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Originally Posted by David Johnston2
Wouldn't that just transfer the animus to IST and the UN so instead of hitting the twin towers, the U.N. building becomes a target? Of course in a world where the Palestinians are slinging around tactical nukes that would still be small beer.
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It might. But consider that in OTL, Al-Qaeda attacked the WTC twice - first "conventionally" (which didn't work) and then a few years later with a pair of aircraft (which did work). Trying that against an IST embassy would only make them targets after the first, unsuccessful, attack. Not only are the embassies heavily armored, they also have psychics on staff... or, at the worst, on loan from another embassy. Announcing their existence that way is pretty much the equivalent of hanging targets on their own backs.
Consider also that the IST isn't made up solely of forces from countries that don't have Islam as a state religion. That's a big part of why Al-Qaeda doesn't like us in OTL, and it doesn't apply in the IST timeline.
The Middle East in the IST world is way down on the list of threats - China and Cuba are the hot spots in that world.