Last week, another terrorist attack took center stage, this time in Mumbai, but the repercussions of the horrific events could extend well into the New Year, hampering President-elect Obama's stated goal of destroying the Taliban and routing out Al Qaeda early in his first term. India and Pakistan's relationship has teetered on the precipice of all out war for decades, but the Mumbai attacks present fresh challenges for a weak Pakistani government and a democratic India. Both nations are highly suspicious of each other and incidents like the Mumbai attacks only heighten tensions between the two. Recent attacks by Pakistani militants on India's Parliament and its Embassy in Afghanistan had already heightened tensions, and political rivals of Prime Minister Monmohan Singh have increased their criticism of perceived inaction. The Bush administration was able to quell a hostile reaction by the Indian government after the previous attacks, but they, or the new administration, must succeed in halting India again.
The United States must prevent India and Pakistan from escalating the conflict for two reasons. First, they both possess nuclear weapons, have stated their intention to deploy them should a conflict arise, and already have troops stationed on the disputed Kashmir border. Secondly, were Pakistan to reposition troops along the Eastern border, the Pakistani militants on the Afghanistan border they have struggled to contain will be emboldened, further dampening U.S. efforts to capture Osama Bin Laden and rout out Al Qaeda. Pakistan must be forthcoming, India’s patience is imperative, and the global community must not allow these attacks to erode the diplomatic progress made between the two nations.
