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It was the british partition of india that has helped lead to the problems with India and Pakistan (helped, obviously divisions between Hindu and Muslim populations were a major cause).

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Yes, that partition didn't go well. The lines were drawn hurriedly by the British rulers without much input from the residents. Millions of people moved from Pakistan to India or vice versa, and millions died in subsequent rioting. One cause of these problems might be that the partition occurred after withdrawal of British authority, and the newly formed governments couldn't keep order.

The more I hear about this situation, the more it seems that Iraq will split up. If we begin negotiations with local leaders now, we may be able to avoid the kind of violence and subsequent war that happened in India. We can negotiate borders with local input (Kirkuk and possibly Baghdad may have to be given special status, with US or UN protection). We can let people move to whichever country they want to live in before the situation degenerates into total anarchy after the US leaves. It's obviously not optimal, but it's certainly better than civil war.