[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

I realize that, since I had a college course on the history of India. Not an expert, but know more than most Americans. I realize that India is almost as diverse as the other Asian peninsula, Europe, tied together almost entirely by the British colonial domination and language. A federation would be the ideal, bur faces obstacles including the need for unity vs China and Pakistan, and national pride as the world’s largest democracy and a rising power.

[Cronos]

True -- there are many obstacles, but don't forget that many people in the 40s, 50s and 60s didn't believe that the idea of India could survive. I believe that the Pakistan problem will be over in a decade -- with the utter balkanisation of Pakistan: the NWFP will unite with the Pashtun parts of Afghanistan while the Tajiks, Uzbeks and Turkmen in the north will join their respective lands (I'm not sure what the Hazaras or the Irani peoples there will do, probably stick with the Tajiks I think)

The Baluchis and Brahuis have been looking for independence from Pakistan for decades and will grab it -- this will cause problems for the Iranis and THEIR province of Sistan-E-Baluch (Baluchis are a West-Irani people related to the Kurds while Brahuis are actually related to the Tamils)

The Punjabis and Sindhis can never get along as the Punjabis would dominate the rump state, so expect Sindh to break away. This would cause problems with the Muhajirs in Sindh, so perhaps the Punjabis would basically annex Sindh (peccavi :-P )

About communist China -- very difficult to predict how that will go, they will keep leaning on the rest of Asia, but when will the rest realise that to keep a bully away, they need to ally themselves? Japan-India-Singapore-Thailand-Vietnam-Australia-Mongolia may form a mutual alliance. I don't trust the Taiwanese as they practically have built up mainland china and in the end they consider themselves one and the same.