Basically it was a giant stew of small states of various religions, cultures and beliefs. Then everything changed when the English showed up. After the second world war, and the English were divesting their empire like a used coffee filter, the place was partitioned into its modern borders with the Islamics supposed to be in Pakistan while the Hindus and other assorted were supposed to be in India. Of course this required mass migrations of people which didn’t exactly go off without a hitch and so old grudges from before the British colonial days bubbles back up and there were a couple of casual genocides.

So now you’ve got enclaves in both countries, historic grudges and now (in the 1950s) you’re one of the many fronts in the Cold War.

That evolves into a shooting war every once in a while between the two countries with the Indians also squaring off against the Communist Chinese from time to time. The Chinese are still interested in keeping things going because if they can team up with one side, they get a good access to the Indian ocean.

Indo-Pakistani politics you mean? Somewhat. I might not be as up to date on it as some other situations in the world, but I’ve had the Coles Notes version.

Neither. Burma, actually.

Nope, but was raised by my parents to have an appreciation of our culture and heritage. Born in Europe actually.

Do you mean actually living in South Asia or just of South Asian extraction? I’m the latter.

We used to call that Kirk-fu.

Another funny myth that a lot of Americans that I’ve seen cling too is that they are incredibly skilled at war, that they have the best military in the world since it’s inception and that they can defeat any opponent. A quick review of history doesn’t bear this out as most of the wars that America has “won” have had them be part of a coalition which they may or may not have joined rather late in the game. Even their vaunted revolution required help from a military superpower i.e. the French.

Insert “it should’ve been me” meme here.

He is the Messiah!!!