Tuesday, August 8 2006 10:45 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Warning that the 'suspension' of Indo-Pak normalisation process leaves it open for another crisis sparked by more acts of terror like the Mumbai blasts, a top American security expert has said the US may not be in a position to mediate such a situation as it had done in 2002.

"Acts of horrific violence that punish India also reflect poorly on Pakistan. In addition, every terrorist act clarifies the vulnerability of a normalization process on the subcontinent that consists only of modest steps. Small, positive steps are obviously welcome, but sooner or later they get trumped by big explosions," he said.

"Not surprisingly, the Mumbai strikes have led to the suspension of the normalization process. This suspension, in turn, leaves New Delhi and Islamabad wide open for another crisis sparked by subsequent acts of terrorism directed against India," Michael Krepon, President Emeritus and co-founder of the Stimson Centre has said.

"If or when the limits of India's tolerance are reached, the Bush administration will find itself poorly positioned to act as a moderating force. The administration is knee-deep in the Iraq quagmire and beset by other crises," he said in his essay on 'The Meaning of the Mumbai Blasts'.

"After wholeheartedly endorsing Israel's ill-advised military campaign against terrorism in Lebanon, the Bush administration is poorly positioned to counsel New Delhi to exercise restraint against new provocations. After all, a key, unstated part of the nuclear deal was to secure for New Delhi a special status on Capitol Hill like that accorded to Israel," he added.