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The Authorization for Use of Military Force law wouldn’t have been passed -

Public Law 107-40, or the Authorization for Use of Military Force, was a law passed in 2001 authorizing military action.

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The Authorization for Use of Military Force law wouldn’t have been passed -

The law allowed President George W. Bush to use military force against any person, organization, or country that may have been involved in the 9/11 attacks.

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The Authorization for Use of Military Force law wouldn’t have been passed -

The law has been criticized as a sort of blank check, as it allows for military action to be initiated against those who might be involved in terrorist attacks in the US in the future. So far, this has allowed for military action to take place in several countries.

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Wall Street wouldn’t have changed so much -

Many financial companies had headquarters in the World Trade Center. Companies such as Cantor Fitzgerald, American Express, Bank of New York, and Morgan Stanley lost hundreds of employees in the attacks.

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Wall Street wouldn’t have changed so much -

Many firms relocated to other areas of the city. Even the Nasdaq stock exchange moved from NYC's financial district to Times Square.

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Wall Street wouldn’t have changed so much -

What was previously almost exclusively a financial district became more economically diversified, including the introduction of residential areas and shopping spaces.

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There would be no Patriot Act -

The Patriot Act was passed after 9/11. This piece of legislation allowed for the expansion of federal surveillance.

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There would be no Patriot Act -

Under the Patriot Act, any American suspected of being involved in terrorism could be subject to surveillance without their knowledge.

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There would be no Patriot Act -

The mass surveillance approach was criticized by many Americans, who saw it as a violation of both the First and the Fourth Amendment.

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There would be no Patriot Act -

The extent of the impact of government mass surveillance was disclosed to the public by whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013.

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Warrantless spot checks would probably not be allowed -

Following 9/11, warrantless searches became normal among commuters in the US. The nation was divided about the measure, with critics claiming it violated the Fourth Amendment.

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Warrantless spot checks would probably not be allowed -

Was it a necessary evil? According to Drake Law Review, “suspicionless searches pose a threat to the personal privacy that Americans enjoy, but terrorism poses an equally compelling threat that the nation must confront.”

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Flying would be a lot easier -

The 2001 Aviation Security and Transportation Act created the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which introduced a number of anti-terror measures.

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Flying would be a lot easier -

The new measures created longer wait times at airports, and their effectiveness in preventing terrorist attacks is still up for debate.

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Flying would be a lot easier -

In fact, during an internal investigation in 2015, undercover Homeland Security agents were able to smuggle mock explosives and weapons 67 out of 70 times.

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Cockpit doors would probably still be easily accessed -

Because terrorists hijacked the planes on 9/11, access to cockpits was one of the things the Bush administration looked at. As a result, reinforced bulletproof doors were introduced. In addition, these could only be opened from the inside.

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Cockpit doors would probably still be easily accessed -

The 2002 Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act introduced an extra measure, allowing pilots to carry guns in case the cockpit was invaded.

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Cockpit doors would probably still be easily accessed -

While the measures were welcomed as a way to prevent terrorist attacks, it failed to address situations where pilots were incapacitated or indeed had malicious intent.

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Cockpit doors would probably still be easily accessed -

This was the case with Germanwings Flight 9525 in 2015, where the co-pilot intentionally crashed the aircraft, killing himself and all passengers on board. The pilot was unable to enter the cockpit or break down the door to stop him due to the security measures.

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The invasion of Iraq might not have happened -

President Bush's case for the invasion of Iraq was that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and he had links to Al-Qaeda.

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The invasion of Iraq might not have happened -

While most Americans supported military action against Iraq at the time, this number decreased over the years. Without 9/11, Operation Iraqi Freedom would probably never have happened.

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The result of the 2004 election could have been different -

The issue at heart during the 2004 election, which saw John Kerry up against George W. Bush, was essentially the nation's response to the 9/11 attacks.

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The result of the 2004 election could have been different -

It has been argued that Bush won the election because 9/11 happened and his war on terror  convinced voters.

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Businesses and financial institutions wouldn’t have tougher regulations -

It transpired that terrorists used American bank accounts opened without social security numbers, and conducted a number of banking operations to fund the terror attacks. All of this went unnoticed.

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Businesses and financial institutions wouldn’t have tougher regulations -

One of the regulations, introduced via the Patriot Act, required businesses to monitor suspicious activities and report them directly to the federal government. From banks to car dealers, businesses were running background checks on clients.

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The no-fly list would be smaller -

According to the Immigration and Human Rights Law Review, there were just 12 people on Washington’s no-fly list before 9/11.

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The no-fly list would be smaller -

Following the terror attacks, the National Terrorist Screening Center database allowed federal agencies to add anyone suspected of terror activities (not just convicted terrorists) to the list. The number quickly escalated to 420,000.

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The FBI would probably stay out of mosques and churches -

Following 9/11, the FBI conducted spying activities in mosques across the US. In the mid-2000s, Imam Yassir Fazaga sued the FBI for spying on his Southern California mosque. Pictured is former FBI informant Craig Monteilh, who infiltrated mosques around the Los Angeles area.

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The FBI would probably stay out of mosques and churches -

In 2023, the FBI was found to have been spying on traditionalist Catholic churchgoers, under the same premise. The leaked memo was titled “Interest of Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremists in Radical-Traditionalist Catholic Ideology Almost Certainly Presents New Mitigation Opportunities.”

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Patriot Day wouldn’t exist -

President George W. Bush proclaimed September 11 as Patriot Day. Then, in 2009, President Barack Obama renamed it Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance.

Sources: (Grunge) (Drake Law Review) (Immigration and Human Rights Law Review) (Lawfare) (ABC News) (New York Magazine) 

See also: What if the Allies had lost World War II?

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