response to it is war. War between NATO and Russia will escalate into a full nuclear exchange and end civilisation in the Northern Hemisphere.
 
Last edited:
If the Russians had carried out the 9/11 attacks and been found out we wouldn't be able to have this discussion. This is an act of war, and the only response to it is war. War between NATO and Russian will escalate into a full nuclear exchange and end civilisation in the Northern Hemisphere.

This. Literally the only thing that could stop it would be Russia immediately handing over responsible parties without question or argument.
 
Top