Chapter 7, Part 1 Summary

The Bush Administration considers General Pervez Musharraf as a critical ally in the War on Terror. He has presided over Pakistan since 1999, when he seized power from Pakistan's elected government. The Administration's reliance on Musharraf is considered short-sighted, since his hold on power is tenuous at best. He runs the country like a near-despot. The U.S. war in Afghanistan put Musharraf in a very precarious position, since there were many pro-Taliban members in his military. Many in his own intelligence agency (the ISI) were also Taliban supporters, as well as some of his nuclear researchers.

The fear that Pakistan's nuclear weapons might fall into the wrong hands was a large issue. Sanctions that had been raised against Pakistan for developing nuclear weapons were dropped two weeks after September 11, in return for cooperation in fighting terrorists. In fact, the Administration had...