Before Fusion: India
There are 5 forces that play a decisive role in the resolution of the Ukraine -> Sudan -> Gaza conflict chain. They are AUKUS, Russian Federation, China, India and Japan (in the order of relevance). The two civilizational countries that have the most influence in resolution of the on-going conflicts are India and China. Providing the Causes of War of these countries pave the path towards an as soon as possible, peaceful resolution of these conflicts, which has to do with realizing that we are on the verge of entering the age of fusion energy (using deterium from the oceans and cynthesized or mined Helium-3) and robotization.
India is the oldest continuous civilization on the planet and arguably the civilizational nation best positioned to achieve non-lethal, non-maiming warfare first.
The beginnings
Little is known of the inner workings of the Indus Valley civilization as the Harappan script is yet to be deciphered. But we know that it traded with Mesopotamia as early as the Sumer civilization, had plumbing thousands of years before Rome, as well as baked brick houses and metallurgy. It spanned an area larger than contemporary Mesopotamian civilization and was probably the most populous civilization on the planet at the time. Hindu texts and Sanskrit epics talk of flying palaces or chariots in which Gods waged war on each other and of a Adam's Bridge between India and Sri Lanka - an engineering project (if it was) beyond the capacity of any early civilization.
The Indus Valley civilization eventually declined and disappeared due to gradual climate change. For the same reason the Aryan migration from Central Asia technically marked the start of the modern Indian civilization, though due to the gradual decline many elements of the Indus Valley civilization made it into subsequent societies. The Indian religion of Hinduism is considered to be the earliest religion and certainly takes roots in the Indus Valley civilization. Modern day Hinduism is considered to be a synthesis of many Indian cultures and traditions, without a single founding event. The moderating and compassionate Buddhist ideology and the non-violent Jainism were created in India as well.
As in Mesopotamia, Indian kings were supposed to be great warriors capable of dominating battlefields and conquering enemies and Hinduism indoctrinated war as a means of fulfilling royal ambitions. It is also in Hinduism that we see the early concepts of a "just war" that would avenge injustices and reclaim rights. Although not violent in nature Buddhism and Jainism also allowed war, especially if it was led to defend one's own territories and protecting the rights of citizens.
Around 3900 years ago the Indo-Aryan tribes (arguably) migrated into North-West India from Central Asia. The (now) still sacred Vedas were composed in that period, with the Vedic period lasting from about 3500 to 2500 years ago. Many later philosophical concepts were based on what was developed during this period. The history of varnas (or social classes) takes its roots in this time. It is during this period that the previously small tribes and chiefdoms began to organize into monarchies.
The Kuru Kingdom of 3200 to 2500 years ago was the first known state of the Vedic period. After its decline the center of Vedic culture shifted to the Panchala kingdom and later moved to the Videha kingdom.
Around 2,600 years ago small Indian states (once again since the times of the Indus Valley civilization) began to form large states across urban agglomerations. 16 powerful kingdoms and oligarchic republics known as Mahajanapadas were formed. By 2400 years ago they coalesced into 4 major formations, with Magadha being the most prominent one.
The first big empire in India was the Nadna empire and was created about (arguably) 200 years after that. The rumors of the size of the Nadna empire's army was the final straw that caused Alexander the Great's soldiers to mutiny, turn around and withdraw from India. With time the Indian subcontinent navies started to dominate the neighboring seas to protect trade routes and prevent piracy as well as to conquer neighboring islands.
Some of the accounts describe the Nadna empire as a single-ruler monarchy, which would explain its quest for territory and glory. But some Greek accounts suggest that it was more of a federated state and these accounts are strengthened by Buddhist sources. Given the Hindu ideology a federated state with a large degree of autonomy of constituent regions makes more sense.
Nanda kings never attempted to convert its conquered subjects to any leading ideology and there is no evidence of any religious discrimination. It makes sense that such an inclusive ideology and more decentralized governance suggest that Nadna conquests were less violent than those of the first Mesopotamian empire. Such a claim is also supported by the long history of the civilization of the Indian subcontinent, prior to the creation of the first known empire.
As is common with dynastic empires much depends on the one ruler's ability to govern. The last Nanda king was widely unpopular.
The Nanda empire was replaced by the Maurya empire 2350 years ago. It succeeded in covering the bulk of the Indian subcontinent. Its deadly conquests prompted disillusionment and embracing of non-violent Buddhism and pacifist Jainism, which are known to have formed about 2500 and 2300 years ago respectively. The Mauryan empire collapsed around 2200 years ago because of poor leadership, combined with growing internal movement for independence as was common with the heterogeneous Mesopotamian empires.
In the South of India a number of Tamil kingdoms known as Tamilakam existed between 2600 years ago and the 4th century. It did not have the Vedic system or varnas/casts. The Satavahana Empire of 2200 years ago to the 3rd century acted as a link between northern and southern India.
Wars were common in early and medieval India. Various states ascended to prominence, dominated the surrounding areas and fought other prominent regional empires for control of disputed territory. A multitude of empires were present in India during this period of history, sometimes overlapping each other.
Throughout early and pre-colonial history there existed varios kingdoms and republics of different sizes throughout India, taking opportunities to declare independence when the nearby central states weakened. The level of fragmentation of the subcontinent varied from age to age. The level of autonomy of these lesser states also varied.
Classical Period
India had its Classical period between 2200 years ago and the 6th century, with the Gupta Empire of 4th-6th centuries being regarded as the Golden Age of Hinduism. In this period a number of internal wars and wars against foreign invaders were fought and a period of peace was attained known as Pax Gupta.
From the early 1st to late 4th century the Kushan Empire spread from Afghanistan to North-Central India and attained Pax Kushana. The Vakataka Empire controlled central India between the mid 3rd and early 6th centuries. East India was controlled by the Kamarupa Kingdom between mid 4th and mid 12th centuries.
During the late 3rd to late 9th centuries the Pallava Empire (in the South East) was a great patron of Sanskrit development of the Indian subcontinent. Between the mid 4th and mid 6th centuries the Kadamba Empire controlled the area directly to the west of Pallava.
After the fall of the Gupta empire North India split up into smaller republics and monarchies. These were consolidated into the Harsha Empire of the early to mid 7th century.
Early Medieval Period
The 7th century saw the beginning of decline of Buddhism in India and unification of the main characteristics of modern Hinduism.
Between the 6th and 12th centuries the Chalukya Empire replaced many smaller kingdoms in Central India. And between the mid 9th and late 13th centuries the Chola Empire emerged as a major power in South-East India. It was a major naval power and exerted influence over a large part of Southeast Asia. Another influential empire of the time was Rashtrakuta.
Farther north the Gurjara-Pratihara Empire of early 8th to mid 11th centuries contained the Arab armies moving east of the Indus River. To the east of it the Pala Empire existed in about the same time frame of mid 8th to mid 12th centuries, ruled by the Buddhist dynasty from Bengal. Between the 10th and 12th centuries the Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the western Deccan and South India.
Late medieval period
During the late medieval period Muslim nomadic clans from central Asia repeatedly invaded India. This culminated in the Delhi Sultanate of the early 13th to early 16th centuries. It successfully repelled the Mongol invasions of India. In the South the Vijayanagara Empire was formed by the mid 14th century, largely to ward off Islamic invasions and lasted until mid-17th century. It was tolerant of all religions and sects and while having the intention of Hinduism it did not forbid Islam. During this period of time a number of other regional states were also present, competing with the two main empires for influence and dominance.
Early modern period
From the early 16th century and to the mid 19th century the Mughal Empire held control of most of the Indian subcontinent. Until the late 17th century the empire was tolerant of the local religions. Change in that policy and increased centralization coincided with the Anglo-Mughal War. In the mid 18th century the Mughal empire was defeated by the Maratha Empire and no longer was the dominant force. At its peak the Marathas controlled most of the Indian subcontinent. It lost much of its territory after the Second Anglo-Maratha War and was defeated in the Third Anglo-Maratha War in the early 19th century. That handed control of most of India to the British East India Company.
At the turn of the 19th century the regional Sikh Empire was established in Punjab and lasted for half a century. It was dissolved after the defeat in the Second Anglo-Sikh War. A number of other kingdoms also existed, all to be absorbed by the British East India Company.
Colonial period
At the turn of the 16th century Portuguese established the first trading outposts in India. The Dutch started establishing outposts a century later. At the same time the British came and set up more large scale trading factories. Mid-18th century the private East India Company started to conquer small Indian kingdoms and the Imperial era started. As a result of mismanagement by the East India Company and resulting rebellions India came under direct Crown control in the mid 19th century.
The partition of Bengal in 1905 started the organized anti-colonial movement in India. After WWI the Indian independence movement centralized and shortly after WWII India declared independence. The Crown Dominion was partitioned into Dominion of India and Dominion of Pakistan. Subsequently in 1950 India gained a Constitution and the Republic of India was established. Pakistan remained a dominion until 1956 and in 1971 East Pakistan declared independence and became Bangladesh.
The Indian push for independence first unified the nation behind the non-violence movement, which ut crucial pressure on the British occupation.
Modern period
The 1950 constitution made India a democratic republic with a Westminster style parliamentary government system, at federal and state levels. In 1962 and 1967 territorial disputes with China led to wars. Disputes with Pakistan lead to wars in 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999. During the Cold War India was neutral and led the Non-Aligned Movement. A loose alliance was made with the Soviet Union in 1971 when Pakistan allied with the USA and China. India conducted its first nuclear weapons test in 1974 and had 5 more in 1998.
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