Contribute some ideas for a "What if?" Paper?

I have this midterm paper I'm writing for my history class: What if Al-Qaeda did not attack America on September 11, 2001?


I have two books; one on the Patriot act; the other on Civil liberties in a Post-9/11 world.





What are some good ideas to include (e.g., Bush would have not been re-elected in 2004.) The paper has a 5-8 page requirement. I was thinking along the lines of American legislation; politics, the economy; "The War on Terror" and so on...





What do you think would happen, and how could I incorporate that into my paper? Thanks in advance.





%26gt;%26gt;There were no good sections; so I always turn to my trusty LGBT =] (So don't ask please.)

Contribute some ideas for a "What if?" Paper?
There would have not been such a justification for war in Iraq, and the US would have been more likely to have had to prove Weapon's of Mass Destruction in the forum of the United Nations. Since the US could not prove WMD's, there would either have not been a war in Iraq or it would have been much different in it's scope with a larger number of other nations participating. There would not have been the scandal of Abu Ghraib with pictures of prisoner abuse being circulated worldwide portraying the US as inhumane, as well as Guantanamo Bay not becoming a prison for suspected terrorists nor the passage of the Patriot Act curtailing civil liberties. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act authorized secret court proceedings prior to the Patriot Act, but the Patriot Act allowed investigations without the court approval that was previously required.





One of the largest "What If" scenarios is the 2002 mid term congressional elections. Bush had a very low popularity rating stemming from his questionable election decided by the Supreme Court. In all likelihood, the Democratic Party would have taken control of both Houses of Congress in 2002. (The actual 2002 elections resulted in a Republican President seeing his party gain House seats for the first time in over 100 years). Bush would not have been able to get some of his more controversial lifetime Judicial nominations approved by the Senate.





There is also what al-Qaeda said was the reason for 9/11... the Palestinian question. The West Bank is now ruled by the Fatah party, while Gaza is ruled by Hamas. This divide would have been unlikely prior to 9/11, but afterwards Muslim extremists felt more empowered which also led to Israels brief war with Lebanon.





Without 9/11, there would (most likely)...


-Not be a war in Afghanistan.


-Not be a war in Iraq.


-Not have been an Israeli-Lebanese War.


-Not be a Patriot Act.


-Not be a judiciary composed of Bush's preferred highly-conservative nominees.


-Not be less American world influence diluted by Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.


-Not be an Iranian or North Korean government willing to become confrontational with the US after Bush called those nations an 'Axis of Evil'... military weaknesses exposed by the Iraq war and decreased military recruitment levels have made those governments feel more empowered.


-Not be such a high rise in gasoline prices, due to the volatility in the Arab world caused by market speculation regarding the Iraq war and the questionable status of Iran which has led to a downturn in the US economy.
Reply:You might wanna try including an emotional overview as well as legal and factual. The current psychological state of the Western and Eastern worlds would be slightly better I think, both in terms of actual countries and their native people and communities living within other countries. The state of fear and paranoia we have been forced to live in would not be as strong, and hostilities between Western and Eastern cultures would not be as apparent.





On a personal note, I believe if you guys hadn't of had 9/11, we wouldn't have had the 7/7 bombings or the rest of the trouble we've been having recently.
Reply:That huge waste of money, Homeland Security wouldn't exist. CIA would remain at the top of the intelligence ladder. The Taliban would remain in control of Afghanistan. Iraq would just be a place "over there". I believe that Ariel Sharon wouldn't have taken such dramatic steps as creating the barrier without the events of 9-11. Libya would still have WMD. The US economy wouldn't be trillions and trillions of dollars in debt.The US wouldn't be have the scorn of most of the world. Of course we wouldn't really be liked, I mean bosom buddy liked, but at least they wouldn't be afraid of what we will do.
Reply:Good question. I assume the topic implies there was no attack at all or does it imply that 9/11 was the fault of another terrorist organisation like the CIA?





If it is the former then you will need to research the US foreign policy, domestic policy etc parameters of the time (aims, strategies etc) from both the republican and democratic perspective (as there is no guarantee that Bush would have been re-elected) and apply possible outcomes to the period since 9/11.





You could also consider the world perspective %26amp; the US relationships with the Coalition of the Willing (espcially Britain %26amp; Australia), the Middle East, the UN %26amp; Al-Qaeda to name a few.





I think the 5-8 page restriction will in the end be insufficient as the topic will able you to explore many possibilities.





Good luck
Reply:Well yes, Dubya wouldn't have been reelected. Our economy would be much better off. We would not be involved in a war in Afghanistan (or maybe in Iraq)..








Sorry, that's all I can think of, I've been cramming for my Latin and AP Biology midterms all night!
Reply:In addition to the other suggestions, you could describe the renewed focus on immigration reform (with a new rationale-- national security). Oh, and maybe Rosie O'Donnell would be stuck on some JFK assassination conspiracy.