More on India (& GZGverse in general) (LONG)

Again, thank you all very much for the feedback and suggestions, they'll go
into making this a better project.

I had to make some assumptions about how the GZGverse evolved, some
'behind-the-canon' stuff that isn't specifically mentioned by Jon. Some
of the economics might be fuzzy, but bear with me.

(And a lot of this is written stream-of-thought from a few ongoing
brainstorms, so...)

There were a few major turning points in history, things that from 2193 we can
point to and say, 'Here is where things changed, this is a lynchpin of
history'. The destruction of Israel, in 2027, is one of those. This event
shocked a previously interventionist USA, already hesitant about it's ability
to change the MidEast, into withdrawl from the region, and from much of the
rest of the world in general. The lone giant, incognizant or

uncaring of the rise of the European Community or China, went back into an
isolationist slumber.

The lack of response to the destruction of Israel and the subsequent
expansionism of the House of Saud gave the nod to those with dreams of greater
things to begin their own marches outwards; Indonesia, the
Pan-African Union, and eventually China. The 'post-modern' dream died as

across the globe, conquest became policy once more.

The new Great Powers were shaping up, as the 21st century wound its bloody,
twisting path about shock after shock. The fate of Russia was sealed as the
Chinese juggernaut ground across Asia. More and more of Muslim Araby fell
under the sword of the House of Saud, oil-fed and full of the Prophet's
fire. Indonesia made its dream of empire reality. And all the while, the

world looked on in pity and spite as the United States slowly tore itself
apart with internal divisions, social and economic issues it could no longer
contain. The final blow came in 2049, with the assassination of the
President by actors unknown - presumed domestic - and the collapse of
the Federal government. The rest of the world, or at least those with some
foresight, had seen the end coming in one form or another, with investment in
the USA steadily declining over decades. The subsequent collapse of the
American economy was still a terrific shock to the world's markets and economy
in general; trillions in debt was never going to be paid back, all of the
apparatus by which the USA interacted with the world was gone. This
was another turning point - here, history changed.

So what does all this mean for India?

First, the fall of the USA from the economic pinnacle changed the language
landscape of the world. English was still a common language, as many spoke it,
but as other power blocs grew, so did the need to speak to them in their own
tongues. India has no issues with learning new languages, over 20 exist within
its own borders, even though Hindi is the most common. By 2193, English,
Chinese, French, German, Arabic, Hindu, Malay (Bahasa Indonesia) are all
somewhat commonly known and taught.

Second, the traditional allies of England, Canada and Australia were rather
occupied with their own problems. Australia in trying to fend off the
Indonesian octopus, England (and Canada) with the slow, painful reconstruction
of their fallen friend, the former USA. India was on her own.

India had had an economic and technical relationship with the Soviet
Union/Russia, but those were hardly enough to intervene when China set
its sights north, and west. Later, in 2051, when the Eurasian Union turned its
gaze south (seen as inevitable), India had hard choices to make. Acquiesce, or
fight? Flush with success in Siberia and Russia, and stymied by European
resolve, China wanted to expand once more. It was the confrontation between
the Europeans and the Chinese that gave India the idea to do what she
did -
full mobilization, and a nuclear staring contest, held over the negotiating
table. There were skirmishes, some quite large, but both sides held back...and
the Chinese blinked.

India let out a collective sigh of relief, and then launched into 'phase
2'
of the plan. The Eurasian Union had the hostile Romanov Hegemony to the west,
the expanding Indonesian Commonwealth to the southeast. To the east, Japan and
the cipher of the Americans. The Eurasian's socialist government, even with
loosening economic reforms, wanted the influx of hard currency

from the capitalist world, and that was the carrot that India offered. India
would buy Eurasian products, providing them a market a billion strong and
still growing. Uncharitable observers would label India a new 'client state'
of the Eurasian Union, others might call India pragmatic. Whatever label one
might apply, it worked; not perfectly, but it did. The ESU did

not gain the Indian Ocean ports it coveted, but India turned from potential
enemy to a 'close acquaintance', if not an ally.

Friendly ties were maintained with the reborn Anglian Confederation (despite
Eurasian objections), the bonds of history not forgotten. And having friends
on the other side of two sworn enemies is never a bad
thing...

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