Since the deadly Dec. 13 attack on India’s parliament that left 14 people dead, tensions between India and Pakistan have reached a boiling point. India has reduced its embassy staff, halted rail service between the two countries and moved troops to the border in preparation for war. The military buildup on both sides has brought the two nuclear-armed nations to the brink of disaster. However, the Bush administration’s diplomatic efforts have thus far been sadly limited. The U.S. needs to act quickly to resolve the standoff, both to prevent a deadly conflict and to preserve the aims of its war on terrorism.

Though Pakistan’s assistance has been vital to the current U.S. campaign, Pakistan has yet to rid itself of its own terrorists. For years, militant Pakistani groups have fought against India in the disputed territory of Kashmir. These groups have been given free rein—if not outright support—from the government of President Pervez Musharraf.

Since the recent attack, Pakistan has taken some action against terrorist groups, but it should take much more. Musharraf has said he condemns terrorism “in all its forms,” and hundreds of Pakistani militants have been arrested in the last few weeks. Pakistan is also said to be considering measures that would restrict militants’ fundraising and hate speech in Muslim schools. Yet Pakistan must go further and eliminate the ability of the militant groups implicated in terrorism to carry out future attacks.

India must also realize that it cannot make impossible demands upon Pakistan. The dispute over Kashmir is one that Musharraf cannot abandon easily, and preventing conflict will require careful diplomacy and a willingness to negotiate. Although military analysts have speculated that India would likely win if war breaks out, it should not use the current situation as an excuse to settle the dispute over Kashmir by force.

But the key to preventing conflict is American pressure. Bush needs to act now to defuse the situation. The outbreak of war would not only prove tragic for the people of both nations; it would destabilize the region and deal a serious blow to America’s anti-terrorism “alliance.” Pakistan’s decision to pull troops away from its western border could jeopardize U.S. efforts to secure Afghanistan and locate members of al Qaeda.

The U.S. is now in the difficult position of having to retain Pakistani support without compromising the aims of a worldwide war on terrorism. Unfortunately, the administration’s efforts to avert the conflict have so far been halting and insufficient. Instead, the most active diplomat has been British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose visit to Pakistan prompted Musharraf to take a tougher line against terrorism. The U.S. must make averting a conflict in South Asia one of its highest foreign policy priorities.

Bush himself has not made the situation any better. Commenting on the standoff Monday, he referred to the residents of Pakistan as “Pakis,” a strong ethnic slur. Although the White House later explained that the use of the word was inadvertent, the slip is indicative of the level of attention the Bush administration has given the escalating situation. Effective diplomacy requires words that are chosen carefully, and small missteps can undo the work of days of negotiations. Musharraf was one of four world leaders whose names Bush could not recall during the campaign, and we hope Bush is receiving the information he needs to conduct diplomacy effectively.

Yesterday’s announcement that Secretary of State Colin L. Powell will visit both countries next week is a sign that the administration is starting to get the picture. American interests are clearly at stake if two nuclear powers start a war when thousands of U.S. troops are in the region. It may not be too late to avoid war, and Bush must act now to bring India and Pakistan to the bargaining table.