Home Page

Announcements 

Alternate Histories

International Edition

List of Updates

Want to join?

Join Writer Development Section

Writer Development Member Section

Join Club ChangerS

Editorial

Chris Comments

Book Reviews

Blog

Letters To The Editor

FAQ

Links Page

Terms and Conditions

Resources

Donations

Alternate Histories

International Edition

Alison Brooks

Fiction

Essays

Other Stuff

Authors

If Baseball Integrated Early

Counter-Factual.Net

Today in Alternate History

This Day in Alternate History Blog

Pax Here, Pax There
 

If the world had not already dramatically changed in the few previous years, soon it would do so in an almost instant fashion. Events would soon unfold which would ensure that wars of unimaginable scope would ravage the planet like none before. Yet, although there was much tension around the Earth, there was nothing apparent currently to forewarn of this future.

Nonetheless, the world had pretty much split into two camps. The "old world", as labelled by President Drache, still clung around the symbols of the United Nations. The "new world order", on the other hand, now circled around the banner of the Community of Nations lead by the United States. Neither, however, talked of conflict with the other. And neither wanted to. But whilst the UN continued to debate the world’s problems, the CN was actually doing something about them. A few years ago, the United States, in dramatic fashion, began to police the borders of Israel & Palestine. Although at first, some engagements took place between the Americans, rebel Israelis & Palestinians, things soon settled down.

Along with the creation of the CN, these American units now had their mandate transferred to the CN. Furthermore other countries contributed to this force, but in reality they need not have bothered. By now, both Israel & Palestine, not to mention the border areas shared with Lebanon & Syria, were at peace. It was a remarkable achievement in the peace process, something never done before by anyone.

Having said that, minorities in both countries were not overly happy. Some hardline orthodox Jews & Hamas members viewed the American involvement as nothing more than occupation. This was far from the truth, but that did not matter to these people. At first, Hamas tried to take on the Americans head on, but after six months, their fighting arm was all but destroyed. Thereafter peace followed & the great bulk of people on both sides of the border soon found that it was well worth the so called American occupation.

Still, Hamas & other Palestinian groups continued with their resistance albeit in a non-military manner. Ironically this reflected the Jewish resistance in many respects. Nonetheless, both groups, after their initial failures, began to plan & decided to wait for the opportune moment to recommence military operations. Even here, the militant Jewish groups, although not as organised or as experienced as their Palestinian counterparts, had decided to join Hamas in violent actions.

Of course, such things do not go unnoticed, especially in Israel. Politics thus began to catch up in these things. The Israeli secret intelligence service, MOSSAD, soon discovered that some Jewish groups were considering violent action against the American border guards. The Israeli government, however, refused permission for MOSSAD  to intervene. In fact they were ordered to stop any action against these groups.

In a similar fashion, MOSSAD, had also discovered that Hamas was preparing to recommence their military actions, but this time against the Americans & not against Israel. Once more, regardless of MOSSAD’s recommendations, the Israeli government forbad their intelligence agency from doing anything. It appeared that the government had started to get second thoughts on American activity in their country. Maybe it was time for Israel to look after its own security or, far more importantly, reassert its independence from the USA.
 

Grand Openings
 

These things, however, were far from the mind of President Drache. Even the CIA were not aware of the possible eruption of any warfare in Israel. More to the point, American eyes were either watching North Korea or Iran. North Korea, however, although making the usually noises about war, was doing nothing unusual on the Peninsular. As a result, America simply continued to watch.

Iran, though, had become a different matter. Rumblings of change in Iran had started in 2003 when students began protests against the governing religious leaders. Although very little direct support came from the outside, nonetheless the warning signs were there for the religious leaders. Little was done, however, on the issue of reforms. The protests soon blew over, although the tension within Iran remained. That would change.

As reforms had swept several countries in the Middle East, so too the population of Iran demanded reforms. At the time Drache was about to officially open Babylon, it became very apparent to everyone that America & the CN would not sit ideally by & allow the religious leaders of Iran to continue to rule without major reforms. Ironically, however, even the Iranian protesters rejected American help. As far as all Iranians were concerned, this was a domestic matter & the last country they wanted help from was the United States.

Still, as Drache announced to the world that Babylon would become the world’s economic capital whilst inviting multinational corporations & governments to set up offices there, Iran began to fall into civil war. The UN decided to do nothing about it, as it was an internal affair. The CN announced that it was prepared to get involved, but as said, both sides in the civil war told the CN to keep out. Iran’s business was its own business. A few weeks later, however, the Iranian Civil War was over. The reformists had won an overwhelming victory. The country, though, was a mess. There was little in the way of an organised government. Even the military structure had been torn asunder as the military had split between the religious leadership & the reformists. The country was in chaos.

Nonetheless, Drache still offered the hand of peace to the new Iran. Speaking at the opening & dedication of the new Temple of Jerusalem, Drache spoke of peace & hope. "This building should be seen as the example of that. A few years ago, this Temple was impossible, but with peace, it is a monument of  peace. In such an atmosphere, then, I offer the hand of peace to Iran. It is possible because we stand here in a place of reality made from the impossible".

Drache would never get the chance to finish his speech. As his voice echoed throughout the Temple, a gunshot was heard. Drache fell to the floor with a shot to the head. Security soon surrounded the American President as several officers scuffled with a man in the crowd. An Orthodox Jewish  man, one David Judah, had ingeniously smuggled a single shot pistol, made of plastic & concealed in a religious artefact, into the Temple. Under the orders from God, as he claimed, he was out to kill the great Evil One. The message of peace to Iran was, needless to say, lost in the commotion of the assassination attempt.

Drache, even with the head wound, did not die. In fact, as it turned out, he was not all that badly injured, even though the initial appearance of the bullet wound appeared deadly. The .22 calibre bullet, although well aimed, had hit Drache on the forehead above the left eye at a 25 degree angle. Drache may have had a large chunk of skin ripped off, but the bone of the skull, along with the angle of the impact, forced the bullet to bounce off Drache’s head sending it harmlessly into a wooden panel nearby. All Drache received was a flesh wound & a really bad headache.

To everyone present, however, it appeared that Drache had been killed by a bullet to the head. A minute later, though, Drache arose from the floor surrounded by several body guards whom he pushed away. It appeared that a miracle had taken place. It appeared that Drache had risen from the dead, when in fact it was simple ballistics. Nonetheless, having said that, Drache was one very lucky man all the same.
 

War on Terrorism
 

For the people who had organised the assassination attempt on Drache, however, they were far from lucky.  The United States military went immediately into action. Showing absolute contempt for Israeli sovereignty, American units moved upon known hardliner Jewish organisations. It did not matter whether they were involved at all with David Judah. As far as Drache was concerned, they were all guilty by association.

Complaints by the Israeli government got nowhere. Not only did the Arab world support the actions of the American, but even Hamas put on hold indefinitely its plans to attack the American border guards. For whatever reason, it appeared for all intents & purposes, that with the assassination attempt by a Jew upon the American President, the Americans had gone mad. All previous indications that the Americans were allies of Israel disappeared  overnight.

Officially, however, this was not the case. Anyone not associated with the hardline Jewish groups in Israel were not touched. Even in the USA, such Jewish groups were not attacked by anyone. That is not to say, though, that the FBI were not watching them as usual, but Drache made it clear he was only after those organisations in Israel that tried to kill him.

The Palestinians, for their efforts, joined the side of the Americans & supplied them with whatever information that they had on these Israeli groups. MOSSAD was left on the sidelines totally powerless. The Israeli government was basically in a similar situation as any intervention, on their behalf, meant a possible war, not only with the USA, but with the Arab members of the CN as well.

Protests, though, came in from everywhere & not only from Israeli citizens outraged by the actions of the United States. Soon, even though the American incursions into Israel soon ceased, after the hardline Jewish organisations were smashed, the crisis was far from over. As those Jew who had been arrested by the Americans were soon put on trial in American military courts, passions only increased in Israel.

In all of this mess, Israel was not entirely left alone. The Russians took the matter up in the UN General Assembly & in the Security Council, even though Israel was no longer a member of that global organisation. But even as the American courts began to convict numerous people as associates of David Judah, the UN could do nothing but merely discuss the situation.

Naturally the majority of the CN, who had also been meeting over the situation, supported the actions of the United States. This was somewhat a given considering a large block of the CN was made up of Middle Eastern countries & their allies. Regardless of the position taken by Israel, it would always thus be outvoted by sheer weight of numbers. And although the American incursions had ended, Israel’s humiliation at watching many of its citizens deported & found guilty in a foreign country’s courts appeared unending.

In the middle of all this fuss, it was announced that Jerusalem would become the nominal capital of the CN. Although the administrative capital would continue to be New York, Drache decided that making Jerusalem the capital would be seen as a gesture, on his behalf, that he meant no threat towards Israel. The business in arresting the Jewish militants was nothing more than a judicial procedure in response to the attempted assassination. The Israeli leadership, however, was not so certain.

The Palestinians, moreover, were delighted by the decision to make Jerusalem the capital of the CN.  Fundamentally it was international recognition that Palestine was indeed independent & above all an important nation in the overall global scheme of things. It also ensured that Israel could no longer attempt to keep sovereignty over the entire city.  Instead, Palestine believed that they would be favoured with any future administration of the city. But possibly the most important impact would wealth. It meant money would flow into Palestine as result of the new status of Jerusalem. It would thus be an arrangement which the Palestinians  could not refuse.
 

Falling Out
 

The business in Jerusalem certainly caught the attention of the world. Not only did the assassination attempt on Drache get mixed  reaction, but so too did the announcement of Jerusalem as the "world capital" according to the French President. But it was dissatisfaction in Israel which would begin future events. The population, & several members of the government, realised that by Jerusalem becoming the "world capital", it would never become Israel’s capital. Although, at first, this dissatisfaction would be nothing more than "the usual religious rubbish", according to  Drache & many others, it was the beginning.

If Israel’s second thoughts on the CN seemed trivial, though, the reaction by Russia was another thing entirely. Having had various boycotts placed upon it by America & its allies, Russia had lost much aid let alone trade with a large part of the world. Only the aid from the Europeans, & the remnants of the UN, kept the Russian people from starvation. The government did everything it could in order to change the situation except for joining the CN. Naturally Drache dangled this carrot out to Russia, but an elderly President Putin continued to refuse to take it.

There were various other reactions to all this in Russia, however. These ranged from giving in to Drache in order to get the aid, to using the military to force a solution. Putin, until the assassination attempt on Drache, refused the military option, but then changed his mind afterwards. For some reason, Putin all of a sudden, saw a major vulnerability in Drache. It was a mistake, though, as Putin did not take into account Drache’s reaction to the religious extremists who supported the would-be assassin. Nonetheless, Putin agreed to the plan to make the United States & the CN take note of Russia & to treat her seriously.

What happened next did not, though, take the military of the United States by surprise. Their spy satellites saw it coming. The trick was, what would be their response. Other than a nuclear attack, the likes of which no one wanted to contemplate, the United States & the CN would have to use a large conventional army in order to intervene. This option was not as hard as it would seem, as numerous assets were already in place in the Middle East, but everyone knew that they would need many more. Still, at least the USA/CN forces could contain the Russian moves until reinforcements arrived.

Everything, according to the military chiefs, seemed in order until Drache found out about the situation. Being still heavily involved with the assassination aftermath, the American military chiefs had decided not to tell Drache everything about what the Russians were up to. Instead they said that the Russians were "… conducting army  sized manoeuvres". Drache, after being fully informed via his own sources, believed different as secretly did his military chiefs. In fact it was hard to tell the difference between manoeuvres & preparations for an invasion. Either way, Drache decided to wait & let the Russians do whatever it was they were really planning.

He did not have to wait long. Ten days before Christmas, the Iranians received a surprise Christmas present. Taking advantage of a nation still in chaos, close to 500 000 Russian troops crossed the border into Iranian territory in an unprovoked invasion. Citing ridiculous reasons for the military action, although claims about Iranian aid to Chechen rebels were somewhat valid, the Russians wasted no time with their Iranian military counterparts & had achieved initial success by Christmas. Of course the world exploded into a rage against the Russians, although the criticism from the USA & the CN was not as harsh as that from Europe & the UN.

Drache could not believe his political luck. Here was Russia, possibly his most dangerous critic, invading America’s most probable enemy other than North Korea. Furthermore, Europe, especially France & Germany, made it very clearto the Russians, at first,  that they were opposed to this Russian adventure & threaten to cut all aid & trade. The UN, in a similar voice, echoed the same attitude to the Russians as Europe. Putin, however, ignored  the flood of complaints & declarations against him & ordered his military to continue the job.

The Europeans, though, fell short of cutting all ties with Russia. The Chancellor of Germany noticed it first, then followed by the French leader, that little protest had come from Drache or the CN. Although it was not clear at first, it was realised in France & Germany that such a split between the Europans & the Russians would be exactly what Drache wanted. Already the CN isolation efforts at Russia had forced the Russians into this drastic effort. By taking advantage of this Iran-Russian war, however, Russia would become thoroughly isolated. And an isolated Russia, already at war, would be a very dangerous thing for Europe.

By New Years Day, however, two things would come about which ensured that, regardless of Drache’s manipulation of events, he did not get what he wanted. The first was the refusal of France & Germany to cut ties with the Russians in protest over their invasion of Iran. The second was the gallant defence by the Iranians conducted in the second week of the war. This was unexpected by everyone, especially after the initial Russian success, but the Iranians threw themselves at the invaders. By New Years Day, Tehran had been successfully defended & the Russian invasion had more or less halted. Although the Iranians were far from driving the Russians out of their country, it was clear that the Russian invasion had been stopped.

To wreak further Drache’s hopes, the UN commenced a diplomatic campaign, with both Iran & Russia, which appeared to at least have the two countries talking, albeit indirectly. Naturally the UN hoped that much more could be achieved, but for now it was a promising start.  Drache realised that he would have to likewise get involved now somehow as events seemed to be going against his plans. If the diplomacy conducted by the UN was indeed successful, then nothing would be achieved out of these events.

In fact, by New Years Day, the CN was not looking all that good. It had almost had its defacto leader assassinated. Its reaction on the Jewish religious extremists was beginning to cause trouble with Israel. Furthermore, a few CN member countries, lead by Australia, had begun criticising Drache for what appeared to be "the policy of bloody revenge" as Australia’s Foreign Minister suggested. And finally, the CN appeared to be totally impedient with the events occurring right next to its borders in Iran. Although Iraq was safe from any of the fighting taking place in its neighbour, the CN military sat there & did nothing. It was a far cry from other international events over the last few years & the so-called "hand of peace" offered to Iran only recently.
 

On to Year Four

Please Comment In The Discussion Forum