Musharraf War-Gamed The US Before Joining GWOT

Last week CBS reported Pakistan was coerced into supporting the War against terrorism. Today Agence France-Presse reports Pakistan's President Musharraf considered the chances of surviving an encounter with the U.S. military before deciding to join the war:

"I war-gamed the United States as an adversary," Musharraf writes. "The question was: if we do not join them, can we confront them and withstand the onslaught? The answer was no... Our military forces would be destroyed."

"The Americans would undoubtedly have taken the opportunity of an invasion to destroy (Pakistan's nuclear) weapons... Our economic infrastructure, built over half a century, would have been decimated," he says.

"We could not endure a military confrontation with the United States from any point of view," he adds.

Simon & Schuster, which is part of CBS Corp., is publishing President's Musharraf's memoirs. The book, "In the Line of Fire," provided an opportunity for 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft to talk with Musharraf about Pakistan's decision to join the war, and how Musharraf learned Pakistan's nuclear secrets were transferred to , Libya and North Korea.

Concerning the nuclear technology, the Clinton administration complained to Musharraf about the transfer of technology and material to North Korea in April 2000. Musharraf's response was, "Give me evidence. Give me proof."

Three years later President Bush arranged for Musharraf to get his proof. Musharraf was asked to meet with CIA Director George Tenet, where he was confronted with sensitive documents that proved someone in Pakistan was selling nuclear secrets:

"He took his briefcase out, passed me some papers, told me to have a look and when I saw that it was a centrifuge design, with all it's numbers and signatures - of Pakistan - it was the most embarrassing moment," he remembers.

Perhaps it would have been better if Musharraf's war-gaming had a different outcome. Maybe then we wouldn't have to worry about a coerced ally, armed with nuclear weapons, falling under control of the radical terrorist enemy. Nor would we have to worry whether the powerful intelligence agency of that coerced ally was secretly supporting the resurgence of the Taliban. There would still be many other things to worry about, whether we can prevent a nuclear armed ian Mullahocracy, who will disarm Hezbollah, will the Iraqis ever stand up, how to get out of Pakistan, Waziristan, and Afghanistan, but we wouldn't worry about having to war-game a nuclear armed Pakistan.

Comments

[California Yankee]

Matt has it exactly right. Thanks Matt!

[Matt]

There's nothing in the story claiming he wargamed 9/11. It says that, before committing himself and his country to fight alongside the US in the Global War on Terror, Musharraf wargamed a potential armed conflict with the US. He wanted to see if, should he refuse to join the war, he could survive a military engagement with us. The result of the wargame said he had no chance.

Nada in there about wargaming 9/11.

[Old Atlantic]

Musharraf is telling us he wargamed 9-11 before it happened? He was the great general who wargamed the attack on America before it happened, not bin Laden? Is that what this book is about? Is that the ego he needs to stroke while he is still alive? Does he want people in Pakistan to believe that so as to think of him as the greatest general since Saladin?