The scale and nature of the Mumbai terrorist attacks bring into sharp relief the failures of the Indian intelligence services. They either did not have prior information of the attacks or they did not follow up on leads. The central intelligence services are short of resources while the local police forces are less than effective in counter-terrorism work. Analysts have also noted weaknesses in maritime security and the lack of coordination among the different security agencies.

It is surprising that this state of affairs exists, considering that India has long been an obvious target of extremist groups based in Pakistan. Indian officials often lament that they have been the victims of terrorism longer than almost any other country in the world. That is true. So why haven's they been willing or able to get on top of the problem?

If the Mumbai attacks lead to the country's counterterrorism structures being reformed and revitalised, they would be a blessing in disguise. But do not bet on it. If the past is any guide, investigative commissions will be set up but their recommendations will be ignored or only weakly followed up. It is much easier to blame Pakistan or groups in Pakistan and leave it at that, as if that absolves the Indian government from putting its own house in order.

This is not to say that Pakistani groups were not involved in the Mumbai attacks. In all probability, they were, possibly with the help of Muslim Indians. But this should not be used as an excuse not to do what needs to be done to better secure India from terrorist attacks.

Indians are justly proud of the resilience of their society. But there is danger that if terrorists can repeatedly attack vital or iconic facilities with impunity, they may be able to inflict serious damage on India's prospects, notwithstanding the resilience of ordinary Indians.

Over the long term, the greatest danger India faces comes from home-grown terrorist groups, with or without the assistance of Pakistani-based groups. It is still not known if any of the Mumbai attackers were Indian nationals or how much local support they had. India's rise as a great power could be seriously constrained if India-based Islamist groups gain momentum, adding to the already formidable list of internal security problems the country faces.