The December 13, 2001 attack on the Indian parliament in New Delhi once again brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war. The article claims that the key to de-escalating the current standoff will be the ability and willingness of Pakistan to crack down on Islamic militants based in Pakistan. Pakistan has tried and failed to do so before. If Pakistan does not succeed in reducing the power of these groups, they will remain poised to trigger a conflict in nuclear-armed South Asia. Pakistani militants already pose at least as much of a threat to their own country as they do to their neighbors. In addition to frequent sectarian killings, the militants have been implicated in the killings of a number of Pakistani government and private sector leaders. The article suggests that the most meaningful action for Pakistan's president would be to bring ISI to heel and order that organization to stop aiding extremist groups.