International Relations Mainstorming 2023

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INDEX
1. INDIA & ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD ......... 3 3. REGIONAL AND GLOBAL GROUPINGS

AND AGREEMENTS ............................... 39
AFGHANISTAN ........................................ 3
1.1 Taliban’s War on Women ................................... 3 INDO-PACIFIC ....................................... 39
3.1 New Normal in the Indo-Pacific Contestation .. 39
PAKISTAN ............................................... 5
3.2 Indo-Pacific Strategy of Canada ...................... 40
1.2 India-Pakistan Disaster Diplomacy ................... 5 3.3 Japan in Indo-Pacific Geopolitics .................... 41
1.3 Pakistan’s Economic Slowdown ......................... 6
1.4 Negotiations to amend the Indus Waters Treaty . 7 4. INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS . 43
4.1 The Race to UNSC’s Permanent Seat ............... 43
CHINA ..................................................... 9
4.2 India’s Opportunity for Reinventing the United
1.5 India-China: Pre-1962 And Now ....................... 9 Nations.............................................................. 45
1.6 India-China Tawang Crisis .............................. 11 4.3 Key Highlights of G20 Summit 2022 ................ 47
1.7 China’s blockade in 1267 Sanctions Committee .. 4.4 Highlights of Group of Seven (G7) Summit ...... 48
.......................................................................... 12 4.5 World Economic Forum Summit 2023.............. 49
1.8 Population decline in China ............................. 14 4.6 Global Policing & Interpol............................... 50
1.9 China’s Spy Balloon Case ................................ 15 4.7 United Nations 2023 Water Conference ........... 52
1.10 China’s Diplomacy in Central Asia.................. 16
5. INDIAN DIASPORA & FOREIGN POLICY
SRILANKA ............................................. 18 ....................................................... 53
1.11 Sri Lanka’s Agreement with IMF ..................... 18 5.1 Indian Diaspora................................................ 53
1.12 International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout .... 19 5.2 Diasporic Politics ............................................. 54
1.13 Citizenship for Indian-origin Tamils ................ 21 5.3 Changes in India’s Foreign Policy ................... 55
5.4 Sports as Soft Power ......................................... 56
BANGLADESH ....................................... 22
1.14 Inking a Pact on Kushiyara River Water Sharing 6. INTERNATIONAL ISSUES ................ 58
.......................................................................... 22
1.15 Troika for India’s northeast region .................. 23 RUSSIA-UKRAINE ISSUE ....................... 58
6.1 One year of Russia-Ukraine War ..................... 58
2. BILATERAL RELATIONS .................. 25
6.2 Russia’s Violation of International Law ........... 59
ASIA ..................................................... 25 6.3 Arrest Warrant against Vladimir Putin ............ 61
2.1 India-Maldives Bilateral Relations .................. 25 6.4 G7 and EU banning Russian diesel .................. 63
2.2 India-Egypt Relations ....................................... 27 OTHERS ............................................... 64

2.3 Trade Pact with GCC ....................................... 28
6.5 The Maiden Pharma Episode ........................... 64
WESTERN COUNTRIES .......................... 29 6.6 Seattle ban on caste discrimination .................. 66
2.4 India-US Geopolitical Relations ...................... 29 6.7 The Global South’s Assertion in Geopolitics .... 66
2.5 India-Australia Ties .......................................... 31 6.8 The Feminist Foreign Policy (FPP) Movement 68
2.6 India-Germany Ties .......................................... 32 6.9 The Anti-Hijab Protests in Iran ........................ 69
2.7 India-France Strategic Partnership ................. 34 6.10 Windsor Framework ......................................... 70

2.8 India- Italy Relations ........................................ 35 6.11 Integrated Circuit Wars .................................... 72
2.9 India – Nordic Relations .................................. 36 6.12 U.N. Report on Uyghurs in Xinjiang ................ 74
2.10 Residence by Investment ................................... 37 6.13 Decreasing Diplomatic Alliance for Taiwan .... 75
CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

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6.14 Political crisis in Iraq ....................................... 77 6.20 Facebook’s Settlement in Cambridge Analytica
Lawsuit ............................................................. 85
6.15 Yemen civil war ................................................ 78
6.21 The Scandinavian Model .................................. 86
6.16 Saudi Arabia-Iran Reconciliation .................... 79
6.22 US Government’s EAGLE Act .......................... 87
6.17 The Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan Conflict .................. 80
6.23 Reshaping the Responses to Terror Matrix ...... 89
6.18 UK Financial Crisis ......................................... 82
6.24 Crisis in International Law............................... 90
6.19 The Nord Stream Pipeline Leaks ...................... 84

1. INDIA & ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD
AFGHANISTAN
1.1 Taliban’s War on Women
Why in news?
The Taliban’s announcement of ban on female students
studying in universities has attracted worldwide
condemnation.
To know about Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, click
here
What is the Taliban’s ban about?
• The Taliban’s orders include
o Banning Afghan schoolgirls from
studying above grade six
o Job restrictions
o Ban on women at gyms and public
parks
o Public floggings for women travelling
without male relatives accompanying
them
• The Taliban first slapped a ban on girls
attending secondary schools temporarily in
2021, citing cultural and budgetary constraints,
lack of resources, lack of infrastructure, lack of
teachers, etc.
• Under the present ban, primary and elementary
schools will remain open while secondary
education is banned for girl students.
• Women teachers have been banned from
working.
• In most government offices, women employees
had already been asked to take a pay cut and
show up once a week to mark attendance.
• The requirement that women travel with a male
chaperone for long-distance journeys and the
Taliban’s strict dress code violates women’s
freedom of movement and freedom to choose
what to wear in public.
• Afghan women and girls are forced to live as
second-class citizens and invisibilisation of
women by Taliban has gained momentum.

• The weight of evidence suggests that these measures reflect a policy of gender persecution that aims to destroy
the agency of women and girls in almost every aspect of their lives.
What is the response of the international community?
• Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Pakistan that recognised the 1996-2001 Taliban regime (not this time) have
condemned the ban.
• Turkey, Qatar, and Indonesia have also questioned the ban.
• Some countries have said it is against Islam to deny women education.
• The chair of the G7 foreign ministers warned that the Taliban’s gender persecution may amount to a crime
against humanity under the Rome Statute, to which Afghanistan is a
State Party.
The ban makes Afghanistan
• India reiterated its commitment to an inclusive that respects the rights of all the only country in the world
Afghans and ensures equal rights of women to participate in all aspects of where girls and women are
Afghan society, including access to higher education.
denied access to education.
• Given the nature of the choice between starving Afghans and punishing the
Taliban, the international community faces limitations.
• Some 15 countries, including India, China, Russia, Pakistan, have been engaging with the Taliban but no country
has granted recognition to the Taliban.
The Rome Statute
• The Rome Statute laid the foundation for the establishment of International Criminal Court in 2002.
• Its purpose is to investigate and prosecute war criminals.
• India is not a party to the Rome Statute.
What does the Taliban need?

• The Taliban is in need of international recognition, but they have shown that they won’t fulfill the conditions
for it.
• They hope to benefit from geopolitical rivalries and the race among regional powers for influence in Afghanistan.
How about India-Taliban relations?
• Siginificance of Afghanistan - India has always required and worked for a relatively stable Afghanistan free
from threats by terrorist groups.
• India ensures that Afghan territory is not used to launch
terrorist attacks or harbour and train terrorist such as
Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.
• New Delhi also has geopolitical interest in accessing Central
Asian markets via Afghanistan.
• India’s approach - Without formally recognizing the
Taliban regime, in its many recent official statements India
has made clear that it recognizes the reality on the ground.
• India has no history of military or political interference in
Afghanistan and New Delhi has focused on forging people-to-
people connections and projecting soft power.
• In 2022, New Delhi decided to deploy a “technical team” at
the Indian embassy in Kabul to re-establish its diplomatic
presence in Afghanistan for the first time since the Taliban
takeover.
• India also delivered medical and wheat supplies to
Afghanistan as part of its humanitarian assistance, as “a true
first responder” in Afghanistan.
• Taliban’s ideological constraints - The Taliban regime banned girls from educational institutions and
prevented women from working in most fields of employment.

• Women have also been ordered to cover themselves in public and are barred from many entertainment and
sports venues.
• The Taliban’s direction on human rights, gender equality, or ethnic representation in governance suggests that
there are limits to what India can achieve through its interactions with the Taliban.
What lies ahead?
• International community - The international community especially India may curtail engagement with the
Taliban, which depends on external assistance to run its government structures.
• Leading nations should create platforms outside Afghanistan for non-Taliban Afghan leaders, particularly
women who had been elected in the past, to organise and voice an alternative vision.
• India - New Delhi’s decision to cancel all visas to Afghans hurt female students seeking an education in India
the most.
• India, as a regional leader, must review its “hands-off” approach to the people of Afghanistan who have clearly
suffered many deprivations in the past year.
PAKISTAN
1.2 India-Pakistan Disaster Diplomacy
Why in news?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and hoped for an early restoration of normalcy in flood
ravaged Pakistan.
What is the current Pakistan flood about?
• The flood has devastated the regions of Sindh and
Baluchistan (Western half of Pakistan) badly, although
Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa too have been affected.
• Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority claimed
that about 15% of the country’s population had been affected
by the floods.
• More than 3,500 people have been injured, and there are
massive shortages of wheat and fuel.
• Preliminary estimates suggest a third of the country’s
cultivated land have been inundated.
• About 2 million homes will have to be rebuilt from scratch.
• Flooding of the Indus River in Pakistan in late July and
August 2010 led to a humanitarian disaster which is
considered to be one of the worst in Pakistan’s history.
To know more about the Pakistan floods, click here
How is the current Indo-Pak relation?
• Promise of a new beginning- PM Modi’s swearing-in ceremony had been attended by Pakistan’s then Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif in May 2014 along with the leaders of other SAARC nations.
• The meeting between the two Prime Forms of Diplomacy
Ministers had held the promise of a new
beginning for the bilateral relationship
that had suffered a severe setback after Track 1 Diplomacy - It refers to official diplomacy, where
the 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai in communication is directly between or among governments.
2008. Track 1.5 Diplomacy - It occurs when government
representatives and non-governmental experts engage in dialogue
• Track 2 diplomacy between the
or meetings together in less formal ways than Track 1 diplomacy.
neighbours had seen the opening of the
Kartarpur corridor in 2019 that Track 2 Diplomacy - It denotes a purely unofficial channel for
allows visa free access for Indian dialogue between non-governmental experts, without direct
pilgrims to Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in governmental involvement.
Pakistan.

• Deteriorated ties- India’s red line on the meeting between Pakistan’s diplomats and leaders of the separatist
Hurriyat, the terrorist attacks in Pathankot and Uri, etc. impacted the relationship negatively.
• Ties have been hit further after the Pulwama terror attack in 2019, and the abrogation of Article 370.
• There are no full-time High Commissioners in either country now.
• Positive noises- After the ouster of Imran Khan, the new PM Shehbaz Sharif has given the scope for addressing
the Kashmir issue.
• Mr. Modi congratulated the new leader of Pakistan, and said that India desired peace and stability in a region
free of terrorism.
How about the two countries in responding to disasters?
• In 2001, after the earthquake hit Bhuj in Gujarat, Pakistan had reached out with help, and had sent tents and
blankets for the survivors.
• During 2005 earthquake, India sent aircraft with relief supplies to Pakistan.
• It also pledged 25 million dollars through the United Nations (UN) to support
Pakistan’s relief efforts.
• During 2010 superflood hit Pakistan, India offered 5 million dollars in help, but
Islamabad declined to accept it.
What is the case for help now?
• The Indian Prime Minister’s outreach by way of a message created a potential
opening for “disaster diplomacy”.
• The case for extending humanitarian help ties with its desire to project itself as the “first responder” in times
of crisis in the neighbourhood.
• Vaccine diplomacy and the efforts to brand India as the “pharmacy to the world” have been billed as major
achievements of the government.
• Recently, India has extended its hand of help and cooperation to the Maldives, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, and Afghanistan.
• Trucks filled with Indian grain have travelled to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan via Pakistan.
• However, it is believed that the government’s stated policy of “talks and terror can’t go together” and the
extending of help to Pakistan are at odds with each other.
1.3 Pakistan’s Economic Slowdown
Why in news?
Pakistan, described by World Bank as the “South Asia’s weakest economy” has been facing the worst crisis in decades
due to political and economic destabilization.
What is the crisis in Pakistan? Quick facts

• Inflation stood at 28%, the highest in almost
five decades, the Pakistani rupee has lost 17% • Inflation - Inflation is the rate at which the value of a
of its value in seven days, edging closer to PKR currency is falling and, consequently, the general level of
300 for one U.S. dollar. prices for goods and services is rising.
• In need of donation - Pakistan’s economy • Foreign Reserve - Forex reserves are assets
has been in a state of a perpetual crisis, maintained by monetary authorities to check the balance
dependent on the endowments of donors, of payments, deal with the foreign exchange rate of
international financial institutions and charity currency and to maintain financial market stability.
from so-called ‘friendly countries’
• Financial catastrophe - Pakistan is facing multiple crisis like financial catastrophe and in a dangerous
situation of default with a Sri Lankan-type situation staring it in the face.
• Partial default - Foreign exchange reserves stand near $3 billion only not even enough for a month’s imports.
To know more about Pakistan's economic crisis, click here

What is the cause of the crisis?

• Political instability – Politics will likely consume much of Pakistan’s time and attention and the struggle for
power in Pakistan continues into 2023.
• Political confrontation - Most of Pakistan’s population faces a situation of no longer having an elected
government because of a political confrontation.
• Dysfunctional state - Pakistan has become a dysfunctional state where its elites have revealed their
incompetence and excessive pride in failing to address fundamental and day-to-day issues.
• Military dictatorship – Building up the wealth and being unresponsive to the needs of the citizens, they
continue to rule through extended periods of military dictatorship.
What needs to be done?
• Agreement with IMF – There is a need for Pakistan to negotiate a bailout package from the IMF that was
delaying it over issues related to fiscal policy adjustments.
• China’s help – Since the country needs credit to make payments arising from
No Prime Minister has
debt obligations, there comes a question if it should ask help from China, an “all
finished a full 5-year
weather friend” of Pakistan. term since Pakistan's
• Energy corridor – The corridor running from the Arabian Sea to China’s independence from
western provinces and strategical port of Gwadar can help in developing the Britain in 1947.
forex.
• Replenishing foreign reserves – If Pakistan’s reserves raise to confident it will gain its resilient nature.
What does it have for India?
Opportunities
• Delhi could offer to bail the country out of its economic crises as a part of a larger strategy to settle the Kashmir
dispute and establish peace between the two countries.
Concerns
• Exports decline – The crisis will affect the exports of products to Pakistan from India.
• China’s influence – With both Sri Lanka and Pakistan going through an economic crisis, SAARC will lose its
significance and China will become the ringmaster if it bails out Pakistan.
• Influx of refugees – While India is already facing a lot of refugee problems, more recently Rohingya refugees
from Myanmar, the crisis in Pakistan may cause more influx of refugees to India.
• Terrorism - If Pakistan turns into a failed state, terror networks will increase their influence within Pakistan,
having the potential to directly harm India's interests.
1.4 Negotiations to amend the Indus Waters Treaty
Why in news?
New Delhi has issued a notice to Islamabad seeking modification of the more than six-decade-old Indus Waters Treaty
(IWT) that governs the sharing of waters of six rivers in the Indus system between the two countries.
What is the Indus Waters Treaty?
• Indus Waters Treaty - The Indus Waters Treaty was signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan.
• It was brokered by the World Bank.
• The treaty administers how river Indus and its tributaries that flow in both the countries will be utilised.
• Rights of water usage - The treaty divides the Indus system into two segments:
o Eastern Rivers - Sutlej, Beas and Ravi
o Western rivers - Indus, Chenab and Jhelum
• India gets right of unrestricted use over the Eastern rivers while Pakistan is entitled to unrestricted use of the
Western rivers.
• India is under obligation to let flow the western rivers unrestricted.

• However, since Indus

flows from India, the
country is allowed to use
20% of its water for
irrigation, power
generation and transport
purposes.
• Both India and Pakistan
have the right to non-
consumptive use and
rights of drainage issues
and river conservation
aspects.
• Dispute resolution -
A Permanent Indus
Commission was set
up as a bilateral
commission to
o Implement and
manage the
Treaty
o Solve disputes arising over water sharing
• Article 8 of the treaty, both sides are expected to meet at least once a year to discuss bilateral problems.
• After the Uri terror attack in 2016, India had suspended
routine bi-annual talks between the Indus Commissioners of Article 64 of the Vienna Convention
the two countries stating that blood and water could not
flow together.
It states that if a new peremptory norm of
• Withdrawal from the treaty - Experts suggest that India the international law emerges, any
can exercise the sovereign right of a state under Article 64 of existing treaty which is in conflict with
the Vienna Convention to withdraw from any international that norm becomes void and is terminated.
treaty.
Why has India sought to modify the treaty now?
• India’s notice - India has given a 90-day notice to Islamabad for discussing, debating, interpreting and
analysing the faultlines of water diplomacy of both countries.
• Construction of hydel projects - New Delhi accuses Pakistan’s refusal in implementing the treaty as it
repeatedly raises objections to the construction of
hydel projects on the Indian side.
o Kishanganga (Neelam in Pakistan)
hydroelectric project (Jhelum)
o Ratle hydroelectric project (Chenab)
• Parallel adjudication - Pakistan had
approached the World Bank to constitute a Court
of Arbitration whereas India sought for the
appointment of a Neutral Expert for dispute
redressal.
• On the requests of both India and Pakistan, the
World Bank decided to appoint a Neutral Expert
and a Chairman for the Court of Arbitration.
• Such parallel consideration of same issues is not provided in any provisions of the Treaty and it might lead to
the possibility of delivering contradictory rulings.
What is the dispute redressal mechanism laid down under the Treaty?
• The dispute redressal mechanism provided under Article 9 of the IWT is a graded, three level mechanism
under Commissioner, Neutral Expert and the Court of Arbitration.

• Commissioner - Whenever India plans to start a project, under the Indus Water Treaty, it has to inform
Pakistan that it is planning to build a project.
• If Pakistan oppose it and ask for more details, it has to be clarified between the two sides at the level of the Indus
Commissioners.
• Neutral Expert - If it is not resolved, then the question becomes a difference, which has to be resolved by the
Neutral Expert.
• It is at this stage that the World Bank comes into picture.
• Court of Arbitration - If it is not resolved by the Neutral Expert or that the issue needs an interpretation of
the Treaty, then that difference becomes a dispute. It then goes to the Court of Arbitration.
What lies ahead?
• Article XII (3) of the Treaty that India has invoked is not a dispute
redressal mechanism but a provision to amend the Treaty. Article XII (3) of the treaty says
that the provisions of this treaty
• An amendment or modification can happen only through a duly may from time to time be
ratified Treaty concluded for that purpose between the two modified by a duly ratified treaty
governments. concluded for that purpose
• As of now, it is not clear what happens if Pakistan does not respond between the two Governments.
to India’s notice within the 90-day period. India has not spelled out
exactly what it wants modified in the Treaty.
• But over the last few years, India uses the Indus Waters Treaty as a strategic tool as it has a natural advantage
of being the upper riparian state.
CHINA
1.5 India-China: Pre-1962 And Now
What is the issue?

The clash between Indian and Chinese troops at Galwan in 2020 and altercation between them at Yangtse in Arunachal
Pradesh in 2022 highlights the lingering boundary dispute as well as the complex Line of Actual Control (LAC).
What is the point of contention between India and China in 1960s and now?
• In the 1950s, the focus was on the fundamental question of the “territorial dispute” involving
o The whole of Aksai Chin claimed by India and
o The whole of NEFA (now Arunachal Pradesh) claimed by China.
• Today, however, with China firmly in occupation of Aksai Chin and India firm in guarding its territorial integrity
in Arunachal Pradesh, the immediate issue has moved on to transgressions along the LAC.
What is the Line of Actual Control (LAC)?
• The LAC separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory.
• It is divided into 3 sectors
o Eastern Sector (Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim)
o Middle Sector (Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh)
o Western Sector (Ladakh)
• India and China do not agree on the LAC.
• India considers the LAC to be 3,488 km long while the Chinese consider it to be only around 2,000 km.
• In the Eastern Sector, the alignment of the LAC is along the McMahon Line, the border that was drawn
between Great Britain, China, and Tibet at the 1914 Simla Convention.
• The line includes Tawang in the British Empire, which the China disputes.
• In 1993, the 2 sides signed the Agreement on the Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility along the LAC.
• However, the reference to the LAC was unqualified to make it clear that it was not referring to the LAC of 1959
or 1962 but to the LAC at the time when the agreement was signed.

What is the current situation at different sectors of LAC?

• Western sector - The differences in the western sector (Ladakh) are no longer confined to Trig Heights in
the Daulet Beg Oldie (DBO) area and Demchok in the south as was the case in earlier decades.
• The Depsang Bulge, Galwan, Pangong Lake and Hot Springs are areas where China is seeking to press expedient
claims.
• Since the Galwan incident in
2020, the two sides have
disengaged at multiple friction
points even as military and
diplomatic talks continue to
find a way out of the impasse at
Depsang and Demchok.
• Central sector - In the
central sector, the Barahoti
pasture north of Chamoli in
Uttarakhand has always been
at the centre of the dispute.
• Eastern sector - China seeks
to make inroads in the Tawang
sector, the Upper Subansiri
region, and near the tri-
junction with Myanmar.
What kind of problems does
China create?
• China has always projected a
bogus interpretation of the
LAC.
• It has shied away from clarifying its position through an exchange of large-scale maps except a one-off exchange
of maps two decades ago.
• Unlike in the past, India is rapidly building its border infrastructure.
• Eventhough China has had a headstart in building its own, it objects to improved logistics on the Indian side.

What are the other similarities and differences in both the periods?
• Both periods involve contention over frontier tracts.
• The frontier tracts underwent redefinition as both India and China came into their own in quick succession in
the late 1940s.
• Both the countries sought to interpret their geographies and national identities through clear-cut boundary
lines.
• The difference today is that the focus is primarily on the LAC as against the larger boundary dispute though
neither side has given up its extensive territorial claims.
• As ties deteriorated, China’s support for Pakistan on Kashmir became self-apparent in its call for self-
determination in the 1960s.
• Today, China openly works in tandem with Pakistan against India’s interests to internationalise the issue at the
UN.
• China’s internal vulnerabilities have always cast a shadow on bilateral relations with India.
• Whether under Mao Zedong or Xi Jinping, Tibet has remained a source of insecurity for China.
What are the important lessons to be imbibed from the past?
• In 1962, India was forced to approach the U.S. and other Western countries for military assistance to meet the
Chinese challenge.
• But in the current phase, India has rapidly inducted new weapon systems albeit with heavy emphasis on
aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in defence manufacturing.
• The LAC between India and China, not being the result of bilateral negotiations, is frequently open to challenge
by either side.
• There are areas along the LAC that have been patrolled by both sides in the past.
What is the conclusion?
• The biggest difference between the situation in the 1960s and now is the political will of the Indian government
and the determination of the Indian army to block Chinese patrols, and not just in Yangtse.
• India’s endeavour to engage China has been in keeping with India’s broader world vision of good-neighbourly
and peaceful ties, inclusive growth and development.
• On the contrary, China seeks to build a China-centric hierarchy with scant regard for notions of equality and
multipolarity.
1.6 India-China Tawang Crisis
What is the issue?

Soldiers of the two sides (India and China) clashed in an
area called Yangtse, in the upper reaches of Tawang sector
in Arunachal Pradesh.
What is China’s so-called claim on Arunachal
Pradesh?
• The Claim - China claims the entire Arunachal
Pradesh as its territory.
• It calls the area “Zangnan” in the Chinese
language and makes repeated references
to “South Tibet”.
• In 2023, China announces ‘renaming’ of 11 places
in Arunachal Pradesh, the 3rd set after having done
it in 2017 and in 2021.
• Ground for the claim - At the 1914 Simla
Convention where the McMahon Line was drawn,
China was represented by the Republic of China.
• The present communist government came to power only in 1949, when the People’s Republic was proclaimed.

• The Chinese representative did not consent to the Simla Convention, saying Tibet had no independent authority
to enter into international agreements.
What is the India-China Tawang clash?
• Tawang sector located in Arunachal Pradesh is the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama and an important
pilgrimage centre for Tibetan Buddhists.
• Yangtse, which is about 25 km from Tawang town, is a site of regular physical contact between the Indian
Army and the PLA.
• The Yangtse incident came days after China said that the joint India-US military exercise Operation
Yudhabhyas had violated the terms of the 1993 and 1996 border agreements.
• The Chinese activation in the eastern sector is to be viewed against the backdrop of military tensions, and serves
to divide the attention of India’s security planners.
Why is Arunachal important to China?
• Strategic importance - Arunachal is important to China because control over it is vital for India’s defense of
its Northeast.
• Tawang in particular is critical as the strategic Bum La Pass, through which PLA troops invaded the Northeast
in 1962, lies north of Tawang town.
• Cultural significance - Tawang has cultural, religious, and ecclesiastical links to Tibet as well.
• The Tawang monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the world after the Potala Palace
• Political significance - It has political significance to Tibetans, as it was at this monastery that the present
Dalai Lama stayed for several weeks after escaping from China in 1959.
• It is therefore an important site in the history of Tibetan resistance to Chinese rule.
What efforts were taken recently regarding the border dispute?
• After the PLA incursions into eastern Ladakh in 2020, the two sides held 16 rounds of talks for disengagement
at the so-called friction points.
• The disengagement has led to the withdrawal of both sides from places, including Galwan, Pangong Lake, Gogra
and Hot Springs, and the creation of buffer areas at these places.
• However, the status quo that existed before the incursions has not been restored.
• The infrastructure development on the Chinese side has continued, including the building of roads and even
two bridges over Pangong Tso, giving the PLA easier access to the southern bank of the lake.
1.7 China’s blockade in 1267 Sanctions Committee
Why in news?
China’s decision to block Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commanders from terror listing have forced India to explore more such
options.
What is the issue?
• India and US have jointly submitted a proposal to list LeT commanders on the United Nations Security
Council’s (UNSC’s) 1267 terror list.
• The two commanders are the LeT founder Hafiz Saeed’s son Talha Saeed and Shahid Mehmood, deputy chief of
Falah I Insaniyat Foundation (FIF), a front of LeT.
• They are wanted for procuring funds and recruitment for the LeT/ Jamaat ud Dawa, the group behind the 26/11
Mumbai attacks.
• China has blocked this proposal requiring more time to study and refused to allow the designations to proceed
in the absence of sufficient evidence.
What does placing a hold mean?
• The listing will be adopted according to a “no-objections” procedure and if any member of the Committee
objects, the listing cannot be adopted.
• As a permanent member of the UNSC, China can do this any number of times as its term doesn’t run out, and it
carries a veto vote.

• The Committee is bound to resolve

these issues within 6 months and at the
end of this period, the holding country
has to decide whether to accept the
listing or place a permanent objection
to it.
• However, in practice, many of the
listing proposals have had prolonged
waits.
Does India have any other options?
• FATF - Paris-based Financial
Action Task Force is one such
option.
• Pakistan was placed on a “grey list” due
to its inability to curb terror financing
and money laundering from 2012-2015
and 2018-2022. But it was taken off
from that list recently.
• Separate List - India and the U.S.
have built their own separate lists of
most wanted terrorists that document
the cases against them.
• It was established with a view to
eventually receiving global cooperation
on banning them.
What India can do?
• The last diplomatic win for India
pertaining to global terrorism came in 2019 when Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar had
been designated a ‘Global Terrorist’ by the UN.
• In that time as well, China, a veto-wielding member tried to put a ‘technical hold’ to block the process.
• India can continue to bring terror listing proposals to the UN showing that China is indeed misusing its power
as a permanent member of the Security Council.
• Establishing a diplomatic channel with China that focuses exclusively on global cooperation on terrorism will
be a best option to convince Beijing to reconsider its untenable position.
• It is time for India to consider all its options with China to ensure justice for all the victims of the cross-border
terrorism.
Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
Founded in 1989
Secretariat Paris (OECD HQ)
India’s membership India is a member
• It was set up in 1989 by the G7 countries.

• Members - It has 39 members that include all 5 permanent
members of UNSC and 2 regional organisations - Gulf
Cooperation Council and the European Commission.
• Saudi Arabia, Israel and Indonesia are “observer countries”
(partial membership).
• Grey List - A country is put on the grey list that are “Monitored
Jurisdictions” when it fails to curb terrorism financing and money
laundering

• In 2022, Pakistan was taken off from the Grey list after four years since its inception in 2018.
• Blacklisting a country refers to countries facing a “call to action” or severe banking structures, sanctions and
difficulties in accessing loans.
• It means shutting all doors to international finance for that country. Black list Countries - North Korea, Iran and
Myanmar.
1.8 Population decline in China
What is the issue?

China’s National Bureau of Statistics has recently announced that the country’s population had fallen by 8,50,000 in
2022.
What is the recent trend about?
• Throughout much of recorded human history, China has boasted the largest population in the world.
• The country has witnessed a population
decline, the first decline since 1961 when the
country was amid a four-year famine
following the failed ‘Great Leap
Forward’ campaign.
• For the first time in six decades, deaths in the
previous year outnumbered births.
• The fertility rate (average number of children
born to women) is at 1.3, meaning that
population shrinkage is inevitable without
immigration.
• By 2040, around a quarter of the Chinese
population is predicted to be over the age of
65.
• Reasons for this trend - The “one-child
policy” introduced harsh measures such as
forced abortions and high financial penalties.
• There is a growing preference among young
Chinese for getting married later and
choosing to have fewer or no children.
How has the Chinese government responded
to the population crisis?
• Scrapping of one-child policy - Beijing
finally abandoned the one-child policy in 2016 and introduced the two-child policy.
• Introduction of two-child policy - However, it failed to elicit the desired response which is attributed to
high costs of healthcare and education.
• Introduction of three-child policy - In 2021, a three-child policy was rolled out including financial
inducements for families with three children.
• It has pledged to address the economic factors such as healthcare costs and education expenses, by cracking
down on expensive private education companies.
• Demographers say that, India is set to become the most populous nation in 2023.
What will be the impact of shrinking population on China?
On Economy
By the end of the century, the
• Labour availability - There will be fewer workers able to feed the Chinese population is expected
economy and spur further economic growth. to shrink by 45%, according
• Shift in manufacturing base - With wages rising, many factories to the United Nations.
in the lower end of the manufacturing spectrum are already moving
out to Southeast Asia and Bangladesh.

• Aged population - According to China’s National Working Commission on Ageing, healthcare spending on
the above-60 population will rise to 26% of the GDP by 2050.
On Society
• For aged population - The large number of aging parents with only one child to rely on will need emotional
and social support as a result of extended life expectancy.
• For children - It will also impose constraints on those children themselves, who will need to fulfill obligations
to their career, provide for their own children and support their elderly parents simultaneously.
• Pension systems - The social pension systems in China are highly segmented and unequally distributed.
On Politics
• Status - Failure to live up to the expectations of the public could result in loss of prestige for the government.
• Legitimacy of Communist Party - Any economic decline could have severe consequences for the Chinese
Communist Party.
1.9 China’s Spy Balloon Case
Why in news?
The United States has accused China of flying a “spy balloon” in its airspace setting off a political row in Washington.
What is the issue?
• A spy balloon was seen floating over sensitive areas of Montana in the US which led to accusations against China
by the United States.
• Beijing has responded, calling the object a civilian airship used for meteorological research.
• Within hours of the news of the first balloon, the Pentagon confirmed that a second surveillance balloon is
floating over the Latin American skies.
• The Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down by the U.S. military.
• Beijing has dismissed Washington’s accusations of surveillance and international airspace violation as an
attempt to attack and smear China.
• China said that it is a force majeure (unforeseen event) as the airship deviated far from its planned course due
to the Westerlies and limited self-steering capability.
What is the history of surveillance balloons?
• Spy balloon is literally a gas-filled balloon that is flying quite high in the sky and has some sophisticated cameras
and imaging technology on it.
• High-altitude balloons have been used since 18th century for reconnaissance and other military missions.
• French Revolutionary Wars – In the late 18th century, balloons were used to provide a bird’s eye view of
the battlefield and been evidence of their use in the Battle of Fleurus in 1794.
• From the American Civil
War to World War I -
Balloons have been in use in all
kinds of conflict, primary mode
of big-picture reconnaissance,
providing perspective on enemy.
• Japanese military tried to hit
flammable bombs into US
territory using balloons that
were designed to float in jet
stream air currents killing
several civilians.
• Project Genet – It is a large-
scale series of missions that flew
photographic balloons over
Soviet bloc territory by the U.S
military.

Pros of spy balloons Cons of spy balloons
• Cheap to use - Unlike satellites which can cost millions of • Time - It takes more time to gather
dollars to create, and require sophisticated technology to intelligence in a particular area unlike
launch, high-altitude balloons are cheap and easy to launch satellites that are aimed at perfect time and
and control space.
• Quality images at lower heights - Satellites move at • Altitude changes - While balloons cannot
higher altitudes and incredible speeds but spy balloons will directly be steered they can be roughly guided
hover around at lower heights, thus providing better quality to a target area by changing altitudes to catch
images. different wind currents.
What is the impact on China-U.S ties?

• Relationship getting worser – The relationship have been tense in recent times with issues ranging from
Taiwan and the South China Sea, to human rights in China’s western Xinjiang region.
• The detection of the balloon over Montana sparked a diplomatic crisis, leading to U.S. Secretary of State Antony
Blinken calling off a highly anticipated visit to China.
• China also slammed the move to shoot it down as an overreaction.
• Now it is getting even worse as the security of the nation is questioned.
• Balloons were also spotted over Japan in 2020 and 2021, and over India’s Andaman Islands last year.
• New Delhi and Tokyo may now be prompted to reassess how they handle such intrusions in the future.
1.10 China’s Diplomacy in Central Asia
Why in news?
The China and the five Central Asian republics (C+C5) grouping trade meeting indicated the growing diplomatic ties of
china with Central Asia region.
What is the status of China’s relation with Central Asia? Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
• Ancient Silk Route - Provided trade, cultural, and people-to-people links Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
with the Central Asian region with china historically. and Uzbekistan are the 5
Central Asian countries.
• Break-up of the Soviet Union - This gave an opportunity to China to
formalize the ties with Central Asia.
• Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) - China’s relationship with the region was institutionalized
with SCO.
• Trade route - The central Asia
provided trade route to Europe
for China.
• Chinese investments - Have
helped to upgrade Soviet-era
infrastructure and carry out
development works in these
countries.
• Belt and Road Initiative -
There are 51 BRI projects located
in the region, which provides
transit hub for China’s trade with
Europe.
• C+C5 summit - A grouping of
China + Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and
Kyrgyzstan.
• This summit is the latest development of series of Chinese engagement with Central Asia.

What is the status of India’s relation with Central Asia?

• History - Ancient kingdoms like the Kushana Empire had territory in parts of both regions creating historical
and civilizational linkages.
• The relationship strengthened in the medieval ages with the advent of Islam and establishment of Muslim rule
in India, many of whose rulers had their origins in Central Asia.
• The Central Asian region is considered to be the part of India’s “extended neighbourhood.”
• Geostrategic importance - Central Asia is strategically positioned as an access point between Europe and
Asia and offers extensive potential for trade, investment, and growth.
• Chabahar port is a gateway for Indian trade

with Europe, Russia and CIS Chabahar Port
[Commonwealth of Independent States]
countries. • Chabahar Port is a seaport in Sistan-Balochistan province
• Geoeconomic Importance - The region of Iran, on the Gulf of Oman.
is richly endowed with commodities such as • It serves as Iran's only oceanic port, and consists of two
crude oil, natural gas, cotton, gold, copper, separate ports named Shahid Kalantari and Shahid
aluminium, and iron. Beheshti.
• India is working to invest in the region in the • Its geographic proximity to
IT and education sectors as India has a very Afghanistan, Pakistan,
big IT sector and qualified working India and International
professionals. North-South Transport
• Geo Security Cooperation - Security Corridor (INSTC) gives it
cooperation includes conducting joint the potential to develop
research on military-defence issues, into one of the most
coordinating on counterterrorism important commercial
measures, and a special focus on the issue of hubs.
Afghanistan. • Chabahar is one of the few
• India being one of the member of Shanghai places in Iran that is
Cooperation Organization (SCO) influence exempt from U.S.
its decision on the region which are mostly sanctions.
related to security concerns.
• Soft Power - The people-to-people contact has been a defining feature of India’s Connect Central Asia Policy.
• Indian cultural products have been extremely popular in the region since the time of the USSR.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a virtual summit of the C5 in 2022.
What are the challenges to India’s relation with Central Asia?
• Non availability of land trade route since its access being denied by Pakistan.
• Even though Chabahar port provide sea trade it is not fully developed yet.
• The Central Asia have well established relationship with china and Russia leaving less room for India.
• Even though India a member of SCO its decision are limited to security concerns.
• The Russia and china are cultural and historically connected unlike India so it’s hard to develop a deep
relationship with the region.
Quick facts
The Collective Security Treaty Organization Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)
• SCO is an intergovernmental organization founded

• It is a military alliance in Eurasia originating from
in Shanghai on 15 June 2001.
the conclusion of the Collective Security Treaty.
• Eight Member States - China, India, Kazakhstan,
• Collective Security Treaty was signed in signed in
Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and
Tashkent (Uzbekistan) on May 1992.
Uzbekistan.

• The member are Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, • SCO has mainly focused on regional security issues,
Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus its fight against regional terrorism, ethnic
and Georgia. separatism and religious extremism.
• The Collective Security Council (CSC) is the highest • The SCO has been an observer in the UN General
body of the Organization and consists of heads of Assembly since 2005.
the member States.
SRILANKA
1.11 Sri Lanka’s Agreement with IMF
Why in news?
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved Sri Lanka’s request for a $2.9 billion bailout and the programme
will enable it to access up to $7 billion in overall funding.
What is the case with Sri Lanka?
• Sri Lanka’s economic crisis- Sri Lanka’s economic
situation has worsened with 51 billion dollars of external debt.
General factors that lead to economic crisis includes
o Inappropriate fiscal and monetary policies
o Large current account and fiscal deficits
o High public debt levels
o Exchange rate fixed at an inappropriate level
o Weak financial system
o Political instability and weak institutions
• So, the country has reached an agreement with IMF to access
credit under IMF’s Extended Finance Facility.
• Conditions- It comes with a host of conditions varying from
o Raising fiscal revenue
o Reducing corruption vulnerabilities
o Safeguarding financial stability
o Persuading the country’s multiple creditors to restructure and reschedule past debt
• Significance- The agreement is a step towards convincing foreign creditors and investors to return to the
country.
• Steps taken- The Central Bank has
o Floated the rupee
o Raised interest rates sharply
o Increased electricity tariffs and fuel prices
o Restored tax cuts
What are the challenges?
• The outstanding long-term debt had risen from 26.2 billion dollar from 2012 to 46 billion dollar in 2022.
• The share of private creditors had risen to 37%.
• The bondholders in private credit had risen to 84%.
• Private bondholders would be less willing to accept any deal that requires them to take some losses.
• Talks with International Sovereign Bond (ISB) holders is a more complex exercise, with geopolitical dimensions.
• Sri Lanka's outstanding debt with China is about $3.5 billion - or 10.8% of the total, for India this figure is only
around 2%.

What India is doing to help Sri Lanka in crisis?

• India’s assistance to Sri Lanka is in line with its policy of “neighbourhood first” and vision for “Security
and Growth for All (SAGAR)”.
• Credit - India has so committed billions
of dollars to the island nation in loans,
credit lines and currency swaps.
• Fuel - A Line of Credit (LOC) has been
provided for financing purchase of
petroleum product such as diesel, petrol
and aviation fuel.
• Food materials - India has also
supplied food materials such as rice,
wheat, sugar, daily ration items, etc.
• Fertilizer - It has also provided nano
nitrogen liquid fertilizers to Sri Lanka as
their government stopped the import of
chemical fertilizers.
• IMF bailout - India has also given the
required assurances to debt-ridden Sri
Lanka for the much-needed IMF bailout
package.
• Medicines - Furthermore, a large consignment of drugs and medical supplies was gifted to various hospitals
in Sri Lanka responding to the urgent requirement for drugs.
• Indian companies - Indian companies in Sri Lanka actively support Sri Lanka’s economic recovery through
increased economic activities, value addition of products, and services, job creation for Sri Lankan nationals
and direct assistance to the people of Sri Lanka through various corporate social responsibility activities.
• Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena has said that India is the biggest friend of the island nation
in times of crisis.
1.12 International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout
Why in news?
Recently Sri Lanka secured a $3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) amid the worst economic
crisis.
What is IMF?
• Establishment - The IMF was established in 1944 in the aftermath of the Great Depression of the 1930s.
• Aim - To bring about international economic coordination to prevent competing currency devaluation by
countries trying to promote their own exports.
• Membership -IMF has 190 countries as its members.
• Headquarters –Washington, D.C., United States.
• Role - IMF is the last resort lender for countries facing severe economic crises.
• The IMF fosters international financial stability by providing
o Policy advice
o Financial assistance
o Capacity development
• IMF provides financial support to countries hit by crises in order to restore economic stability and growth.
• IMF does not lend for specific projects.
• Resources of IMF - IMF funds come from three sources
o Member quotas

o Multilateral borrowing agreements

o Bilateral borrowing agreements
What is the IMF bailout?
• Bailout - Means extending support to an entity facing a threat of bankruptcy.
• Lending - The IMF lends money countries the form of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)
o Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) is a basket of five currencies, US dollar, Euro, Chinese Yuan, Japanese
Yen and British Pound
• The bailout can be executed in the form of loans, cash, bonds, or stock purchases.
• Reasons for bailout - Countries seek IMF bailouts for the following reasons
o To resolve macroeconomic risks
o To solve currency crises
o To meet external debt obligations
o To buy essential imports
o To push the exchange value of their currencies
• Conditions - The countries are expected to meet following conditions for the IMF bailout
o Structural reforms such as fiscal transparency, tax reforms.
o Reforms in state-owned enterprises.
o Reforms in macroeconomic variables like monetary and credit aggregates.
o Reforms in international reserves.
o Reforms in fiscal balances and external borrowing.
What about the crisis in Sri Lanka and Pakistan?
• Sri Lankan economy crisis - Sri Lanka witnessed a sharp rise in domestic prices and the exchange value of
their currencies plunged.
• Currency crisis are usually the result of mismanagement of the currency by its central bank.
• It is partly contributed to decline of foreign tourists during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pros Cons
• Ensures the survival of a country amid economic • Can result in reduced government spending and
turmoil higher taxes, measures
• Ensures that the functioning of essential industries • Can also create a sense of dependency on external
and economic systems funding
• Provide technical expertise to the affected country on • Affects the investing environment in the country
how to implement reforms to strengthen the
economy and institutions
India & IMF
• India is a founder member of the IMF.

• India has not taken any financial assistance from the IMF since 1993.
• Repayments of all the loans taken from International Monetary Fund have been completed on May 2000.
• Finance Minister is the ex-officio Governor on the Board of Governors of the IMF.
• RBI Governor is the Alternate Governor at the IMF.
• India’s current quota in the IMF is SDR (Special Drawing Rights) 5,821.5 million making it the 13th largest
quota holding country at IMF and giving it shareholdings of 2.44%.

• India has invested SDR 750 million through nine note purchase agreements with the IMF.
Note - Purchase agreements is usually a temporary bilateral arrangement for an initial period of one year which may
be extended by a period of up to two years and the principal of the notes is to be denominated in SDR
IMF Lending Instruments
• Unlike development banks, the IMF does not lend for specific projects.
• Instead, the IMF provides financial support to countries hit by crises to create breathing room as they implement
policies that restore economic stability and growth.
• It also provides precautionary financing to help prevent crises.
• General Resources Account (GRA) - IMF members have access to the GRA on non-concessional terms
(market-based interest rates),
• Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) - IMF provides concessional financial support (currently at
zero interest rates) through the PRGT, which is better tailored to the diversity and needs of low-income countries.
• Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST) - It offers longer-term financing to low-income and vulnerable
middle-income countries seeking to build resilience to external shocks at affordable interest rates.
1.13 Citizenship for Indian-origin Tamils
What is the issue?

The status of Indian-origin Tamils who repatriated from Sri Lanka has been unresolved till now.
What is the plight of Indian-origin Tamils?
• Under the British colonial government, Indian-origin Tamils were brought in as indentured labourers to work
in plantations.
• They remained mostly legally undocumented and socially
isolated from the native Sri Lankan Tamil and Sinhalese communities According to a report by the
due to the policies of the British.
UN High Commission for
• After 1947, Sri Lanka witnessed rising Sinhalese nationalism, leaving Refugees, there are around
no room for their political and civil participation. 29,500 Indian-origin Tamils
• They were denied citizenship rights and existed as a ‘stateless’ currently living in India.
population, numbering close to 10 lakh by 1960.
What did the governments do?
• Under the bilateral Sirimavo-Shastri Pact (1964) and the Sirimavo-Gandhi Pact (1974), six lakh
people along with their natural increase (difference between the number of births, and the number of deaths
over a period of time) would be granted Indian citizenship upon their repatriation.
• Thus, the process of granting citizenship to Indian-origin Tamils (who returned to India till around 1982) began.
• However, the Sri Lankan civil war resulted in a spike in Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian-origin Tamils together
seeking asylum in India.
• This resulted in a Union Ministry of Home Affairs directive to stop the grant of citizenship to those who arrived
in India after July 1983.
• Furthermore, the focus of the Indian and Tamil Nadu governments shifted to refugee welfare and rehabilitation.
• Over the next 40 years, the legal destiny of Indian-origin Tamils has been largely intertwined with that of Sri
Lankan Tamil refugees, and both cohorts have been relegated to ‘refugee’ status.
• This is because Indian-origin Tamils who arrived after 1983 came through unauthorised channels or without
proper documentation, and came to be classified as ‘illegal migrants’ as per the CAA 2003.
• This classification has resulted in their statelessness and blocking of potential legal pathways to citizenship.

What did the courts say?

• In P. Ulaganathan vs Govt of India (2019), the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court recognised the
distinction between Indian-origin Tamils and Sri Lankan Tamils.
• It held that a continuous period of statelessness of Indian-origin Tamils offends their fundamental right under
Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
• It further held that the Union Government has implied powers to grant relaxation in conferring citizenship.
• In Abirami S. vs The Union of India 2022, the court held that statelessness is something to be avoided.
• The court held that the principles of the CAA, 2019, which relaxes the conditions for citizenship for Hindus from
Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, would also apply to Sri Lankan Tamil refugees.
• As such, these judgments have provided categorial judicial guidance to the Union of India on how to utilise an
expanded and liberal interpretation of the CAA, 2019 to overcome statelessness.
What is the obligation for India?
• The situation of statelessness of Indian-origin Tamils is ‘de jure’, created from the failure in implementing the
1964 and 1974 pacts.
• De jure statelessness is recognised in international customary law. So, India
India is not a party to
has an obligation to remedy the situation.
1951 Refugee Convention
• In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of granting citizenship to the and its 1967 Protocol.
members of the communities - Chakmas and Hajongs, settled in Arunachal
Pradesh in the 1960s after they were displaced by a dam in East Pakistan (now
Bangladesh).
• As such, India has made repeated undertakings, through the 1964 and 1974 pacts, which have created a
legitimate expectation among the Indian-origin Tamils and would entitle them to be granted citizenship.
• Any corrective legislative action by the Government of India to eliminate statelessness should necessarily
include retroactive citizenship for Indian-origin Tamils.
BANGLADESH
1.14 Inking a Pact on Kushiyara River Water Sharing
Why in news?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have signed 7 MoUs on issues
related to water sharing, railways, space, science and judiciary.
How has the bilateral relationship evolved over the years?
• Trade - Bangladesh is India’s sixth largest trade partner while India is Bangladesh’s second biggest trade
partner, and its largest export market in Asia.
• Bangladesh imports critical industrial raw material from India
on which its exports are reliant.
• Under South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA),
Bangladesh extends preferential tariffs to Indian exports of
products outside the sensitive list.
• Connectivity - The Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and
Nepal Motor Vehicle Agreement (BBIN-MVA) is a key
development that can enhance the trade potential of India with
Bangladesh.
• Bangladesh has expressed its interest in joining the India-
Myanmar-Thailand highway project.
• India-Bangladesh bilateral waterway trade will get boosted as
India can now use the Mongla and Chittagong ports.
• Under Indo-Bangladesh Protocol on Inland Water
Transit & Trade involving the Brahmaputra, inland vessels

of one country can transit through the specified routes of the other country.
• MV Ganga Vilas is the world’s longest river cruise from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Dibrugarh in Assam via
Bangladesh.
• Currently, three express trains and international bus services operate between Indian and Bangladesh.
• Border management - In 2015, India and Bangladesh resolved the decades-long border dispute through the
Land Swap Agreement.
• Home Minister Amit Shah recently reviewed the security arrangements in the Assam-Meghalaya-Bangladesh
tri-junction, which used to a smugglers’ route.
What are the pending issues?
• Regional geopolitics- Bangladesh had successfully approached China for a mega project to enhance Teesta
river water flow.
• Bangladesh also requires China’s support in resolving the Rohingya refugee crisis.
• Bangladesh is the second biggest arms market for China after Pakistan.
• Although memories of 1971 remain, Bangladesh has expressed its interest
in establishing peaceful relations with Pakistan.
• Border management- In 2019, India enacted the National Register of
Citizens and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which created an uproar
within and beyond the borders.
• Water sharing- For West Bengal, Teesta is important to sustain its
impoverished farming districts which comprise 12.77% of its population.
• For Bangladesh, the Teesta’s flood plains cover about 14% of the total cropped area of the country and provide
direct livelihood opportunities to approximately 7.3% of the population.
What agreements were signed recently?
• India and Bangladesh signed seven agreements on various fields, including
o An interim bilateral agreement on water sharing of the Kushiyara river
o Capacity building of Courts
o To train personnel of Bangladesh Railways
o Other areas- Space technology, scientific and technological cooperation, TV broadcasting
What is the interim agreement on Kushiyara
water sharing?
• There were 54 rivers that pass through the
Indo-Bangladesh border.
• India and Bangladesh had signed the Ganga
water treaty in 1996 for sharing waters of
Ganga for a period of 30 years.
• Bangladesh has sought the early conclusion of
the Teesta water sharing agreement, which has
been hanging since 2011 due to opposition from
West Bengal.
• The current agreement will benefit southern
parts of Assam state in India and the Sylhet
region in Bangladesh.
1.15 Troika for India’s northeast region
Why in news?
In the third India-Japan Intellectual Dialogue in Agartala, policymakers focused to bring the troika of Bangladesh, India
and Japan closer.

What is the role of Japan in North East Region?

• Japan has historical ties with the North Eastern region of
India.
• Japan attaches great importance to the development of the
region in the spirit of trust and friendship.
• Japan-North Eastern India relationship and cooperation, aim
at promoting the intellectual interactions between Japan and
the North East.
• The cooperation can bring new opportunities in empowering entrepreneurship in agriculture/Bamboo sector
and Fostering People to People Contact.
What are the developments in north east regions connecting Bangladesh?
• Matarbari Deep Sea Port (DSP) - Constructed with Japanese assistance and will operationalize in 2027.
• The long term vision is for Bangladesh and the northeast to become a hub and key industrial corridor of this
region.
• Located on the on the south eastern coast of Bangladesh.
• Rapid industrialization - To increase the connectivity of roads and railways by Hiroshi Suzuki, Japan’s
Ambassador to India.
• It also provides job opportunities and connects with Bangladesh.
• Creating value chains and manufacturing products - Should encompass diverse sectors such as
o Agro-processing,
o Man-made fibers,
o Handicrafts,
o Assembly of two-wheelers and
o Mobile phones, and pharmaceuticals industries.
What are the challenges to development of north east region?
• Japan being the only investor in the region is unworkable
• Lack on Indian companies taking part in the development of north east region
• Too much restrictions on the flow of investments from Bangladesh.
• Lack of policy coordination among the governments of Bangladesh, India and Japan on the development of
north east
What is the way forward?
• Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is self-defeating
and Bangladesh must move towards establishing the Bay of Bengal Community (BOBC).
• A Bangladesh, India and Japan (BIJ) Forum should be launched at the level of Foreign Ministers, for better
coordination.
• The policies of north east and Bangladesh needs to be converged.
Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
• BIMSTEC is a regional organization that was established on 06 June 1997 with the signing of the Bangkok
Declaration.
• BIMSTEC will be based on respect for the principle of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, and political
independence, non-interference in internal affairs, non-aggression, peaceful co-existence, mutual respect and
mutual benefit.
• The 7 members of BIMSTEC are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Srilanka and Thailand.
• BIMSTEC headquarters is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
To know more about BIMSTEC click here

2. BILATERAL RELATIONS
ASIA
2.1 India-Maldives Bilateral Relations
Why in news?
Given the present situation, India must strengthen ties with the Maldives without taking sides in domestic politics.
How about the picture of India- Maldives relation?
• India and Maldives share ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious and commercial links steeped in antiquity.
• Diplomacy- India was among the first to recognize and
to establish diplomatic relations with Maldives after its
independence in 1965.
• Strategic significance - Maldives’ proximity to the
west coast of India and its situation at the hub of
commercial sea-lanes running through Indian Ocean
makes it strategically important to India.
• India is being seen as a net security provider and ‘India
First’ has been a stated policy of the Government of
Maldives.
• Political aid - India’s prompt assistance during the
1988 coup attempt, led to development of trust and long-
term and friendly bilateral relations with the Maldives.
• Disaster management - India was the first to assist
Maldives during the 2004 Tsunami as well as the water
crisis in Malé in Dec 2014.
• India’s rapid and comprehensive assistance to the Maldives since the COVID- 19 pandemic began has further
reinforced India’s credentials of being the first responder.
• Security & Defence Cooperation - A comprehensive Action Plan for Defence was signed in 2016 to
consolidate defence partnership.
• India provides the largest number of training opportunities for Maldivian National Defence Force, meeting
around 70% of their defence training requirements.
• Development Cooperation – The major completed and ongoing development assistance projects executed
by India are
o Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital
o Maldives Institute of Technical Education (Maldives Polytechnic)
o India-Maldives Faculty of Hospitality & Tourism Studies
o Technology Adoption Programme in Education Sector in Maldives
o National Centre for Police and Law Enforcement (NCPLE)
• Connectivity – India assists Maldives in the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) that aims to ease the
pressure of the main capital island of Male for commercial and residential purposes.
• India has aided in commissioning of various projects such as Hanimaadhoo airport, Hulhumale cricket stadium,
Gulhifalhu port, etc.
• In 2022, India & Maldives agreed for an open skies arrangement which will further improve connectivity
between two countries.
• Economy and Trade - India emerged as Maldives’ 3rd largest trade partner in 2021.
• Indian imports from the Maldives primarily comprise scrap metals while Indian exports to the Maldives include
a variety of engineering and industrial products and agriculture produce.
• Tourism - In 2022, India continues to be the leading source market for Maldives with a 14.1% market share.

• Consular Matters - Indian expatriate community in the Maldives has an approximate strength of 27,000.
• Agreement for transfer of prisoners under the Transfer of Sentenced Persons is also active.
India’s involvements in Maldives
Greater Male Connectivity Project

• The $500-million Greater Male Connectivity project is the biggest infra project that India has begun in Maldives.
• This project aims to link the Maldives capital to 3 neighboring highlands with a 6.74-k bridge and causeway over
the sea.
Hanimadhoo Airport
• India is developing an international airport at Hanimadhoo in Haaa Dahaalu atoll of the Maldivian archipelago.
• The $ 136.6-million development of the Hanimadhoo airport has been financed by a line of credit to the Maldives
from India’s Exim Bank.
• It will be executed by the Indian company JMC Projects Ltd.
• It includes the development of a 2.46-km runway, and a terminal with an annual capacity for 1.3 million
passengers.
• This is the second biggest infra project that India has begun in recent months after the $500-million Greater Male
Connectivity project.
• Both Greater Male Connectivity project and Hanimadhoo Airport are prestige projects for Delhi that compete in
scale with the Chinese built Male-Hulumale-Hulhule bridge and the Hulumale airport.
Other projects
• In the Manadhoo island of Noonu atoll, the two sides signed three MoUs, including
o A proposed collaboration between Cochin University and Maldives National University, and
o A $100 million grant for “high impact community development” projects.
• In the Foakaidhoo Island in the Shaviyani atoll, India has inaugurated an India-funded community centre.
How is the present situation?

• Recently, the former Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen had been convicted by a criminal court for 11 years.
• Mr. Yameen has had a rough relationship with India during his presidential term.
• As opposition leader he has led the “India Out” campaign, and had close links with China.
• Recently, he called for an arson attack on the Indian High Commission in Male.
• The Maldives Constitution disqualifies any candidate convicted of criminal charges and sentenced to a term of
more than a year unless they are later acquitted or a three-year period has elapsed since their release.
How do both countries interact on international level?
• Maldives had consistently supported India in multilateral fora, such as the UN, the Commonwealth, the NAM
and the SAARC.
• Maldives co-sponsored the G-4 draft resolutions on UN reforms.
• India has extended support to Maldives candidature for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for
the term 2019-20.
• The importance of India’s strategic role in Maldives is well-recognized, with India being seen as a net security
provider. ‘India First’ has been a stated policy of the Government of Maldives.
What lies ahead for New Delhi?
• Mr. Yameen’s disqualification may provide some relief to New Delhi but it must keep a close watch on other
parts of Maldivian politics.
• New Delhi must also actively project the image of the friendly and helpful neighbor.

2.2 India-Egypt Relations
Why in news?
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has been invited as the chief guest for the 2023 Republic Day celebrations.
What is the significance of a Republic Day invite?
• Choosing the Chief Guest - The choice of chief guest is dictated by a number of reasons — strategic and
diplomatic, business interests, and international geo-politics.
• Another factor in the choice of the Chief Guest is the association with the Non-Aligned Movement
(NAM) which began in the late 1950s, early 1960s.
• The first Chief Guest of the parade in 1950 was President Sukarno of Indonesia, one of the five founding
members of the NAM.
• Significance - Being invited as the chief guest at Republic Day celebrations is the highest honour a country
accords in terms of protocol.
• It is the ultimate sign of friendship between India and the country of the invitee.
• This is the first time that an Egyptian President has been invited as chief guest for the event.
• El-Sisi’s arrival in India as the Chief Guest invokes the history of NAM and the close relationship they have
shared for 75 years.
What is the history of India-Egypt relations?
• Historical - The history of contacts between India and Egypt, two of the world’s oldest civilisations, can be
traced back to at least the time of Emperor Asoka.
• In modern times,
Mahatma Gandhi and the
Egyptian revolutionary
Saad Zaghloul shared
common goals on
independence from British
colonial rule.
• Geostrategic - Egypt, the
most populous country in
West Asia, occupies a
crucial geo-strategic
location — 12% of global
trade passes through
the Suez Canal.
• It is a major market for
India and can act as a
gateway to both Europe
and Africa.
• It also has bilateral trade pacts with important West Asian and African nations.
• Political - The joint announcement of the establishment of diplomatic relations at the Ambassadorial level was
made in 1947.
• India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser signed the friendship
treaty in 1955 and they were key to form the NAM in 1961.
• High-level exchanges with Egypt continued after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution.
• New Delhi views Egypt as a moderate Islamic voice, which has made an attempt to play a positive role in the 57-
member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
• Economic - The India-Egypt bilateral trade agreement has been in operation since 1978 and is based on
the most-favoured nation clause.
• The bilateral trade has increased more than five times in the past 10 years.
• Agriculture will be a key area of cooperation as Egypt is facing a shortage of food grains due to Ukraine Russia
war.

• Other sectors – Egypt is keen to push for more tourism from India so that there is more forex inflow into their
tourism-dependent economy.
• A proposal for establishing an IIT in Egypt is in the works.
• Egypt is interested in procuring defence equipment from India, which includes LCA Tejas, missiles like Akash,
DRDO’s Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon, and radars.
• Egypt has also been invited to participate in the Aero-India 2023 at Yelahanka Air Force Station, Bengaluru.
• Recently, India-Egypt bilateral relationship was elevated to a “Strategic Partnership” which will have
broadly 4 elements.
o Political, defence, and security
o Economic engagement
o Scientific and academic collaboration
o Cultural and people-to-people contacts
What geo-strategic concerns lie ahead?
• However, China’s bilateral trade with Egypt is double that of India’s in 2021-22.
• India should use this opportunity to forge a new path ahead, not just for their strategic and economic interests,
but as the voice of the Global South.
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
• The OIC is formerly the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.

• It is the world’s second largest inter-governmental organisation after the UN, with a membership
of 57 states.
• Its stated objective is “to safeguard and protect the interests of the Muslim world in the spirit of promoting
international peace and harmony among various people of the world”.
• OIC has reserved membership for Muslim-majority countries.
• Russia, Thailand, and a couple of other small countries have Observer status.
• India is home to the world's third largest Muslim population, next only to Indonesia and Pakistan.
• Yet, India is not a member of the OIC.
2.3 Trade Pact with GCC
Why in news?
Despite the Gulf region being home to the largest Indian expatriate community with long-standing relations, its
enormous economic potential remains unexplored.
What is GCC?
• The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a regional
political and economic alliance of 6 countries in the
Gulf region - Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait,
Oman and Bahrain.
• The GCC was established by an agreement concluded
in 1981 in Riyadh.
• Headquarter - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Aim - To achieve ever closer union between the energy
rich Gulf countries.
• Significance - GCC has over 8.5 million non-resident
Indians, constituting around 65% of total NRIs.
• GCC was the source of the largest foreign inward
remittances, garnering 30% of total remittances.

How about the India-GCC trade relation?

• Economic Cooperation - A Framework Agreement on Economic Cooperation between Republic of India and
Gulf Cooperation Council was signed in 2004.
• Since then, hardly any worthwhile progress has
been made despite holding two rounds of
negotiations in 2006 and 2008.
• Trade deficit - India has a trade deficit of 66.8
billion dollars with GCC in 2021-22.
• India had the highest trade deficit (2021-22)
with Saudi, followed by the UAE and Qatar
whereas India had a trade surplus with Bahrain.
• Top imports - Petroleum and petroleum
products are among India’s top imports from
GCC accounting for 66% of its total imports in
2021-22.
• Top exports - India is a supplier of agricultural
and manufactured products to GCC.
• Among the GCC countries, the UAE is India’s
major destination for exports, followed by Saudi
Arabia and Oman in 2021-22.
How about the profile of GCC?
• The fall in global oil prices led to decline in GCC
exports’ share in the world market from 5.7% in
2013 to 3.3% in 2021.
• Owing to a revival in oil prices in 2022, the World Bank expects the economies of GCC to expand which might
rise the trade deficit that India has with the GCC.
• Major GCC imports (2021) consist of electric machinery and equipment, machinery and mechanical appliance,
vehicles and pharmaceutical products.
• Among the GCC, Saudi Arabia has the highest exports.
What is needed for the mutual benefit of the two countries?
• GCC provide for India’s energy security, while India ensures their food security.
• India and the GCC need to go beyond the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and include investments and services as
a part of comprehensive economic partnership.
• In a rapidly emerging multipolar world, early and effective implementation of Comprehensive Economic
Partnership Agreement CEPA would provide a boost to India and GCC countries.
• India and the UAE signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in 2022.
• Under the CEPA, Indian merchandise got preferential market access to the UAE for 99% of India’s exports to
the UAE in value terms, besides enhanced access to over 111 sub-sectors from 11 broad services sector.
WESTERN COUNTRIES
2.4 India-US Geopolitical Relations
Why in news?
The relationship between the India and US has been put under severe stress by Russia’s Ukraine war.
How about the India-US ties?
• Trade - The US is one of the few countries with which India has a trade surplus with India’s exports exceeding
the imports.
• India-U.S. Trade Policy Forum was established in 2005 to serve as the leading bilateral mechanism to discuss
trade related matters.

• The India – U.S. Economic and Financial Partnership Dialogue is led by the Finance Minister of India and the
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.
• Defence – India-US defence cooperation is based on “New Framework for IndiaUS Defence Cooperation”,
which was renewed for a period of ten years in 2015.
• In 2016, the defence relationship was designated as a Major Defence Partnership (MDP).
• Several defence agreements have been signed.
o Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Association (August 2016)
o Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (September 2018)
o Industrial Security Agreement (December 2019)
o Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (October 2020)
• Bilateral Dialogue Mechanisms - India-U.S. 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue is led by the heads of Foreign and
Defense Ministries of India and the U.S.
• Quad - In the Joint Statement adopted at the first Quad Leaders’ Summit, the Leaders reiterated their common
vision for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.
• Security - India-U.S. Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism oversees the expanding counter-terrorism
cooperation.
• Energy – In 2018, Energy Dialogue was replaced with Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP).
• The SEP is based on four primary pillars of cooperation:
o Oil and Gas
o Power and Energy Efficiency
o Renewable Energy and
o Sustainable Growth
• S&T and Space Cooperation - The Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) is a bi-national
autonomous organization established to promote cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation.
• The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission is a joint project between NASA and ISRO to co-develop and
launch a dual-frequency synthetic aperture radar on an Earth observation satellite.
• Diaspora/People-to-People ties – About 4.2 million Indian origin people reside in the US.
• US is one of the most favoured destination of Indian students for higher education.

What is the current geopolitical situation?

• Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - India’s refusal to criticize Moscow’s war has made the US deeply
uncomfortable.
• When Prime Minister Narendra Modi told President Vladimir Putin in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
(SCO) Summit 2022 that “today’s era is not of war”, the US was pleased with the articulation.
• Buying oil- The US was unhappy with India for buying more oil from Russia than earlier.
• But, India argues that it must protect its citizens from the inflationary impact of the war.
• F-16 Programme- India blasted the United States for its move to provide Pakistan with the F-16 case for
sustainment and related equipment.
• However, the US framed it as a continuation of the old programme that is necessary for Pakistan to fight
terrorism.
• Some analysts view the renewal of the US-Pakistan military engagement as a message to New Delhi for its
strategy of “issue-based alignment”.
What lies ahead?
• With the recent “no-limits” ties between Russia and China, issues in the US-India relationship present potential
weak spots.
• Since both India and the US see China as the biggest threat and rival, it is time to accommodate and invest in
the bilateral relationship.
2.5 India-Australia Ties
Why in news?
Australian Prime Minister announced an Australia-India education qualification recognition mechanism while on his 2
day tour in Gujarat.
What is the history of India-Australia relationship?
• Historical ties – The historical ties between India and Australia started immediately following European
settlement in Australia from 1788.
• India-Australia Strategic Relationship – Both countries signed a Joint Declaration on Security
Cooperation in 2009.
• Bilateral co-operation – Bilateral
mechanisms include Joint Trade, India-
Australia '2+2', Energy Security
Dialogue, JWGs on different issues etc.
• Multilateral co-operation – The
inaugural Secretary-level trilateral talks
between India, Australia and Japan was
held in New Delhi in June 2015.
• The 1st Indonesia-Australia-India
Senior Officials’ Strategic Dialogue was
held in Bogor, Indonesia on 27th
November 2017.
• Bilateral Trade – India is the 5th
largest trade partner of Australia with
trade in goods and services.
• Civil nuclear co-operation – A Civil
Nuclear Cooperation Agreement
between the two countries was signed in
2014.
• Defence co-operation – The first-
ever Bilateral Maritime Exercise, AUSINDEX, was conducted in Visakhapatnam in 2015.
• In 2018, Indian Air Force participated for the first time in the Exercise Pitch Black in Australia.

• INS Sahyadri participated in Kakadu, the biennial Exercise of the Australian Navy.
• The AUSTRAHIND is the exercise of the Special Forces of Army Exercise.
• Consular cooperation – The Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) and the Extradition
Treaty between India and Australia, were signed in 2008.
What are the areas of cooperation between the two countries?
• China factor – Ties between Australia and China were strained after Canberra banned Chinese telecom firm
Huawei from the 5G network.
• China responded by imposing trade barriers on Australian exports, and by cutting off all ministerial contact.
• India has been facing an aggressive Chinese military along the border.
• New Delhi and Canberra have been assessing the Chinese challenge since 2013.
• Economic cooperation – The Economic Cooperation Trade Agreement (ECTA), the first free trade
agreement signed by India with a developed country in a decade.
• Bilateral trade was US$ 27.5 billion in 2021; with ECTA, there is potential for it to reach around US$ 50 billion
in 5 years.
• People-to-people ties – India is one of the top sources of skilled immigrants to Australia.
• Clean energy – The countries signed a Letter of Intent on New and Renewable Energy in 2022 to bring down
the cost of renewable energy technologies, especially ultra-low-cost solar and clean hydrogen.
• IRIS – India announced matching funds of AUD 10 million for Pacific Island Countries under Infrastructure
for Resilient Island States (IRIS).
• ISA – It also announced AUD 10 million for Pacific Island Countries under International Solar Alliance (ISA).
What is the status of cooperation in the education sector?
• MREQ – The Mechanism for Mutual Recognition of Educational Qualifications (MREQ) was signed
this year.
• This will facilitate mobility of students between India and Australia.
• Indian students are the second largest cohort of foreign students in Australia.
• New mechanism – The Australia-India education qualification recognition mechanism, degrees obtained
in Australia will now be recognised in India, and vice-versa.
• This move will not apply to professional qualifications such as engineering, medicine and law graduates, which
will remain outside the ambit of this agreement.
• Maitri scholarship – It will provide financial assistance to Indian students in Australia for as long as 4 years.
• It will attract and support Indian students to study at Australian universities.
2.6 India-Germany Ties
Why in news?
Chancellor Scholz’s 2 day visit to India, significantly coincided with the 1 st anniversary of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
What is the history of India-Germany relations?
• Political relations – India is one of the 1st countries to end the state
of war with post-war Germany in 1951 and recognize the Federal
Republic of Germany (FRG).
• Germany and India cooperate closely on the issue of UN Security
Council expansion within the framework of G-4.
• Defence relations – High Defence Committee (HDC) meetings at the
Defence Secretary level take place annually, alternately in New Delhi
and Berlin.
• India-Germany Defence Cooperation Agreement (2006) provides a framework for bilateral defence
cooperation

• Economic relations – Germany is India’s largest

trading partner in Europe and 2nd most important
partner in terms of technological collaborations.
• Germany is the 8th largest foreign direct investor in
India since 2000.
• Cultural relations – The Indo-German
Society is engaged in promoting inter-cultural
activities of both countries by conveying information
about modern India to the German public.
• Max Mueller was the first scholar of Indo-European
languages to translate and publish the Upanishads and
the Rigveda.
• Strategic relations - India and Germany have
a “Strategic Partnership” since 2001.
• India is amongst a select group of countries with which
Germany has Inter-Governmental Consultations at
the level of Head of Governments (German Chancellor
and PM).
• Parliamentary Exchanges – There is an Indo-German Parliamentary Friendship Group where visit by
Parliamentarians from both sides take place regularly.
• Institutional Cooperation Arrangements – Includes High Defence Committee, Indo-German Energy
Forum, Indo-German Environment Forum, etc.
• Intergovernmental S&T Cooperation Agreement was signed for fostering research projects and direct
partnerships between Universities of both countries.
• Recent developments in India-Germany ties.
What is the impact of Russia-Ukraine war and Russia-China nexus on India-Germany ties?
• Russia-Ukraine war – The war has been a watershed moment in Germany’s security policy, resulting in the
abandonment of decades of post-war pacifism towards strategic matters.
• This is evident in Germany’s pledge to boost
defence spending to 2% of GDP and provide
special funding to bolster the country’s military.
• China factor – China’s assertive posturing
have brought into question Germany’s approach
of Wandel durch Handel (change through
trade).
• Europe’s increasing prioritisation of values-
based partnerships with like-minded countries
can advance India-German cooperation.
• Trade routes – For Germany, the stability of
supply chains and trade routes linking Asia to
Europe is of critical importance given its status
as Europe’s economic powerhouse and its
reliance on exports.
What are the recent developments between the
two countries?
• Military dependence – As New Delhi
attempts to diversify from its military
dependence on Russia, Berlin reassesses its
long-standing arms exports policy and could
become an important defence partner for India.
• Military exercise – The first ever France-
India-Germany military exercise drill is slated to
take place in 2024 towards enhanced security
and defence collaboration.

• Trade & technologies – Collaboration in clean energy and green technologies has emerged as the central
pillar in the partnership.
• This lead to the launch of a Green and Sustainable Development Partnership.
• The green and sustainable development partnership aims to effectively respond to the most pressing global
challenges of today, viz. achieving the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and addressing climate
change.
• India’s role – Divergent positions on the war have not undermined India’s regular political engagements with
Europe.
• Russia-China – An intensification of the Russia-China axis could further embolden this alignment.
• Germany-China – While Germany emphasises the difficulties in decoupling from China, it is encouraging
that Germany is drafting a new official China strategy amidst a wider national security strategy.
• Against the backdrop of volatile geopolitical shifts, emerging multi polar world, and Europe’s enhanced
courtship of India, India’s ties with Germany could be vital in shaping a new global order.
2.7 India-France Strategic Partnership
Why in news?
The celebration by India and France of 25 years of their strategic partnership presents an important opportunity for
both to introspect on their relations.
How has India-France ties been?
• Signed in 1998, the time-tested strategic partnership between
India and France has continued to gain momentum over
shared values and aspirations of peace, stability and their
desire for strategic autonomy.
• Key trading partner - France has emerged as a key trading
partner of India with annual trade of $12.42 billion in 2021-
22.
• France is the 11th largest foreign investor in India with 1.7% of
the total foreign direct investment inflows into India.
• Key defence partner - France has become the second
largest defence supplier in 2017- 2021.
• The crucial defence deals include the inducting of the
French Scorpene submarines, being built in India under
technology transfer agreement of 2005 and receiving of
36 Rafale fighter jets.
• The relations is further strengthened with the robust network
of military dialogues and regularly held joint exercises
o Varuna (navy)
o Garuda (air force)
o Shakti (army)
• Nuclear deal and tests - France was among the first
countries with which India signed a civil nuclear deal.
• France also played a critical role in limiting India’s isolation
in the non-proliferation order after the 1998 nuclear tests.
• Multilateral groupings - France supports India’s bid for
permanent membership of the United Nations Security
Council as well as its entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
• Maritime security – India and France are resident powers
of the Indian Ocean and in the Indo-Pacific.

• The two countries launched “Joint Strategic Vision of India-France Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region”.
• India and France in 2022 agreed to set up an Indo-Pacific Trilateral Development Cooperation Fund that will
support sustainable innovative solutions for countries in the region.
• The two partners have formed a trilateral grouping with the United Arab Emirates to ensure maritime domain
awareness and security from the east coast of Africa to the far Pacific.
• Digital technology – India is an important hub for French companies for day-to-day activities as well as R&D
and innovation.
• The French tech services provides India with supercomputing hardware and quantum computing simulation
software.
• Environment - India has supported France in the Paris Agreement expressing its strong commitment towards
mitigating climate change impact.
• New Delhi and Paris, as part of their joint efforts on climate change, launched the International Solar Alliance in
2015.
The Paris Agreement
• It is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21.
• Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial
levels.
• India has committed to reduce the “emissions intensity” of its gross domestic product (GDP) to 45% below 2005
levels by 2030.
What lies ahead?

• Advanced technologies - Enhancing bilateral cooperation in nuclear cooperation and enhancing space is of
significance now.
• Defence – Next is the new commitment to go beyond the buyer-seller relationship in the field of weapons
procurement.
• India comes up with clear policies for making arms in India.
• With this, the synergies between India’s large defence market and the French strengths in armament production
can offer much.
• Political cooperation - Political cooperation between India and France is relatively new.
• Today, France has emerged as India’s most reliable partner on issues relating to terrorism and Kashmir.
• Regional cooperation - The relationship between India and France has gone beyond the bilateral to focus on
the regional.
• Global agenda-setting - Besides the Solar Alliance, India and France have to turn to more ambitious ideas.
2.8 India- Italy Relations
Why in news?
On the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and
India, the India-Italy Summit on March 2023 marked a turning
point in the relations between the two countries.
What is the history of India-Italy relationship?
• Political Relations - Political relations between India and
Italy were established in 1947.
• A total of 15 MoUs covering areas like energy, media,
finance, ship building were signed in the 2020 Summit.
• Economic Relations - Italy is among India's top 5 trading
partners in the EU.

• Italy ranks 18th in FDI inflows in

India during April 2000 to December 2020
with FDI inflow of US $ 3.02 billion during
this period.
• Italy and India have already intensified their
collaboration, bringing bilateral trade to a
record figure of around 15 billion euros in
2022, doubling the figure recorded in 2020.
• India ranks 19th as country of origin of
Italian imports, accounting for 1.2% of Ital
ian imports.
• Defence - Milan – a biennial naval exercise
between India and Italy.
• Indian Naval Ship (INS) Tabar, the Navy’s
Talwar-class Russian built frigate, has just
concluded a two-day naval exercise with the
Italian Navy in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
• India - Italy Military Cooperation
Group (MCG) is a forum established to
boost defence cooperation between India and
Italy.
• Cultural Exchange - The agreement for
cultural cooperation was signed in 1976.
• There are around 10 Universities/higher education institutions in Italy with highly qualified faculties which
conduct courses in Indian art, history and languages.
• Science and Technology - An Agreement on S&T Co-operation exists since 1978.
• A significant bilateral initiative under the S&T Cooperation Agreement is the India-Trento Programme for
Advanced Research (ITPAR)
• Indian Community in Italy - The Indian community in Italy (estimated at 2.5 lakhs including PIOs) is
the third largest community of Indians in Europe after UK and the Netherlands.
• Indian community is the 5th largest foreign community in Italy.
What are the recent developments in India-Italy relationship?
• The elevation of bilateral relations to a strategic partnership has been established for the first time in 2023.
• In recent years, Italy has joined all the multilateral initiatives promoted by India, from the Indian Ocean Rim
Association (IORA) to the Coalition for Disaster Relief Infrastructure (CDRI), to the International Solar
Alliance .
• European-Indian strategic partnership aims to support the ongoing negotiations for Free Trade Agreements
and agreements on investment protection and geographical indication protection.
• In scientific research and technology, the partnership between the two countries has registered the launch of 13
new joint projects.
• Mobility: There is a significant increase in the flow of Indian students and workers in Italy with Indian
community exceeding a figure of 2,00,000, the highest in the European Union.
2.9 India – Nordic Relations
Why in news?
As Nordic countries are pioneers in green technologies, Nordics and India can together power the green transition the
world needs.

Nordic Countries Other regions

Nordic Countries
1. Denmark 1. Faroe Islands Map
2. Norway 2. Greenland
3. Sweden 3. Åland
4. Finland
5. Iceland
Scandinavian Region
Geographically, there are 3 Culturally, there are 6

Scandinavian countries Scandinavian countries
1. Denmark 1. Denmark
2. Norway 2. Norway
3. Sweden 3. Sweden
4. Finland
5. Iceland
6. Faroe Islands
What about India-Nordic Connect?

• Areas of Cooperation - At the Nordic-India Summit held in Copenhagen in 2022, the Nordic countries
and India agreed to intensify cooperation on digitalisation, renewable energy, maritime industries and the
circular economy.
• Trade - India has grown to become a priority country for Finland.
• Finland opened a new Consulate General in Mumbai that will increase the number of Nordic representations
in India’s commercial capital.
• Finnish companies such as Nokia and Fortum see India as their largest growth market.
• Trade between Norway and India has doubled in the last three years.
• The Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund is likely to become one of India’s largest single foreign investors.
• Both Norway and Finland have ongoing free trade agreement and investments negotiations (FTA) with India.
• Finland, as a member of the European Union (EU), is a part of the EU-India FTA negotiations, and Norway
is negotiating through the European Free Trade Association.
• Strategic partnership - In 2020, India and Denmark elevated their relations to a Green Strategic
Partnership to advance political cooperation, expand economic relations and green growth, create jobs and
strengthen cooperation on addressing global challenges.
• Environment - The Norwegian government has also recently established a new Climate Investment
Fund for investment in renewables abroad, and almost Rs 1,500 crore have been invested so far in India.
• Leadership for Industry Transition (LeadIT) that focuses on low carbon transition of the industrial
sector was launched by Sweden and India at the UN Climate Action Summit, 2019.
• As India takes rapid strides into a green, digital, and innovative future, Nordic countries such as Finland and
Norway stand ready to share experiences and be a part of India’s transition.
2.10 Residence by Investment
Why in news?
High net worth individuals are making a beeline for residence-through-investment programmes in the U.S., Portugal,
Australia, Malta, and Greece.

What is the picture of citizenship renouncement in India?

• According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) data, in 2022, over 2.25 lakh Indians renounced Indian
citizenship, the highest ever since 2011.
• Reasons - High net worth individuals (HNIs) are moving
westward with new passports, in search of
HNIs are those who have wealth
o Better business opportunities of over $1 million or Rs 8.2 crore.
o Healthcare
According to the Henley Global
o Quality of life
Citizens Report, India ranks 3rd
o Education in terms of HNI movements, next
o Security to Russia and China.
o Tax Management
What about residence by investment programs?
• Residency by investment – Residence by investment schemes offer people the chance to get a residency
permit for a country by purchasing a house there or making a large investment or donation.
• It is otherwise known as golden visa programs.
• It give HNIs the option of physically relocating and becoming residents of a state with full legal rights, including
the right to live, work, study, and receive healthcare in that country.
What is Permanent residency (PR)?
• It is a visa status that allows the bearer of the PR card to legally reside in the host country without being a citizen
of that country.
• Permanent residents are entitled to live, work, go to school and access health care in the host country.
• In order to be eligible to apply for permanent residency status in any given country, individuals usually have to
meet certain requirements, such as
o Having work experience in the country
Residence by investment Programs
o Having studied in the country
o Speaking the language, etc. • U.S. EB-5 visa
• Portugal Golden Visa
• PR status can also lead to citizenship by
• Australian Global Talent Independent Visa
naturalization provided the resident has lived in
• Malta Permanent Residency Programme
the country for a certain number of years.
• Greece Residence by Investment Program
To know about US Government’s EAGLE Act, click here
What is the issue?
• In 2022, the European Commission called on EU governments to stop selling citizenship to investors as part
of a move to crack down on this combined multi-billion euro industry.
• Portugal decided to end its Golden Visa program because of an uproar over the surge in house prices that left
many struggle to find adequate accommodation.
• In 2022, the UK government scrapped its golden visa scheme that allowed wealthy foreign nationals to settle
in the country in exchange for bringing part of their wealth with them.
What lies ahead?
• While the demise of these programmes signals a change in the way international travel and residency is handled,
it doesn't mean the practice will completely end.
• While Europe may be making it tougher for wealthy Indians to obtain the golden visa, certain countries in the
Caribbean are conducting comprehensive reviews of their programmes, aiming to reduce costs and processing
times.

3. REGIONAL AND GLOBAL GROUPINGS AND AGREEMENTS
INDO-PACIFIC
3.1 New Normal in the Indo-Pacific Contestation
Why in news?
With tensions between China and India intensifying, there will be significant changes and challenges in the Indian Ocean
and South Asian regions.
What is Indo-Pacific Region?
• The Indo-Pacific region is a geopolitical
area that spans two regions of the Indian
Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
• The region stretches from the west coast of
the United States to the west coast of India.
• The Indo-Pacific is a 24 nation’s regional
framework comprising the tropical waters
of the Indian Ocean, the western and
central Pacific Ocean, and the seas
connecting the two in the general area of
Indonesia.
To know about the significance of the Indo-Pacific
for India, click here
What is the issue with China’s widening outreach?
• Beijing’s outreach in South Asia increased manifold in the early 2000s with its economic boom.
• It began to further its strategic ends in the region through loans, financial incentives, and mega-infrastructure
projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
• These investments enabled Beijing to access the Indian Ocean, promote security ties, harbour military vessels
and submarines, and take certain ports on lease (Hambantota port of Sri Lanka).
• It is only with the Galwan clashes in 2020 that the Indian strategic thinking is deeming Beijing as a bigger
threat than that of Islamabad.
What steps were taken by India to narrow the Chinese
outreach?
The Nepal compact aims to maintain
• In Maldives - New Delhi is reciprocating President Ibrahim road quality, increase the availability
Solih’s ‘India First’ policy with massive economic assistance, and reliability of electricity, and
grants, and infrastructure projects and by also cooperating on facilitate cross-border electricity
maritime security.
trade between Nepal and India.
• In Nepal - Nepal has attempted to improve Nepal’s overall
bilateral relations with India.
• In Sri Lanka - In 2022, India has provided economic and humanitarian assistance and investments worth 4
billion dollars.
• Steps by Quad members – Quad members include Japan, Australia, and the United States.
• Close cooperation among these partners has ensued to offer genuine alternatives to the BRI such as assistance
to Sri Lanka.
• In the Maldives, Australia and the U.S. have committed to opening their embassies and new areas of
cooperation.
• In 2020, the U.S. signed a defence and security framework with the Maldives.
• In 2022, Nepal ratified the U.S.’s Millennium Challenge Cooperation (Nepal Compact), much to
China’s displeasure.


• The success of India and its partners is China - Indian Ocean Region Forum
unlikely to deter China from furthering its
presence in the region. • China convened the 1st ‘China-Indian Ocean Region Forum’
bringing together 19 countries from the region except India.
• In 2022, the Chinese surveillance
vessel Yuan Wang-5 entered the Indian • The first Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development
Ocean, coinciding with the test flight Cooperation (IORFDC) was held in Kunming city in China.
of Agni-series missile.
• The forum was organised by the China International
• Beijing also hosted its first-ever China- Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA).
Indian Ocean Region Forum, to
• In this forum, China proposed to establish a marine disaster
institutionalise its presence in the region
prevention and mitigation cooperation mechanism between
and challenge new initiatives such as the
China and countries in the Indian Ocean region (IOR).
Quad and the Colombo Security Conclave.
What lies ahead? • China also proposed the establishment of a blue economy
think tank network for China and countries in the IOR.
• Current issues - The COVID-19
pandemic and Russia’s invasion of • The new China-led forum could be seen as a counter
Ukraine have continued to haunt the measure to India’s IORA.
region.
• Nepal, the Maldives and Bhutan are struggling with depleting forex reserves.
• Bangladesh has reached a bailout agreement worth 4.5 billion with the International Monetary Fund.
• The IMF has approved Sri Lanka’s request for a $2.9 billion bailout and the programme will enable it to access
up to $7 billion in overall funding.
• Need for a balance - Beijing will continue to leverage its influence in South Asia but the latter would hesitate
to completely move away from China as they hope to balance China and India —making this competition a ‘new
normal’.
3.2 Indo-Pacific Strategy of Canada
Why in news?
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar for the India-Canada Strategic
Dialogue in Delhi.
Why is Melanie Joly’s visit so significant?
• India and Canada aim to seal Early Progress Trade
Agreement (EPTA) to increase their trade and expand
investment while setting out a mechanism to deal with disputes.
• India welcomed Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy, given the shared
vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
• India’s growing strategic, economic, and demographic importance
makes it a critical partner for Canada in the Indo-Pacific.
• In return, Canada can be a reliable supplier of critical minerals, a
strong partner in the green transition and a major investor.
What is Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy about?
• Fund - The strategy contains a funding commitment of US $1.7 billion over 5 years.
• Area - It is spread over infrastructure projects through the US-led G7
Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment.
• It allocates 403 million dollar for an enhanced military presence in the Canada is the last G7 nation
Indian Ocean, and expanded participation in regional military exercises. to embrace the concept of
• Objectives the Indo-Pacific and 20% of
its population originates in
o Promote peace, resilience and security the Indo-Pacific region.
o Expand trade, investment and supply chain resilience Invest in
and connect people

o Build a sustainable and green future

o Be an active and engaged partner to the Indo-Pacific The immigrants from India
What about Canada-India relations? account for at least 1.4% of
the population of Canada.
• Common Values - Shared values of democracy, pluralism, expanding
economic engagement, regular high level interactions and long-standing
people-to-people ties.
• Development Cooperation - As of 2021, Canada invested nearly $24 million in 2018-2019 to support 75
projects in India via Grand Challenges Canada.
• Nuclear Agreements - The Appropriate Arrangement (AA) for the NCA was signed in 2013, under
which a Joint Committee on Civil Nuclear Cooperation was constituted.
• Security and Defence - India and
Canada collaborate closely in
international for the UN,
Commonwealth and G-20.
• Science and Tech - ISRO and
Canadian Space Agency (CSA) have
signed MOUs in the field of exploration
and utilisation of outer space.
• ANTRIX has launched several
nanosatellites from Canada.
What are the challenges in the bilateral
relation?
• The big issue for India is the safe haven
that Canada has been for separatist
Khalistani groups.
• In 2022, New Delhi objected to Canada
permitting a Khalistani secessionist referendum in the Sikh diaspora, and hit back with an advisory against
travel in Canada that warned against hate crimes.
3.3 Japan in Indo-Pacific Geopolitics
Why in news?
The recent visit of Japanese Prime Minister to India reinforces the centrality of Japan in the emerging geopolitics of the
Indo-Pacific.
How about India-Japan
relationship?
• Buddhism -
Exchange between
Japan and India is
said to have begun
in the 6th century
when Buddhism
was introduced to
Japan.
• Peace treaty -
Japan and India
signed a peace
treaty and
established
diplomatic
relations on 28th
April 1952.

• This treaty was one of the first peace treaties Japan signed
after World War II.
• Yen loans - Japan started providing yen loans to India in
1958 as the first yen loan aid extended by Japanese
government.
• Global Partnership between Japan and India -
Established by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in
2000.
• Japan-India Annual Summit -Since April 2005 Japan-
India annual summit meetings have been held in respective
capitals.
• Global and Strategic Partnership -Japan-India
relationship was elevated to the "Global and Strategic
Partnership when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited
Japan in December 2006.
• Special Strategic and Global Partnership -In 2014,
the bilateral relationship was upgraded to Special Strategic
and Global Partnership.
What is Japan’s New Plan for a Free and Open Indo-
Pacific (FOIP)?
• Rules-based order -Lays stress on the need to uphold the rules-based order and respect each other’s
territorial sovereignty
• Guiding perspective -Proposes a guiding perspective to be shared by the international community.
• Cooperation and collaboration -Work and embrace diverse voices and create an atmosphere of cooperation
and collaboration rather than division and confrontation.
• Rule-making through dialogue -Should be encouraged for creating a cooperative atmosphere.
• Like-minded countries -Japan will work alongside other like-minded countries in the region with India.
• Public and private funds -Japan would mobilize a total of more than $75 billion in public and private funds
in the Indo-Pacific region by 2030 in infrastructure development.
• Official development assistance (ODAS) -Guidelines for ODA for the next 10 years and introduce an
“offer-type” cooperation and a new framework for “private capital mobilization-type” grant aid.
Four Pillars of FOIP Objectives of the pillar
As vulnerable countries usually suffer the most if there is an erosion in the

Principles for peace and rules for
rule of law so Japan wants to engage in economic development programmes
prosperity
of such countries.
Expansion of cooperation for the FOIP by incorporating realistic and

Addressing challenges in an Indo-
practical projects in a wide range of areas, such as climate change, food
Pacific way
security, global health and cybersecurity.
Japan has identified three areas introducing more such projects on Southeast
Multi-layered connectivity
Asia, south asia and the south pacific/pacific island countries.
Extending efforts for security and safe Japan will help in strengthening the capabilities of maritime law enforcement
use of the “sea” to the “air” agencies in other countries.
What is the need for Japan’s New Plan for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)?
To address the following issues
• Russia-Ukraine war
• Growing Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea and ensuring the freedom of the seas
• Food security and cyber space privacy

4. INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
4.1 The Race to UNSC’s Permanent Seat
Why in news?
India’s External Affairs Minister has been actively canvassing for India’s candidature to UNSC permanent seat.
What is United Nations Security Council (UNSC)?
• The UNSC established under the United Nations Charter has the primary responsibility for maintaining
international peace and security.
• According to the Charter, the United Nations has four
purposes.
1. To maintain international peace and security
2. To develop friendly relations among nations
3. To cooperate in solving international problems and
in promoting respect for human right
4. To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations
• The Security Council has the power to make binding decisions on member states.
• General António Guterres is the current UN Secretary.
What about the composition of the Council?
• The Council has 15 members - 5 permanent
members and 10 non- permanent members.
• Permanent members- China, France, Russia, the
U.S. and the UK.
• They have a special voting power known as the
"right to veto ".
• If any one of the five permanent members cast a
negative vote in the 15-member Security Council,
the resolution or decision would not be approved.
• If a permanent member does not fully agree with a
proposed resolution but does not wish to cast a veto,
it may choose to abstain.
• Non- permanent members- The non-
permanent members are elected by the General
Assembly for a 2-year term.
• The presidency of the Security Council rotates
alphabetically among 15 members every month.
• The main criterion for the eligibility is
o Contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security
o Equitable geographical distribution
• The geographical distribution includes
o African Group – 3 members
o Asia-Pacific Group – 2 members
o Latin American and Caribbean Group – 2 members
o Western European and Others Groups (WEOG) – 2 members
o Eastern European Group – 1 member

What is the need for UNSC reforms?

• Remains unchanged since its inception- The basic structure of the UNSC has remained almost unchanged
since its foundation more than 75 years ago.
• Questions the UNSC’s effectiveness- With profound changes in the realities of the global community, the
UNSC is being questioned in terms of its legitimacy, effectiveness, and representativeness.
• Diverse issues to be covered- The issues have diversified over the years to include peacebuilding, conflict
prevention, non-proliferation, counter-terrorism and protection of civilians.
• Composition- Although the number and regional composition of the members has changed, the size and the
composition of the Council have remained unchanged since its foundation.
• Issue with veto- Russia has cast more vetoes (estimated to be 120 times or close to half of all vetoes) than the
three western members of the club.
• Often P-5 countries use veto to shield their allies and target the enemies.
o For instance, China repeatedly blocks India’s efforts to include confirmed Pakistani terrorists in the
sanctions list.
What were the proposed reforms in UNSC?
• The demands for reform of the UNSC is based on five key issues.
1. Categories of membership (permanent, non-permanent)
2. The question of the veto held by the five permanent members
3. Regional representation
4. The size of an enlarged Council and its working methods
5. The relationship between Security Council and General Assembly
• Any reform of the Security Council would require the agreement of at least two-thirds of UN member states.
What efforts were taken to promote UNSC reforms?
G-4 Nations
• The G4 countries were created in 2004
and includes Brazil, Germany, India
and Japan.
• The G4 has been calling for the
enlargement of both permanent and
nonpermanent categories as well as
supporting each other’s bids for
permanent seats on the Council.
• The UN General Assembly has decided to
facilitate the reform process through the
Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN)
framework on equitable representation
and expansion of the UNSC.
• But it was dampened by the U.S., Russia
and China being opposed to serious
reform of the Council.
The L.69 group
• The L.69 group is of pro-reform member
states, including primarily developing
countries from Africa, Latin America and
the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific.
• The Group is bound by the firm conviction that expansion in both the permanent and non-permanent categories
of membership of the UNSC is imperative to better reflect contemporary world realities.
• The group currently has 42 countries as its members including India.
Razali Reform Plan
• In 1997, the Razali plan was proposed by the then UN General Assembly president Ismail Razali.

• It is a proposal to enlarge the United Nations Security Council from its present 15 members to 24 members.
• Under the plan, the UNSC would have
o Five new permanent members without veto powers
o Four more non-permanent members
What is Uniting for Consensus (UFC)?
• The ‘Uniting for Consensus’ is an informal ‘coffee club’, comprising of 40-odd nations.
• These nations together in 1997 to oppose the Razali plan.
• It is a loose alliance that was mobilised, chiefly through the efforts of Italy's ambassador to the UN, Francesco
Paolo Fulci, and was named "Fulci's coffee club".
• It has since become the "coffee club" or the "cappuccino club".
• The Coffee club comprises of mostly mid-sized states who oppose bigger regional powers grabbing permanent
seats in the UNSC.
1. Italy and Spain are opposed to Germany's bid for Security Council's permanent membership,
2. Pakistan is opposed to India's bid,
3. Argentina is against Brazil's bid,
4. Australia opposes Japan's.
5. Canada and South Korea are opposed to developing countries, often dependent on their aid.
What about India & UNSC?
• India was recently elected as the non-permanent member to UNSC from the Asia-Pacific Group for a 2-year
term from January 1, 2021.
• India has already held a non-permanent seat on the UNSC for 7 terms.
• India’s Chair- At present, India is chairing the Counterterrorism Committee, that was formed in 2001
after the 9/11 attack in New York.
• India had chaired this committee in the UNSC in 2011-12.
• India is chairing the Taliban Sanctions Committee (1988 Sanctions Committee) with a focus on
terrorists and their sponsors who are threatening the peace process in Afghanistan.
• India also chairs the Libya Sanctions Committee that implements the sanctions regime - a two-way arms
embargo on Libya, an assets freeze, a travel ban, measures on illicit export of petroleum.
Why does India strive to become a permanent member of UNSC?
• In the case of India's permanent membership, it can bring a lot to the UN table with the
o world's second-largest country by population
o a huge world manufacturing hub
o a nuclear power
• The permanent membership will match India's capabilities with the needed power dominance.
What lies ahead?
• A group of experts suggested that a new category of semi-permanent members should be created.
• Countries would be elected for a period of 8 to 10 years and would be eligible for re-election.
4.2 India’s Opportunity for Reinventing the United Nations
Why in news?
India’s Presidency in G20 is a historic opportunity for reinventing the United Nations.
What are the current issues in the international arena?
• Multilateralism- The United States opting for partnerships is putting the multilateralism in threat.

• The dispute settlement mechanism of the WTO without the quorum of its members has rendered the institution
dysfunctional.
• Despite the G7 having accepted the need for transfer of funds at Rio in 1992, the promise made in 2009 to
provide at least 100 billion dollars per year in climate finance remains unfulfilled.
• China’s option of other
multilateral institutions-
China’s Belt and Road Initiative
(BRI) covers half the world
population with one-third the
GDP and investment of 930
billion dollars.
• China’s Global Development
Initiative, 2021, and linked
Global Security Initiative, 2022,
is focusing on digital governance
and non-traditional security,
which the international system
has not covered.
• Coalition of the world- The
divide between the Atlantic
powers and the Russia-China is
deepening.
How can India utilise this
opportunity?
• Vasudhaiva kutumbakam,
or ‘world as one family’, can be the core socio-economic principle for dialogue between the states.
• For equitable sustainable development, Mr.Modi’s emphasis on ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ seeing climate
change as a societal process is a welcome step.
• Common concerns must be redefined in terms of felt needs of the majority rather than interests and concerns
of the powerful.
Global Development Initiative (GDI)
• China’s President Xi Jinping proposed the GDI at the opening of the 76th session of the UNGA in 2021.
• This initiative is described as improving the process of global development.
• Its two stated goals are
o To help the U.N. achieve its 2030 agenda for sustainable development
o To help all nations, particularly developing countries, respond effectively to the COVID-19 shock with a
focus on greener and healthier global development
• A Group of Friends of the GDI was launched at the UN in January, and more than 55 countries have joined
it to date.
Global Security Initiative (GSI)
• China’s President Xi Jinping proposed a Global Security Initiative (GSI) during the annual Boao Forum in 2022.
• The GSI rests on six pillars
o Committed to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security
o Respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries
o Abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter
o Taking seriously the legitimate security concerns of all countries
o Peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries
• Maintaining security in both traditional and non-traditional domains

4.3 Key Highlights of G20 Summit 2022
Why in news?
Recently, the leaders of the world's Group of 20 (G20) wealthiest nations concluded a two-day summit on the Indonesian
island of Bali.
What are the key takeaways from the G20 meeting in Bali?
• Xi Jinping’s emergence - The G20 meeting in Bali signalled Xi Jinping’s emergence from three years of self-
imposed pandemic isolation.
• While the meeting Xi-Biden laid out major differences over Taiwan, trade restrictions and technology transfers,
the two agreed to keep communications open and avoid confrontation.
• Russia's aggression – The leaders adopted a declaration deploring Russia's aggression in Ukraine in the
strongest terms and demanding its unconditional withdrawal.
• Global economy - The emerging economies concern about the huge capital outflows if aggressive U.S. rate
increases continue.
• The G20 agreed to pace interest rate rises carefully to avoid s pillovers and warned of increased volatility in
currency moves.
• Food security - The leaders promised to take coordinated action to address food security challenges and
applauded the Black Sea grains initiative.
• However, civil society groups criticised for the absence of concrete steps on hunger.
• Climate Change - G20 leaders agreed to pursue efforts to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees
Celsius standing by the temperature goal from the 2015 Paris Agreement.
• Russia and the West - The divide between Russia and the West was evident again for a few hours after news
of the Russian-built missile landing in Poland broke.
What is the significance for India?
• As India inherits the presidency of G20, with the US and European Union in one camp, Russia and China in
another, it is faced with unique challenges and opportunities.
• Opportunities - India’s biggest advantage lies in the fact that it has a foot in both camps.
• India is about to take on the role of peace-maker on behalf of the South.
• India is also readying to push for global consensus on maintaining stable supply chains for food and fertilisers
to build food security globally, and for stable supplies of energy.
• The focus is to push the global North on its promise of climate finance and tech transfer to developing countries.
• The digital divide in the developing world indicates another likely big idea during India’s presidency.
• Challenges - The challenge lies in leveraging this middle ground over the next year.
• As G-20 president, India’s challenge would lie in taking all members along in follow-up meetings.
• India should build on its well-regarded position that ‘today’s era is not of war’.

G20
• The G20 is a strategic multilateral platform connecting the world’s major developed and emerging economies.
• Starting in 1999 as a meeting for the finance minister and central bank governors, the G20 has evolved into a
yearly summit involving the Head of State and Government.
• The meetings are organised along two tracks, the “Finance Track” and the “Sherpa Track”.
• There are the Engagement Groups such as the Think 20 and the Business 20.
• Objective - To shore up the world’s economic and financial stability
• The G20 has no permanent secretariat.
• India is a member of
the G20 and has assumed
the
current Presidency.
• India theme for its
presidency is “One
Earth, One Family,
One Future” along with
the official symbol of the
lotus.
• Together, the G20
members represent more
than 80% of world GDP,
75% of international
trade and 60% of the
world population.
• Troika, which
comprises the past,
present, and future
presidents now includes
Indonesia, India, and Brazil.
4.4 Highlights of Group of Seven (G7) Summit
Why in news?
G7 sets renewables target, however, no timeline for fossil fuel phase out.
What are the key proposals of the meeting?
• Energy transition - G7 collectively decided to increase offshore wind capacity by 150 gigawatts and add solar
capacity of over 1 terawatt.
• Fossils fuels - To ‘accelerate the phase out of’ unabated fossil fuels but failed to share a timeline for the phase
out, including for unabated domestic coal.
• To ‘fully or predominantly’ decarbonise power sector by 2035.
• To eliminate inefficient fossil fuel subsidies by 2025 or sooner.
• Critical minerals - To resolve vulnerabilities and diversify the source of these critical minerals.
• Climate finance - Committed to work on the decisions agreed upon at COP27 to establish new funding
arrangements, including a fund to assist developing countries.
• To accelerate efforts for financing adaptation.
• Carbon markets - ‘Principles of High-Integrity Carbon Markets’ have been proposed to ensure high-integrity
carbon markets.
• Industrial decarbonisation - Recognised the risk of carbon leakage, where companies simply move their
operations to countries with less stringent climate policies.

• Pledge to end new plastic pollution by 2040.

Why the meeting is not constructive?
• Fossil Fuels – While G7 ministers recognised the need to scale up renewable energy, their commitment to
phase out of fossil fuels is frivolous and full of loopholes.
• Rich countries – They are shirking their responsibility to provide adequate finance to help poorer nations
adapt to and recover from the losses and damages caused by climate disasters.
• The energy-transition ambition is not equally shared among the members.
• Japan – It has been an outlier because of its reluctance to phase out fossil fuels and instead rely on carbon
capture and the use of hydrogen in promoting low-carbon technologies.
• Canada – While Canada pushed for stronger language on coal phase-out, the statement on fossil fuels was
watered down due to Japan’s opposition.
• Overall, the commitments made on energy transitions, with targets being set for solar and wind capacity
additions are more than what was initially expected.
• However, this may not be enough to keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius target achievable.
What are the challenges in phasing out fossil fuels?
• The past commitments to energy transition were not achieved.
• No timeline to eliminate the phase out of fossil fuels.
• Lack of consensus in deciding the alternate energy.
• Loopholes in policy measures to phase out fossil fuels.
• The energy-transition ambition is not equally shared among the members.
• Geopolitical concerns for critical mineral extraction from poor countries.
• Lack of comprehensive action plan on carbon leakage.
• Low-carbon technologies and renewable hydrogen were not given due importance.
4.5 World Economic Forum Summit 2023
Why in news?
The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting 2023 in the Davos, Switzerland was the largest in history, convening a
record number of leaders from governments, businesses, and civil society.
What about the World Economic Forum (WEF)?
• WEF - It is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation
based in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Objective – It strives to demonstrate entrepreneurship in the
global public interest while upholding the highest standards of
governance.
• Founder Chairperson - Economist Klaus Schwab founded the
WEF in 1971 and has been its chairperson since then.
• WEF Partners - The WEF is largely funded by its partnering corporations.
• Annual summit - WEF is known for its annual summit in Davos, Switzerland.
• The theme of this year was ‘Cooperation in a Fragmented World’.
Reports published by WEF
• Global Competitiveness Report • Global Energy Transition Index

• Global IT Report • Global Risk Report
• Global Gender Gap Report • Global Travel and Tourism Report

What are the key takeaways from the WEF’s 2023 meeting?
• Economy - Major economies such as the US, the European Union (EU) and China are seemingly beyond the
risk of a recession now.
• As the richer nations look to focus inwards, protecting their own workers, energy sufficiency, supply lines, etc.,
concerns were raised that this policy direction would hit developing economies.
• A warning has been issued on friendshoring (limiting the trade of key inputs to trusted countries in order to
reduce the supply chain risks).
• Ukraine - Ukraine kept up its demand for more military aid to fight its war against Russia and more financial
aid to rebuild after the war.
• Climate - The World Economic Forum, supported by more than 45 partners launched the Giving to Amplify
Earth Action (GAEA).
• It is a global initiative to fund public, private and philanthropic partnerships (PPPPs) to help unlock the 3 trillion
dollar of financing needed each year to reach net zero, reverse nature loss and restore biodiversity by 2050.
• Pakistan brought up the issue of a loss and damage fund for the developing countries.
• Loss and Damage (L&D) Fund is a financing mechanism that was agreed in COP27 of UNFCCC to compensate
the most vulnerable countries from climate-linked disasters.
What does it hold for India?
• India’s efforts - Global leaders hailed India for its strong ability to attract global investments amid a churning
in the supply chains with its policies like Product-Linked Incentives (PLI).
• IMF deputy managing director Gita Gopinath also praised India’s digital and physical infrastructure prowess
and called for reforms in land and labour markets.
• India is also expected to remain resilient despite the global slowdown impacting the emerging markets.
• Projects launched - More than 50 “high-impact initiatives” was launched at the event.
• Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA) signed a partnership with the forum on urban
transformation.
• A thematic centre on healthcare and life sciences is to be set up in Telangana.
4.6 Global Policing & Interpol
What is the issue?

Interpol needs to get better at countering the global challenges of massacres, killings of children due to the proliferation
of gun culture, exploitation and abuse of children and women, targeting of the elderly for identity theft and others.
What are the growing issues?
• The areas of concern are growing and find resonance all over the world
1. Human trafficking,
2. Disturbing instances of financial crimes by the high and mighty,
3. Safe haven provided to fugitives accused of terrorism and money laundering
4. Proliferation of illicit trade based on counterfeiting and smuggling.
• Transnational organised crime continues to thrive due to illicit networks that operate on the strength of money
laundering.
• The complex intertwined structure of crimes funding terrorism across the globe is not yet demolished.
What are constraints on police forces?
• Lawbreakers enjoy the ease of mobility and access to the internet.
• Police forces the world over, including highly modernised agencies with sophisticated wherewithal, are facing
the challenge of acting with restraint, within the boundaries of legal procedures.
• Rising criminality has caused law enforcement to come under strain.
• It is against this backdrop that the 90th General Assembly of Interpol was hosted by India in 2022.

• In 2015, Interpol, CBI and the World Bank held under their joint aegis the Global Focal Point
conference on the specific issue of asset recovery.
• This time, however, when the supreme governing body of Interpol - the UN General Assembly - meets, it will be
required to formulate strategies to tackle the growing menace of crimes with transnational ramifications.
What methods does Interpol use?
• Interpol uses 19 databases and tools for issuing alerts, sharing information about criminals and their modus
operandi.
• It has a huge repository of fingerprints, DNA profiles, facial recognition kits, cyber-enabled financial crimes,
and property crimes, among others.
• Interpol’s global security architecture is used for
1. Providing information about crime and criminals in the digital space,
2. Preventing abuse of cyberspace and
3. Stalling hackers on the dark web.
• Interpol databases populated by India relate to the Interpol Criminal Information System, stolen and lost travel
documents, works of art and international child sexual exploitation.
• Color-coded notices -
Interpol issues colour-coded
notices of various hues —
red, yellow, blue, black,
orange, green and purple.
• A large number of red corner
notices have been issued at
the request of Indian law
enforcement, resulting in
the detention of several
fugitives.
• India, as one of the oldest
and strongest members of
Interpol, has been involved
in productive engagements
over the years.
• Several operations have
been undertaken by the CBI
with Interpol.
What could Interpol further do?
• Interpol is required to articulate an expansion beyond its databases and tools.
• The success of its secure i-24 for 24/7 information sharing aside, the importance of real-time dissemination of
information obtained through unbiased usage of data analytics as a crucial imperative of emerging challenges
must be primary.
• Equitable significance should be accorded to the legitimate interests of growing economies pursuing democratic
charters.
• In its composition, Interpol is like the UN.
• But it is not meant for dispute resolution. It is designed to assist the police forces of member nations.
• Interpol is neither an investigative agency like the CBI nor a front-line police force.
• It is mandated to share information and provide back-end technical assistance to law enforcement agencies.
• Interpol cannot act on its own. The desired legal course of action depends on bilateral arrangements like mutual
legal assistance treaties.
How should policing be?
• Policing is not merely a process for maintaining the rule of law through deterrent punitive measures against
crime and criminals.

• Public-spirited efficient policing is the most meaningful confidence-building measure that people across diverse
geopolitical contours desire and deserve.
• Interpol and law enforcement agencies of member nations must endeavour to build, maintain and operate a
people-centric ecosystem to meet the evolving challenges.
INTERPOL
• International Criminal Police Organisation is an inter-governmental

body founded in 1923.
• It is headquartered in Lyon, France, and has offices in several countries
around the world.
• Interpol has 195 member countries and has a National Central Bureau
(NCB) in each member country.
• NCB of the country links its national police with Interpol’s global
network.
• It facilitates global police cooperation to fight international crime.
• Interpol issues 8 different notices which are mostly colour coded.
• The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the national central bureau of India to liaison with Interpol.
4.7 United Nations 2023 Water Conference
Why in news?
Over 700 commitments were made at the recently conducted United Nations 2023 Water
Conference in New York City to make the world water-secure.
What is UN 2023 Water Conference about?
• The UN 2023 Water Conference is formally known as the 2023 Conference for the
Midterm Comprehensive Review of Implementation of the UN Decade for Action on
Water and Sanitation (2018-2028).
• Aim - “Our watershed moment: uniting the world for water”, aims to support the achievement of internationally
agreed water-related goals and
targets, including those contained in
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development.
• It took place at UN Headquarters
in New York.
• It was co-hosted by Tajikistan and
the Netherlands.
• It took 46 long years for the UN to
organize this Water Conference in
2023, the first being held in 1977
in Mar de Plata, Argentina.
• The commitments are non-binding
in nature.
• The water action agenda should
include diverse experiences and did
not include the necessary
communities of water management.
• The conference failed to address the
violence and threats faced by
communities trying to protect
dwindling water sources.
INITIATIVES TAKEN

5. INDIAN DIASPORA & FOREIGN POLICY
5.1 Indian Diaspora
Why in news?
On the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Prime Minister said that Indians living overseas are “brand ambassadors” of the
country on foreign soil.
What is the history of the Indian expat?
• The Indian diaspora has grown manifold since the first batch of Indians Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
were taken to counties in the east pacific and the Caribbean islands under commemorates the return
the ‘Girmitiya’ arrangement as indentured labourers. of Mahatma Gandhi to
India on January 9, 1915
• The 19th and early 20th centuries saw thousands of Indians shipped to from South Africa.
those countries to work on plantations in British colonies, which were
reeling under a labour crisis due to the abolition of slavery in 1833-34.
• As part of the second wave of migration, nearly 20 lakh Indians went to Singapore and Malaysia to work in
farms.
• Third and fourth wave saw professionals heading to western countries and workers going to the Gulf and west
Asian countries in the wake of the oil boom.
What is the classification?
• Overseas Indians are
classified into 3
categories:
➢ Non-Resident Indians
(NRI),
➢ Persons of Indian
Origin (PIOs),
➢ Overseas Citizens of
India (OCIs).
• NRI - NRIs are Indians
who are residents of
foreign countries.
• PIO - PIO category was
abolished in 2015 and
merged with the OCI
category.
• However, existing PIO
cards are valid till
December 31, 2023, by
which the holders of these cards have to obtain OCI cards.
• PIO refers to a foreign citizen (except a national of some nations)
o who at any time held an Indian passport, or
o who or either of their parents/ grandparents/great grandparents was born and permanently resided in
India as defined in Government of India Act, 1935, or
o who is a spouse of a citizen of India or a PIO.
• PIO doesn’t include foreign citizens from Pakistan, Afghanistan Bangladesh, China, Iran, Bhutan, Sri Lanka
and Nepal.
• OCI - A separate category of OCI was carved out in 2006.
• An OCI card was given to a foreign national who was eligible to be a citizen of India on January 26, 1950,
o Was a citizen of India on or at any time after January 26, 1950, or
o Belonged to a territory that became part of India after August 15, 1947.

• Minor children of such individuals, except those who were a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh, were also eligible
for OCI cards.
What are some data on Indian diaspora?
• According to a 2022 report of the Parliamentary committee on external affairs, as on December 31, 2021, there
were 4.7 crore Indians living overseas. The number includes NRIs, PIOs, OCIs, and students.
• Excluding students, the number stands at 3.22
crore, including 1.87 crore PIOs and 1.35 crore
NRIs.
• According to the World Migration Report (of
the International Organisation for Migration),
India has the largest emigrant
population in the world, followed by
Mexico, Russian and China.
• The countries with over 10 lakh overseas
Indians include USA (44 lakh), UAE (34 lakh),
Malaysia (29.8 lakh), Saudi Arabia (26 lakh),
etc.
What is the remittance level?
• According to the World Bank, remittances are
a vital source of household income for low- and
middle-income countries like India.
• According to the latest World Bank Migration
and Development Brief (2022), “for the first
time a single country, India, is on track to
receive more than $100 billion in yearly
remittances.”
• According to the World Migration Report, India, China, Mexico, the Philippines and Egypt are among the top 5
remittance recipient countries, “although India and China were well above the rest”.
• According to the World Migration Report, in 2020, India and China received the largest amounts of
international remittances in Asia, with a combined total of more than $140 billion.
5.2 Diasporic Politics
Why in news?
The recent clashes in Leicester in the United Kingdom, and the building polarisation in New Jersey are two recent
instances of how diasporic politics is taking a new and deeper turn.
What is diaspora nationalism?
• Diaspora nationalism is the phenomenon in which people living in foreign
countries advocate, finance, and often arm nationalist movements in the
countries they have left.
• It is often coming out of a nostalgic longing for an idealized homeland they
have been forced to abandon.
• Khalistan issue- The fringe movement for a Sikh state (Khalistan) in India
was sustained entirely by financing from North American Sikhs.
• Case of Sri Lankan Tamils- The Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora in Europe
(and particularly the UK) kept Tamil nationalism alive in the island-state for
decades.
Communal tinges
• Babri Masjid Issue- The demolition of the Babri Masjid in India saw widespread violence in Britain with
temples attacked and a petrol bomb thrown at a Mosque.
• Islamic fundamentalism- The idea of using Britain as a launch pad for jihadi ideology was present in some
groups that in turn licensed full-blown Islamophobia amongst many non-Muslim communities.

What is the Leicester clash about?

• Disturbances in Leicester first began on August 28 2022.
• Fans from Hindu and Muslim communities reportedly clashed after India secured a win against Pakistan in the
Asia Cup T20 tournament.
• Trouble flared up after an unplanned protest was taken out in Leicester.
• The situation worsened as videos of clashes began to circulate on social media.
• There were also reports of temple vandalism.
• The Indian High Commission in London issued a strongly worded statement condemning the violence against
the Indian community.
What about the New Jersey incident?
• Bulldozer controversy- On the occasion of Independence Day, bulldozers were brought by specific groups
to the parade.
• The move seemed to be open and provocative against a particular community as bulldozers are alleged to be a
weapon in the hands of the government to destroy their homes and livelihoods.
Why are diaspora fractures more distinctive in the US and the UK?
• Involving politicians- In the 80’s, after clashes broke out, there were no attempts to draw politicians in the
UK or US in accusations of partisanship in India’s communal conflicts.
• But in the discourse, the narratives are even pointing fingers at the local state, as if it was partisan in failing to
protect a particular community.
• In the US, Hindu-Muslim politics is spilling into the inner core of the Democratic Party.
• Explicit involvement of Indian state- The Indian government’s statement that begins with violence
perpetrated against the Indian community appears to be polarised.
• Political benefits- The global ideological patrons of conflict will have an investment in politically milking
these incidents.
5.3 Changes in India’s Foreign Policy
What is the issue?

The year 2022 was a difficult year for India on the geopolitical and diplomatic stage.
How did India handle the Ukraine crisis?
• With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the choices for India grew more difficult, given its strategic ties with
the U.S. and Europe and traditional ties with Russia.
• The war in Ukraine saw India spell out its version of “non-alignment” as India sought to keep a balance in the
growing polarisation between the U.S. and the European Union on one side, and Russia on the other.
• A sanctions by the West meant to target the Russian economy led to food and fuel shortages and price increases,
which worried India.
• India refused to accept a slew of western sanctions, growing military and oil trade with Russia, and seeking
rupee-based payment mechanisms to facilitate them.
• The most significant defence of India’s foreign policy was made by India’s External Affairs Minister, who called
out western “hypocrisy” on Russian oil flows to India.
• In more than a dozen resolutions at the UNSC, UNGA, IAEA, Human Rights Commission, and other multilateral
platforms seeking to censure Russia for the invasion and humanitarian crisis, India chose to abstain.
What were the other highlights in foreign policy in 2022?
• The year was marked in many ways for Indian diplomacy, which will be at the forefront in 2023, during
1. India’s presidency of the G-20 and
2. India’s chairship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
• In 2022, India returned to Free Trade Agreements, after a hiatus of several years when the government had
called for

1. Review of all FTAs

2. Scrapped all Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs)
3. Walked out of the 15-nation Asian Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
• In 2022, India signed trade agreements with the UAE and Australia, and hopes to progress on talks with the
EU, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Canada for others.
• India joined the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Forum (IPEF), although it later decided to stay out of trade
talks.
• At the G-20, India may highlight climate change transitions, women-led development and multilateral reform,
among other key issues.
What about ties with neighbours?
• In the neighbourhood, India’s foreign policy was marked by
1. Economic assistance to Sri Lanka in the midst of its collapse
2. Regional trade and energy agreements with Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal that could see a South Asian
energy grid emerge.
• India has strengthened ties with Central Asian countries on connectivity.
• The government kept channels open with repressive regimes like Afghanistan’s Taliban and the Myanmar Junta
1. India opened a “technical mission” in Kabul (Afghanistan) and
2. India sent its foreign secretary to Nay Pyi Taw (Myanmar) to discuss border cooperation.
• India abstained on a UNSC vote calling for Myanmar to end violence and release political prisoners.
• With Iran, India has steered clear of any criticism about the protests against the killing of activist Mahsa Amini.
• However, with Pakistan, ties remain flat-lined.
Has there been any progress on the LAC stand-off with China?
• The stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has been ongoing since April 2020.
• Despite disengagement at some stand-off points, India-China tensions at the Line of Actual Control remained
high.
• The year 2022 ended with an unsuccessful Chinese PLA attempt to take Indian posts at Yangtse in Arunachal
Pradesh, signalling more such violent clashes could follow in 2023.
• Regardless of the fraught state of ties, India is due to host Mr. Xi twice in 2023, at the G-20 and SCO summits,
which could create opportunities for talks to end the stand-off.
5.4 Sports as Soft Power
Why in news?
The smaller nations in the world are investing more in elite sports as it is thought that success in international sporting
events boosts a nation’s chances of attaining soft power.
What is soft power?
• Soft power is a country’s ability to influence the preferences and behaviours
of various actors in the international arena through attraction or persuasion
rather than coercion.
• The term was coined by an American political scientist Joseph Nye Jr. in
the late 1980s.
Benefits of Soft Power
• A strong nation brand and positive soft power perceptions allow a nation to
promote itself as a place for people to visit, invest in, and build a reputation for their quality of goods and
services.
• It allows a country to rise in the esteem of its neighbours, market its resources and compose the face it presents
on the international stage.

• The soft power can encourage domestic tourism, consumption of domestic goods and services (rather than
imports).
To know about India’s soft power diplomacy with Thailand, click here
What is the role of sports in the soft power?

• A survey was conducted in 2020 on China’s performance in the
Olympics and the impressions about China based on its rising
medal count.
• The survey noted that the country’s Olympic achievement has a
positive effect on its national soft power.
• China uses its superiority in elite sports to build people-to-people
relations with other countries.
• For example, athletes from African countries such as Madagascar
are trained in swimming, badminton, table tennis, etc. in China.
What is the picture of India in sports?
• Tokyo Olympics Games- India’s medal tally in the recent Tokyo Olympics Games is 7.
• India has one of the world’s poorest population-to-medal ratios in the Olympics.
• India has won 35 medals at the Olympics since the 1900 edition.
• Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG)- At the CWG 2022, Indian athletes won 61 medals,
including 22 golds.
• Thomas Cup-
India's badminton
team stunned 14-
time champions
Indonesia at the
men's finals for a
historic win at the
2022 Thomas
Cup.
• Chess Olympiad
2022- The 44th
edition of the
FIDE Chess
Olympiad 2022 is
currently being
hosted by India for
the first time.

How to increase the sporting performance and soft power?

• In 2016, a NITI Aayog report came up with a 20-point plan to improve India’s Olympics performance.
• MoU- India should concentrate on forging MoUs with nations that excel in specific sports to train Indian
players overseas.
• For example,
Australia and the
United Kingdom
can assist us in
swimming and
African countries
like Kenya in
running.
• Boosting the
number- India
needs to boost
the number of
athletes under
TOPS to foster a competitive climate, in turn aiding performance.
• Investment- Private investment needs to be harnessed to develop infrastructure.
• The Government should work on a public-private partnership (PPP) model to create basic sporting
infrastructure at the district level to capture young talents at an early stage.
6. INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
RUSSIA-UKRAINE ISSUE
6.1 One year of Russia-Ukraine War
Why in news?
February 24, 2022 marks one year since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.
What is the history of conflict between Ukraine and Russia?
• Annexation of Crimea - Ukraine was one of the republics within the USSR during the cold war days, and has
remained a strong ally of Russia till 2013.
• While it was planning to sign an association
agreement with the European Union in 2013,
Russia subsequently annexed “Crimea” (Russian
speaking province in Ukraine).
• Naval skirmish over the Sea of Azov - After
Crimea’s annexation in 2014, Russia gained control
over both sides of the Kerch strait.
• Later, the Ukrainian vessels attempt to travel from
the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov was denied by the
Russian coast guard.
• Russian backed rebels - Russia has been
criticised for its involvement in the Donetsk and
Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine.
• There, Russian-backed separatists have been
fighting with Ukrainian troops.
• Other conflict - Belarus, a Russian ally was
blamed for the migration crisis in the EU’s Polish
border.

What are the consequences of the war?

Socio-economic concerns
• Millions of people fleeing – According to the United Nations
Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the war has led to the second-largest
displacement crisis in the world.
• Poverty – 40% of the Ukraine’s population is now dependent
on humanitarian aid.
• Recession - According to the World Bank, the country’s gross
domestic product (GDP) shrank by 35% in 2022.
• Billions for Ukrainian military – Since the beginning of the
invasion, Ukraine has received billions in military, humanitarian,
and financial aid, the US tops the list of donor countries.
• The EU and its member states have mobilized over €50 billion,
with Germany being one of the largest arms suppliers to Ukraine.
• In addition, NATO has increased its military presence on its eastern flank.
• Bucha Massacre – Ukrainian President accused Russian troops of committing the most terrible war crimes
since World War II in Bucha, Ukraine.
• Resilience in Russia – The situation in Russia is less critical than expected, as the economy has not suffered
as much in comparison.
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts minimal growth of 0.3% this year.
Environmental Concerns
• Damages - The conflict has seen many damages with incidents involving nuclear power plants, energy
infrastructure, mines and industrial sites.
• Emissions - Emission from the conflict was estimated to be around 33 million (mn) tonnes of CO2 and 23 mn
tonnes of CO2 from fires.
• To know more about Environmental concerns, click here
What is the position of India?
• The UN and its bodies have voted on resolutions pertaining to the Russia-Ukraine war at least 39 times in the
last year.
• India, which has maintained a diplomatic balancing act and has walked the tightrope between US-led West and
Russia, has abstained on most occasions.
• India’s voting shows a nuanced and calibrated stance adopted by Delhi in the past one year.
• India stated it is deeply disturbed by the war, but it did not name Russia at all.
• India called for cessation of violence and hostilities and flagged its concern about Indian nationals.
• India called for respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, and respect for UN charter and international
law.
• India advocated diplomacy and advocated dialogue and diplomacy will be the path forward.
• With a year of geopolitical turmoil due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis, India as the chair of G-20, will face the
challenge of negotiating a declaration while balancing between Russia and the West.
• One of the ways it will look to address the Russia-Ukraine war will be to talk about the adverse impact of the
war in terms of energy and food security.
• The framing of the argument is expected to be on the humanitarian concerns of the war.
6.2 Russia’s Violation of International Law
As the world grapples with the severity of the illegal invasion of Ukraine, the international law violations committed by
Russia seems to be a major concern.

What is the current situation?

• The situation between Russia and Ukraine has been poor ever since the annexation of Crimea, a south-eastern
Ukrainian province by Russia in 2014.
• The situation worsened when the Russian President ordered a special military operation within Ukraine, a
sovereign nation.
• Reasons- The pretext of the
said operation was initially
1. To honour the Minsk
Agreements
2. To liberate and
defend the Donbas
region and the people
of Donetsk and
Luhansk in Ukraine
3. To stop the
expansion of the
North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation
(NATO) towards
Eastern Europe
• Putin invoked Article 51 of
the UN Charter, which enshrines inherent right of individual or collective self-defence in order to protect
Article 1 (the right to self-determination of Donbas region).
What international laws were violated by Russia’s annexation?
Violations under the UN Charter
• Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, provides that a group of people can freely determine their political status.
• Article 2 of the UN Charter- This right has to be read with Article 2 of the UN Charter which states that
recognition by an outside country involves interfering in the internal matters of a State.
• It is a direct contravention of the principle of equal sovereignty of all nations.
• Article 51- Article 51 provides for self-defence against an armed attack.
• Russia cannot justify its actions since Russia faced no aggression from Ukraine.
Violations under the Hague Convention
• Russia’s control over the four Ukrainian regions, before the referendums, is known as ‘belligerent
occupation’ which is explained under the Hague Convention of 1899.
• Article 43 of the Convention states that the occupying power should ensure public order and safety and respect
the domestic laws of the occupied territory.
• The Article clearly states that Russia, being the occupier, only has ‘authority’ and not ‘sovereignty’ over these
regions.
• Further, any change in this status, i.e. from ‘authority’ to ‘sovereignty’ can only happen with Ukraine’s consent.
What are the other international law violations by Russia?
International humanitarian law violations
• The Moscow Mechanism report noted concern over clear patterns of serious violations of international
humanitarian law attributable mostly to the Russian armed forces.
• Many people have been killed in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Bucha and Irpin.
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed around 226 Russian attacks on health care facilities in
Ukraine since the conflict began.
• The attack on Kyiv and ruthless airstrikes on the civilian population is a direct violation of the Geneva
Conventions (that establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in war).

International criminal law violations

• Under the Rome Statute, any intentional attack against civilian populations and objects consists of a war crime.
• While Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Ukraine is a signatory
to it.
• The past precedence (the Rohingyas’ Genocide in Myanmar) has highlighted that Ukraine can bring a legitimate
claim to the ICC.
International human rights law violations
• Both parties are signatories to
o Universal Declaration of Human Rights
o International Covenant to Civil and Political Rights
o European Convention on Human Rights
o Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
• Russia’s actions violate the fundamental rights including the right to life and dignity, the right to be secure from
torture, ill-treatment and forceful detention.
What are the deadlocks in the issue?
• Russia’s continuation of war- The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution (non-binding)
demanded Russia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw from Ukraine.
• On Ukraine’s application, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Russia to immediately suspend its
military operations in Ukraine.
• Ukraine has even moved to the European Court of Human Rights to put Russia in the dock.
• But nothing seems to dissuade Russian President Putin’s revisionist and imperial designs.
• Use of nuclear force- Recently, the Russian President hinted at using nuclear weapons in the ongoing war.
• Neither Russia nor Ukraine has signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
• The UN Charter provides the right of individual and collective self-defence, which means that if Russia launches
a nuclear attack, not only Ukraine but also its allies can launch a counter-attack on Russia in collective self-
defence.
• Russia’s veto power- The Charter also empowers the Security Council to take action in case of threat of force.
• However, it is not going to materialize since Russia has veto power as a UN Security Council member.
6.3 Arrest Warrant against Vladimir Putin
Why in news?
International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Russian president Vladimir Putin.
What is the ICC?
• ICC investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to
the international community. The four types of gravest crimes are
1. Genocide
2. War crimes
3. Crimes against humanity
4. Crimes of aggression
• ICC was established in 1998 under the “Rome Statute”.
• Headquarters - The Hague, Netherlands
• 123 countries are members of ICC, including Britain, Japan, Afghanistan, and Germany.
• India, USA, China, Russia and Ukraine are not the member of ICC.
• Jurisdiction of ICC is limited to offences occurring after it came into effect on July 1, 2002.

Features ICC ICJ
Establishment 2002 1946
Headquarters Hague Hague
Trial criminal offenses i.e. genocide, crimes Settle the legal dispute i.e. sovereignty,
Subject Matter against humanity, war crimes, crimes of boundary disputes, maritime disputes, trade,
aggression natural resource
Individuals either ratified member of ICC or Only states either member of United Nation or
Members
accept the jurisdiction of ICC ICJ or both
Contentious Jurisdiction & Advisory

Jurisdiction Criminal prosecution of individuals
opinion
Authorized Statute Follow Rome Statute Follow ICJ Statute
Composed of 18 judges elected to 9 year Composed of 15 judges elected to 9 year term

Composition
terms and not re-elected for further terms and may be re-elected for up to 2 further terms
Appeal Appeal is instituted by appeal chamber No appeal provision for ICJ
Independence Independent organization United Nation Judiciary organ
India’s membership Not a member Member
What are the charges against Vladimir Putin?

• Unlawful deportation of population
• Unlawful transfer of population from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.
• Failure to exercise control properly over civilian & military subordinates under his effective authority,
committing or allowing the commission of such acts.
• Individual criminal responsibility for the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children
• The Independent International Commission of Inquiry Report on Ukraine outlined the body of evidence against
Russian authorities which include –
o Wide range of violations of international human rights law and International humanitarian law in many
regions of Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
o Willful killings, attacks on civilians, unlawful confinement, torture, rape, and forced transfers and
deportations of children.
o This is the first time that the ICC has issued an arrest warrant against one of the five permanent
members of the UN Security Council.
What are the powers of ICC against Putin?
• If Putin travels to a state party to the ICC, then that country must arrest him according to its obligations under
international law.
• Ukraine is not a State Party to the Rome Statute, but it has twice exercised its options to accept ICC’s
jurisdiction over alleged crimes under the Rome Statute.
• If the acceptance of a state that is not a party to the statute is required, the state may accept the jurisdiction of
the court for a crime concerned, by making a declaration to the Registrar and cooperating without any delay or
exception.

6.4 G7 and EU banning Russian diesel
Why in news?
G7 and The European Union(EU) has joined the United States and the United Kingdom in banning imports of Russian
diesel with a price cap on refined fuel in response to attack on Ukraine.
What is G7 and EU?
• G7 is an informal forum of leading industrialised nations, which include
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the
United States.
• Representatives of the European Union are always present at the annual
meeting of the heads of state and government of the G7.
• The European Union (EU) is a unique economic and political union
between 27 European countries.
What is the ban about?
• The European Union and the Group of Seven (G7) agreed to set a $100
(€91) per barrel price cap on Russian diesel and a $45 per barrel cap on
discounted products like fuel oil.
To know about G7’s price cap plan, click here
What is the impact of the ban?
On Russia
• Nor a big difference - A $60 cap will not have much impact on Russia’s finances.
• If the cap had been as low as $50, it would cut into Russia’s earnings and make it impossible for Russia to
balance its state budget.
• Alternative markets - Russia has managed to keep its crude oil flowing, largely with support from India and
China fixed up the oil escalated by traditional buyers at discount rates.
• Rerouting - Rerouting its diesel away from its largest market could be more challenging in the absence of a
ready market for Russian fuel.
• Experts expect Russian diesel earlier sold to Europe to be diverted to Turkey and countries in Latin America
and Africa.
• Discounted rates - There are countries that are willing to accommodate and to take discounted barrels.
• Retaliation - Russia could retaliate by shutting off shipments in hopes of profiting from a sharply higher global
oil price on whatever it can sell around the sanctions.
On European Union
• IMF report - Half of the European Union is expected to be in recession this year and the slumping gas price
also signals diminished demand for energy.
• Imports from other countries - EU intends to plug the fuel demand with increased supplies from the
Middle East, Asia and the US to stop itself off Russian fuel.
• Washing - Russian diesel would be blended with other non-Russian products in countries such as Turkey and
re-exported back into Europe.
What does it have for India and China?
• India - India’s diesel exports to Europe have escalated as refiners take advantage of low feedstock costs yet the
Russian crude and high diesel prices been steeply discounted.
• When workers strikes shut down the French refining sector the EU saw a rise in diesel and related products
imports from India which isn’t a traditional supplier of the fuel to Europe.
• The U.S. and EU have tried to bring India on board asking India
o To change its uncritical stance on Russia at the United Nations
o To cut down oil imports
o To stop defence and other purchases from Russia

o To avoid the rupee-rouble payment mechanism that circumvent their sanctions

• Thus far, India has not obliged.
• At the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), India said that it wanted to “strengthen” ties with Russia in the energy
field and boost India’s $16 billion investment in Russian oilfields.
• It remains to be seen whether India will bargain with the U.S. to set aside sanctions against Iran and Venezuela,
from which it cancelled oil imports under pressure from the U.S. in 2017-18, in exchange for joining the price
cap coalition.
• China - China policy is the game changer as it holds the key to all of the surplus refining capacity globally.
• China has raised its export quotas for diesel and other refined oil products which could potentially help push
barrels from other producers westward into Europe.
OTHERS
6.5 The Maiden Pharma Episode
Why in news?
The Republic of The Gambia reported deaths of 69 children after the consumption of Indian-made cough syrups.
What is the issue?
• The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a global alert over four cough and cold syrups that could be linked
to the death of 69 children in the small West African country.
• All the four drugs were produced by an Indian drug maker, Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
• The syrups have been potentially linked with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI), a sudden decrease in kidney
function to complete kidney failure that develops within 7 days.
• The WHO tested the samples to discover unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which
damage the kidney and liver.
• The products of the firm have been identified by States such as Gujarat, Kerala and Bihar as sub-standard, while
Vietnam too has banned its products in 2014.
What about the response?
• Gambia- The Gambian President Adama Barrow had ordered the suspension of the license of the suspected
pharmacy and importer of the cough syrups.
• He had ordered his foreign minister to take up the matter with the Indian ambassador.
• Drug maker- Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd. cited that samples were taken by the Central Drugs Standard
Control Organization for testing.
• The company cited that it had valid approvals for the export of the products.
• It also said that it had obtained raw materials from certified and reputed companies.
• India- The Health Ministry has argued that the connection between the contaminants and the unfortunate
deaths in Gambia is yet to be established.
• The current Drugs and Cosmetics Act has provisions for up to 3 years of imprisonment, while the draft bill has
increased this upto 10 years.
What lessons should India learn from Maiden Pharma episode?
• For a country that has chosen to position itself as the pharma factory of the world, this episode will turn
the global spotlight on its regulatory practices.
• Recall- India should recall Maiden’s products from other markets and the contamination should be traced back
to solvent suppliers of propylene glycol.
• Better regulation- The regulation all-round needs to be better.
• Detailed explanation- The producer needs to spell out every detail of the process.
• Role of drug inspection authorities- The drugs inspection authorities should do a follow up on whether
the processes are observed.

• The drugs inspection authorities are short staffed which needs to be addressed.
• Export certification- At present, exporters are issued an ‘import-export code’ on the basis of a manufacturing
licence.
• It will be good to have separate export certification norms for least developed countries, which have weak
regulatory systems.
• Pre-shipment checking- Encouraged to deploy pre-shipment checking systems, as Nigeria has done.
Ethylene Glycol and Diethylene Glycol
• Diethylene glycol and Ethylene glycol are sweet-tasting, colourless, odourless liquids used in the commercial
preparation of antifreeze solutions.
• Ethylene glycol is used in the production of polyester fibres, paints and polyethene terephthalate (PET).
• Diethylene glycol because of its hygroscopic property, is used in brake fluid, cigarettes, treatment of paper and
some dyes.
• It is an excellent solvent for many relatively insoluble substances.
Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO)
• The CDSCO is the national regulatory body for pharmaceuticals and medical devices in India.
• It works under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
• Headquarters - New Delhi
• The Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and rules 1945 have entrusted various responsibilities to central & state
regulators for regulation of drugs & cosmetics.
• Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, CDSCO is responsible for
o Approval of Drugs
o Conduct of Clinical Trials
o Laying down the standards for Drugs
o Control over the quality of imported Drugs in the country
o Coordination of activities of State Drug Control Organizations by providing expert advice
• Along with state regulators, it is jointly responsible for grant of licenses of certain specialized categories of critical
drugs such as blood and blood products, I. V. Fluids, Vaccine and Sera.
• The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), which is an organ of the CDSCO, is responsible for
approving and licensing of drugs and medical devices.

6.6 Seattle ban on caste discrimination
Why in news?
The Seattle city council has recently passed a resolution adding caste to its
anti-discrimination policies.
What does the resolution say?
• The legislation recognises caste as a unique basis of discrimination,
similar to race or gender.
• It prohibits businesses from discriminating based on caste with
respect to hiring, tenure, promotion, or wages.
• It will ban discrimination in places of public accommodation, such as
hotels, public transportation, public restrooms.
• The move addresses an issue important to the area's South Asian
diaspora, particularly the Indian and Hindu communities.
What is the history of caste system?
• The caste system in India dates back
over 3,000 years and divides Hindu
society into rigid hierarchical groups.
• The caste system allows many
privileges to upper castes but
represses lower castes.
• The Dalit community is on the lowest
rung of the Indian Hindu caste
system and have been treated as
untouchables.
• Caste discrimination was outlawed in
India over 70 years ago, yet it persists
in many form till date.
• Debate over the caste system's
hierarchy is contentious in India and
abroad, with the issue intertwined
with religion.
• Indian government policies reserving seats for lower-caste
students at top Indian universities have helped many land tech
jobs in the West in recent years. The US is the 2nd most popular
destination for Indians living abroad
What it was opposed?
and Seattle is likely to be just the first
• Polarization - Though it set a precedent for other cities to city in the US to recognise and ban
follow such laws in the future, it also polarised the Indian- caste-based discrimination
American population.
• Hindu organisations in the US criticize the legislation, as it will
further lead to anti-Hindu discrimination.
• Job loses - The move could dissuade employers from hiring South Asians.
6.7 The Global South’s Assertion in Geopolitics
Why in news?
Several countries in the Global South are finding neutrality and strategic autonomy as a viable option in a changing
world.
How about the current picture of geopolitics?
• The USA’s Wishlist- The United States advocates for
o Curbing China’s rise

o Weakening Russia’s capabilities

o Securing Europe behind U.S. leadership
o Building satellite alliances with countries which conform to U.S. interests and values
• Rise of China- Given its phenomenal economic reach during globalisation, China began building institutions
to counter the West.
• It looked for accommodation with the U.S. in its “Peaceful Rise” project.
• As the U.S. found this unacceptable, China turned from partner to competitor to threat.
What does Global South mean?
• The term “Global South” was first
coined by a social activist Carl
Oglesby in 1969.
• Global South is used to describe
countries whose economies are not
yet fully developed and which face
challenges such as low per capita
income, excessive unemployment,
and a lack of valuable capital.
• Although the majority of Global
South countries are indeed located
in the tropics or Southern
Hemisphere, the term itself
is strictly economic.
• Hence, Australia is "down under"
but not part of the Global South.
Who are the major players in the Global South?
• Russia- Russia, with its vast natural resources and military capability, has shown capacity to assert its will in
global geopolitics.
• Russian aggression against Ukraine has been a geopolitical watershed.
• The developing Sino-Russian strategic partnership without limits is the clearly defined enemy other for the
West.
• China- China’s expanding military footprint and ‘grey zone’ policies of violation of maritime zones in the South
China Seas have antagonised several countries.
• India- India has used its leverage to negotiate with multiple sides.
• India increased oil purchases from Russia, shrugging off western pressure.
• India has a military Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) with the U.S.
• At the same time it has developed the International North South Transport Corridor connecting Russia and
India via central Asia.
• It participates in military exercises such as the U.S.-led but also sends a military contingent for the Vostok
exercises with Russia and China.
What about other countries in the Global South?
• Russia-Ukraine War- Most of the countries oppose the sanctions regime and advocate neutrality because
o Many in the South are dependent on Russian energy, fuel, fertilizers, wheat, commodities and defence
equipment.
• Apprehensions on West- Many countries of the South believe that they are unlikely to get western help when
they need it the most.
o It includes recent experience of refusal by the West to grant a one-time exception for patents for the
COVID-19 vaccine.
• Alliances- Most of the Southern countries would not like to be a part of security or military alliances with either
the West or the Russian or Chinese sides.

o For example, the security pact that China in 2022 offered to 10 Pacific island nations was not favoured.
o They neither agreed to China’s ‘Common Development Vision’.
• There has been an unprecedented pushback from the South that wants to make its own strategic choices.
o For instance, the South Africa described the U.S.’s “Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act”
that punishes African states and leaders who engage with Russia as offensive.
What about the South’s choice in geo-economics?
• The fear of the U.S. strategy of freezing dollar reserves has made the South cautious.
• The U.S. trade policies of ‘re-shoring’ and ‘friend-shoring’ is leading the South to gradually find ways of
bypassing the dollar in bilateral trade by using local currencies.
• Currency swap arrangements are used by China, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)+ 3 countries,
etc.
• Multilateral institutions, ranging from BRICS and the African Union, to ASEAN, and the Community of Latin
American and Caribbean States, have given it new confidence.
6.8 The Feminist Foreign Policy (FPP) Movement
Why in news?
Germany has recently introduced new feminist guidelines that will guide its diplomacy and developmental goals and
increasing FPP across the world.
What is FPP?
• FPP - There is no singular, cohesive definition of a “feminist foreign policy” for governments.
• FPP defines that women to be included in foreign diplomacy to promote
international peace.
• The FPP calls for the state to promote good practices to achieve gender
equality and to guarantee all women their human rights through diplomatic
relationships.
What is the need for feminist foreign policy?
• To overcome the Systemic and structural subordination and marginalization of women that characterize the
lives of countless women across the world.
• FPP to ensure people “have the same right to representation and access to resources”.
• FBB mandates that gender equality to be corner stone of every diplomatic engagement, reiterating that women,
girls and marginalized groups must be protected from violence.
• FBB prioritizes equal treatment and equal opportunity, while being gender-responsive across policies.
• The adoption of FFP by the South Asian nations will enhance gender equality within the region and beyond.
What is Status of FPP in India?
• Women account for only 16% of the Indian Foreign Service and only
18% of top leadership positions in embassies around the world.
• Indian foreign policy lacks gender-inclusive and need to adopt a feminist
foreign policy (FFP) framework.
• An all-woman police force from India was deployed under the aegis of
the United Nations (UN) in Liberia back in 2007.
• Global Gender Gap Index 2022 – India ranks 135.
What is the status of FPP across the world?
• There are currently three countries whose foreign policies are explicitly
feminist: Sweden, Canada and France as of march 2019.
• Sweden, Canada, The Netherlands, and Mexico are countries which have
adopted FPP framework.

What are the criticism of FPP?

• Sweden, for instance, faced criticism for its binary focus on women, and not people of all genders.
• The countries (Canada, Sweden and Germany) having FPP also carry arms trade in other hand which is against
FPP.
• The investments made to promote FPP only benefit the private firms and doesn’t yield the intended aims and
goals.
• Lack of funds for FPP
• Ambiguity in the definition of FPP.
• Lack of consensus in the international forums about FPP.
6.9 The Anti-Hijab Protests in Iran
Why in news?
The death of a young Iranian-Kurdish woman while in the custody of the morality police has triggered nationwide
protests in the Islamic Republic, bringing the clerical regime under public pressure.
What is the issue?
• Mahsa Amini had been detained by morality police for allegedly wearing the hijab (headscarf) in an improper
way.
• The authorities attributed her death
three days later to a heart attack while
being trained on hijab rules.
• But her parents and activists say she
was beaten to death.
• The incident triggered widespread
anger in a country where state
suppression of women’s rights and
resistance has always been a big
political issue.
• Several cities, including Tehran and
Mashhad saw demonstrators chanting
slogans against the clerical
establishment and women publicly
burning hijabs.
How about the regime in Iran?
• The Shia clergy have built a system of clerical dictatorship with limited democratic practices.
• The state-sponsored conservatism and social repression produces
constant tensions between the rulers and the ruled.
• President Ebrahim Raisi’s regime has made it clear that it would
use force to quell the protests, with the Revolutionary Guard Corps
terming the protesters “traitors”.
What are Iran's hijab laws?
• It was made compulsory for women to wear the hijab in Iran,
following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
• Morality police are tasked with ensuring women conform to the
authorities' interpretation of proper clothing.
• In 2014, Iranian women began sharing photos and videos of
themselves publicly flouting the hijab laws as part of an online
protest campaign called "My Stealthy Freedom".
• It has since inspired other movements, including "White Wednesdays" and "Girls of Revolution Street".

How is the issue seen with respect to Karnataka hijab

protests?
• Differences- in India, women who want to wear their
hijabs are fighting against a system that is forcing them to
take the hijabs off.
• In Iran, women are battling against a regime that is forcing
them to wear the hijab.
• The protest in Karnataka is against the legalization of anti-
Muslim prejudice and the patriarchal attitudes.
• The protest in Iran is against a patriarchal setup and against
how religion is used as a pretext to enforce injustices.
• It is ironic to compare both since Iran is an Islamic republic
and India a secular one with different sociopolitical
realities.
• Similarity- The similarity between the agitations is that
they are both fighting against the control over the
autonomy.
• Both Iran's anti-hijab & India's pro-hijab protest are said to be in regards with the freedom of choice.
Morality Police
• The morality police known formally as "Gasht-e Ershad" (Guidance Patrols) in Iran enforce a dress code
in the country that requires women wear to wear hijabs in public.
• The morality police also bans tight trousers, ripped jeans, brightly colored outfits and clothes exposing knees.
• Officers have the power to stop women and assess whether
o They are showing too much hair
o Their trousers and overcoats are too short or close-fitting
o They are wearing too much make-up
• Punishments for violating the rules include a fine, prison or flogging (beaten severely with a whip or a stick).
6.10 Windsor Framework
Why in news?
The UK government reached a landmark deal with the European Union (EU) on post-Brexit trade rules related to
governing the Northern Ireland.
What is the background of the issue?
• History of Ireland - Ireland is an island that lies to the west of the British
mainland and has two separate politically independent territories.
• Northern Ireland which is about 1/6th of the total island is a part of the UK and
is administered as a relatively autonomous region.
• The rest of the island forms the ‘Republic of Ireland’ and is an independent sovereign nation since 1922.
• A hard-fought peace was secured only in 1998 under the Belfast Agreement, also called the Good Friday
agreement.
• Relationship with the EU - Both the Republic of Ireland and UK (thereby Northern Ireland) became
members of the “European Economic Community (EEC)” in 1973.
• EEC later evolved to become the EU and also to a great extent helped to ease the tensions between the Unionists
& Nationalists.
• As Britain left the EU and exited the single market and customs union, the relationship between Republican
Ireland and Northern Ireland has become a challenging puzzle to solve.

• After the Brexit, Northern Ireland remained its only

constituent that shared a land border with the Republic
of Ireland.
• Since the EU and the UK have different product
standards, border checks would be necessary before
goods could move from Northern Ireland to Ireland.
What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?
• Check posts – Checks would be conducted between
Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
• Under the protocol, Northern Ireland remained in the
EU single market, and trade-and-customs inspections
of goods coming from Great Britain took place at its
ports along the Irish Sea.
What are the issues with the Northern Ireland
Protocol?
• Time & resource wastage – The checks made trade
between Great Britain and Northern Ireland
cumbersome, with food products losing out on shelf life
while they waited for clearance.
• Taxation – Some taxation and spending policies of the
UK government could not be implemented in Northern
Ireland because of EU rules.
• The sale of medicines was caught between different
British and EU rules.
• United UK – Any kind of border in the Irish Sea bothered those who want a United Kingdom.
• The Democratic Union Party (DUP) has not allowed Stormont, its Parliament, to function since last year,
because of its opposition to the Protocol.
What is proposed under the Windsor Framework?
• It will replace the Northern Ireland Protocol, which had proved to be among the thorniest of Brexit fall-outs,
creating problems both economic and political.
• The framework has two crucial aspects:
1. Introduction of a green lane and red lane system - For goods that will stay in Northern Ireland
and those that will go to the EU respectively.
2. The Stormont Brake - Allows Northern Ireland lawmakers and London to veto any EU regulation
they believe affects the region adversely.
• The two lane system– British goods meant for Northern Ireland will use the green lane at the ports, and will
be allowed to pass with minimal paperwork and checks.
• Physical checks will be conducted if the goods are deemed suspicious, in place of the routine checks now.

• Goods destined for Ireland or the rest of the EU will have to take the red lane, with the attendant customs and
other checks.
• The Stormont Brake – It means the democratically elected Northern Ireland Assembly can oppose new EU
goods rules that would have significant and lasting effects on everyday lives in Northern Ireland.
• For this, they will need the support of 30 members from at least 2 parties and the British government can then
veto the law.
What is the outcome of the framework?
• With the Windsor Framework, UK hopes to improve trade and other ties with the EU.
• The deal has allowed Sunak to do away with the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill introduced by his predecessor
Boris Johnson.
• The bill involved the UK government reneging on the promise it made to the EU to follow the Protocol.
6.11 Integrated Circuit Wars
What is the issue?
The US has recently announced sanctions to deny China access to the leading-edge chips that China doesn’t have the
capability to design and manufacture yet and thus marks the beginning of a new phase of the integrated circuit or “silicon
chip” war.
What are the new US sanctions? Semiconductor
• The US sanctions prohibit the sale of the newest
generations of chips to China. • Semiconductor is made of silicon and gives
• It also forbids any US firm or those dependent on computational power to devices.
US technology from selling or licensing software, • They are building blocks of almost every modern
equipment or technologies that China will need to electronic device.
build its capabilities in chips.
• Semiconductors having higher nanometre value
• Beyond that, it restricts US citizens and even are applied in automobiles, consumer
those holding green cards from working for or electronics, etc.
with any Chinese entities in a large number of
technology areas. • Semiconductors having lower values are used in
devices such as smartphones and laptops.
• The sanctions also apply to US allies and their
firms, given that they are dependent on US technology in one way or the other.
• This makes it difficult for companies like TSMC (Taiwan) or Samsung (South Korea) from selling the latest
generation of chips to China or even helping it in this area.
What will be the impact of US sanctions on China?
• This is a setback for China that had plans that envisaged it leapfrogging the US in multiple technologies and taking
a lead over the West.
• Without access to the latest generation of chips, its ambitions
in AI research as well as 5G and Blockchain will suffer a big
setback.
• Much of China’s current tech capabilities were built by
people who went to the US, studied in the best
engineering colleges and worked with leading Western
technology companies before coming back home.
• Many of these entrepreneurs are Chinese by birth but
have since then acquired US citizenship. The sanctions
will force them to choose sides.
• Also, many engineers in Chinese technology companies
are dependent in critical areas on people with US citizenships or green cards.
• Much of China’s current capabilities are based on copying Western designs and technologies.

What will be the impact of US sanctions on other countries?

• Most European countries and Australia as well as Japan and Korea are largely backing the US, though they are
building their own capabilities.
• Many like Japan and various European countries were content depending on Taiwan for fabrication of chips.
• But now, they are rushing to build their own capacities - just to reduce their dependence on the US, South Korea
and Taiwan for chip fabrication.
What is the position of India?
• For a major economy, India is taking baby steps in chip manufacturing.
• Indian Prime Minister has made domestic chip capabilities a priority.
• The government has taken a number of concrete steps ranging from the production-linked incentive scheme to
helping firms set up plants in India to license 28-nm fabrication technologies from abroad.
• Next step may be to look at moving up the chip value chain by either buying fully or taking a significant stake in
independent chip design and foundry firms around the world that may be available for sale.
• But that will require active private sector participation.
Steps taken by the Government of India
India Semiconductor Mission (ISM)

• ISM is a specialized and independent Business Division within the Digital India Corporation.
• It aims to build a vibrant semiconductor and display ecosystem to enable India’s emergence as a global hub
for electronics manufacturing and design.
Components of the scheme
1. Scheme for setting up of Semiconductor Fabs in India
• It provides fiscal support to eligible applicants for setting up of Semiconductor Fabs which is aimed at
attracting large investments for setting up semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities in the country.
2. Scheme for setting up of Display Fabs in India
• It provides fiscal support to eligible applicants for setting up of Display Fabs which is aimed at attracting large
investments for setting up TFT LCD / AMOLED based display fabrication facilities in the country.
3. Scheme for setting up of Compound Semiconductors / Silicon Photonics / Sensors Fab and
Semiconductor ATMP / OSAT facilities in India
• The Scheme provides a fiscal support of 30% of the Capital Expenditure to the eligible applicants for setting
up of Compound Semiconductors / Silicon Photonics (SiPh) / Sensors (including MEMS) Fab and
Semiconductor Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging (ATMP) / OSAT facilities in India.
4. Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme
• It offers financial incentives, design infrastructure support across various stages of development and
deployment of semiconductor design for Integrated Circuits (ICs), Chipsets, System on Chips (SoCs), Systems
& IP Cores and semiconductor linked design.
• The scheme provides “Product Design Linked Incentive” of up to 50% of the eligible expenditure subject to a
ceiling of ₹15 Crore per application and “Deployment Linked Incentive” of 6% to 4% of net sales turnover
over 5 years subject to a ceiling of ₹30 Crore per application.
Semicon India programme
• It provides for the development of semiconductor and display manufacturing ecosystem in our country.
• The programme aims to provide financial support to companies investing in semiconductors, display
manufacturing and design ecosystem.
Modernisation of Laboratory - Government has also approved modernisation of Semi-Conductor Laboratory,
Mohali as a brownfield Fab.

6.12 U.N. Report on Uyghurs in Xinjiang
What is the issue?

China has vehemently rejected the United Nations Human Rights Office report on human rights violations in the
northwestern Xinjiang region.
What is the significance of the Xinjiang region?
• Xinjiang- Located in the northwest China, Xinjiang covers one-sixth of China’s territory.
• It is officially known as the Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region (XUAR).
• Significance
o Borders Russia, Afghanistan, India,
Pakistan and other central Asian
countries.
o Contains a wealth of natural resources.
o Part of the ancient Silk Road
• Xinjiang is sparsely populated with a
population of 25 million, the majority of which
belong to mostly Muslim ethnic groups.
• Uyghurs- The Uyghurs are mostly Muslims
and they speak their own language which is
similar to Turkish.
• They see themselves as culturally and
ethnically close to Central Asian nations.
• When first census was done in 1953, around
75% of the total population included Uyghurs while ethnic Han Chinese accounted for 7%.
• The latest census shows that the Uyghur population has come down to 45% of the total in Xinjiang, while that
of Han Chinese has increased to 42%.
What are the allegations against China?
• Abuse against minorities- In 2014, Chinese leader Xi Jinping ordered a massive crackdown following
violence in the region.
• In the years that followed, Uyghurs and others were sent into re-education camps as part of the campaign.
• This was followed by a string of allegations of mass imprisonment, torture, compulsory sterilisation, sexual
violence, destruction of Uyghur cultural and religious sites and forced labour.
• In 2018, a U.N. panel estimated in its periodic review that over a million Uyghurs and Muslim minorities had
been forced into political camps for indoctrination in the Xinjiang region.
• Beijing’s response- Beijing has rejected such claims and insisted that its mass detention camps are designed
to counter terrorism and extremism.
• It has maintained that no human rights were abused and attendance in camps was voluntary.
To know more about Uyghur crisis, click here
What does the human rights office assessment report reveal?
• Human rights violation- The U.N. report concludes that China committed serious human rights violations
in the Xinjiang region under its anti-terrorism and anti-extremism strategies.
• It notes that Chinese interpretations of “extremism” are exceptionally broad and often target standard tenets of
Islamic religion and practice.
• Arbitrary detention- Uyghurs and other minorities were discriminated on perceived security threats without
due process and for an indefinite duration.
• Evidence shows that an individual could be sent to a Vocation and Educational Training Centre (VETC) for
having
o Too many children

o Being an unsafe person

o Being born in certain years
o Being an ex-convict
o Wearing a veil or beard
o Having applied for a passport and not having left the country
o Having foreign connections
o Attempting to cancel their Chinese citizenship
o Possessing dual registration in a neighbouring country
o Having downloaded WhatsApp
• Torture in camps- The report says allegations of torture, ill-treatment and sexual violence inside VETCs.
• The report describes that almost all former detainees mentioned that they lost significant weight due to constant
hunger.
• There was constant surveillance, some were not allowed to speak their own language (Uyghur or Kazakh) and
could not practice their religion.
• They were either administered injections, pills or both regularly, while their blood samples were collected in the
VETC facilities.
• The uncertainty about the reasons for detention, length of their stay, the conditions, the constant atmosphere
of fear, lack of contact with outside world and anxiety amounted to psychological torture.
• Sexual violence- Some were stripped naked, forced to perform oral sex during interrogation and were subject
to invasive gynaecological examinations.
• Violation of reproductive rights- Official figures indicate a sharp decline in birth rates, with the birth rate
dropping from 15.88 per thousand in 2017 to 8.14 per thousand in 2019.
• Destruction of religious sites- The satellite imagery indicated that many religious sites either appeared to
have been removed or tampered with.
• Genocide- The report does not refer to genocide.
What is the response of China?
• China has maintained that its crackdown in Xinjiang is aimed at containing the East Turkistan Islamic
Movement (ETIM) which is allegedly linked to radical outfits.
• Beijing registered a strong opposition to the U.N. report and slandered the Western forces for using human
rights as a political tool.
• China also maintained that Xinjiang enjoys social stability, economic development and religious harmony.
6.13 Decreasing Diplomatic Alliance for Taiwan
Why in news?
Recently Honduras established formal relations with China soon after ending its ties with Taiwan is connected to the
“One China” Policy.
Honduras
• Honduras is a Central American country with Caribbean Sea coastlines to the north
and the Pacific Ocean to the south.
Evolution of China-Taiwan relationship
• The Taiwan is located in the East China Sea to the northeast of Hong Kong, north of
the Philippines and south of South Korea, and southwest of Japan.
• Taiwan earlier known as Formosa, is a tiny island off the east coast of China.
• Taiwan observes October 10 “double 10” as its national day and the Republic of China was declared on December
29 1911.

• The civil war in 1949 that ended in victory for the communists
and retreat of Chiang and the KMT to Taiwan - and it has since
continued as the Republic of China (Taiwan).
• Since its founding of Taiwan in 1949 the People Repulic of China
(PRC) (China) has believed that Taiwan must be reunified with
the mainland while the RoC (Taiwan) has held out as an
“independent” country.
• In 1954-55 and in 1958 the PRC bombed the Jinmen, Mazu, and
Dachen islands under Taiwan’s control.
• The RoC became the non-communist frontier against China
during the Cold War.
• In 1975 Taiwan got its first democratic reforms.
• The most serious encounter was in 1995-96, when China began
testing missiles in the seas around Taiwan.
• Starting from the 1990s and despite the missile crisis relations
between the PRC and RoC improved and trade ties were
established
• As the British prepared to exit Hong Kong in 1999, the “One China,
Two Systems” solution was offered to Taiwan as well, but it was
rejected by the Taiwanese.
• In 2000 Taiwan got its first non-KMT government when the
Taiwanese nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won
the presidency.
• In 2004 China started drafting an anti-secession law aimed at
Taiwan trade and connectivity.
• Today the two big players in Taiwan’s politics are the DPP and
KMT broadly the parties of the island’s Hakka inhabitants and the
minority mainland Chinese respectively.
• The 2016 election of President Tsai marked the onset of a sharp pro-
independence phase in Taiwan and the current tensions with China
coincided with her re-election in 2020.
• Taiwan now has massive economic interests, including investments
in China and pro-independence sections worry that this might come
in the way of their goals.
What is the One China Policy?
• For China - ‘One China’ for China basically refers to the principle
that it is one country composing mainland China and the island of
Taiwan.
• For USA - The One China Policy contains elements such as
o The US interest in a peaceful process of cross-Strait dispute
resolution
o Its different interpretation of Taiwan’s legal status as
compared to Beijing’s interpretation
• In the 1980s, the US shifted to using “policy” in place of “principle” to
differentiate between the US approach and China’s version.
• US opposes China and Taiwan unilaterally changing the status quo.
China’s View Taiwan’s View
• In Beijing’s view, the ruling Democratic Progressive

• In Taiwan’s view Beijing has exerted growing
Party in Taipei with the support of Washington bears
diplomatic pressure and military muscle to
responsibility for the tensions by pursuing de facto
isolate Taiwan.
independence.

• China has never recognized the existence of Taiwan as • Taiwan says that it was not a part of People’s
an independent political entity, arguing that it was Republic of China as the modern Chinese state
always a Chinese province. was only formed after the communist
revolution of 1911.
• In 1971, the UN Resolution 2758 unseated Taiwan as
the official representative of China. • Taiwan at present has its own elections and
defence forces
6.14 Political crisis in Iraq
What is the issue?

Amidst the political leaders struggling to form a government, Mohammed al-Sudani has become the new Prime Minister
of Iraq.
What led to the earlier deadlock?
• No faith in democracy- Iraq has failed to form a government after the October 2021 parliamentary elections
in which Mr. Sadr’s bloc won the most number of seats.
• Most Iraqis have simply lost faith that their democratic system will ever
change their lives for the better.
• Growing divisions- A bitter power struggle between the country’s
dominant Shia parties have plunged the country into a deepening crisis,
leading to the current violence.
• Usually in Iraqi politics, senior positions and ministries are parceled out to
the three largest demographic groups in the country - Shiite Muslims, Sunni Muslims and the Kurdish ethnic
group.
• Over the past few years, serious divisions have been growing.
• Power struggle- Part of the problem is the power struggle between Mr. Sadr and Mr. Maliki, the former Prime
Minister who is a key leader of the Coordination Framework.
• Foreign interference- The rivalry has come about partially because al-Sadr is opposed to any foreign
interference in Iraqi affairs, whether from the US or Iran.
• The Coordination Framework mostly represents
militias formed in 2014 by local volunteers to fight
against the Islamic State inside Iraq.
• These militias receive financial, military and even
theological support from Iran and many members
express allegiance to Iran over Iraq.
What did Sadrists want?
• In protest against the rival parties’ continued boycott of
Parliament, Mr. Sadr asked all the legislators of the
Sadrist Movement to resign.
• The Coordination Framework took advantage of the
resignation of the Sadrist lawmakers and went ahead
with plans to form their government.
• Mr. Sadr called for protests in the streets.
• The protestors stormed the Parliament building in the
Baghdad’s Green Zone.
• Demands
o Dissolution of Parliament
o Early elections
o Constitutional amendments to clear blockades that stand in the way of Mr. Sadr forming a majority
government

6.15 Yemen civil war
Why in news?
Hundreds of war prisoners were released as agreed by Stockholm agreement signifying peace in the war-ravaged Yemen.
What led to the civil war?
• Arab Spring protests - The conflict in Yemen began in 2011 as part of the Arab Spring protests.
• Economic and security problems - President Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to hand over power to his
deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi when Yemen was having economic and social problems.
• Houthis - Took advantage of the crisis in Yemen and captured Saada province in the north and then Sana’a,
the capital of Yemen in 2014.
• Houthis are backed by Iran government.
• Saudi-led coalition - Being neighbour and its differences The Arab Spring was a series of anti-
with the Iran led to Saudi-led coalition supporting pro Yemen government protests, uprisings and
government. armed rebellions that spread across
• Saudi Arabia-led coalition, backed by the US includes other much of the Arab world in the early
Arab countries and sent troops to Yemen in 2015. 2010s that began in Tunisia.
• Stockholm Agreement - It was signed in 2018 in which

Yemen agreed to free conflict-related detainees/prisoners.
• Two-month ceasefire - The civil war had ceased in April 2022, when the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition
announced a two-month ceasefire ahead of Ramzan.
• This was Yemen’s first nationwide truce in six years.
What is Stockholm Agreement?
• The Stockholm agreement was signed by Yemen in 2018
to free conflict-related detainees.
• The agreement brokered by the United Nations.
• The 3 main components of the agreement are
o The Hudayah agreement - Includes a
ceasefire in the city of Hodeidah.
o The prisoner exchange agreement -
Release of prisoners by both sides
o The Taïz agreement - Formation of a joint
committee with participation from civil society
and the UN.
What are the impacts of the civil war?
• 80% of its population dependent on aid and protection.
• Over three million people have been displaced from their
homes since 2015.
• Public service sectors like healthcare, water, sanitation,
and education have either collapsed or are in a dire
situation.
• Yemen has lost $90 billion in economic output and more
than 6,00,000 people have lost their jobs.
• More than half of the country’s population is living in
extreme poverty.

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
• ICRC was established in 1863.

• ICRC operates worldwide, helping people affected by conflict and armed violence and promoting the laws that
protect victims of war.
• An independent and neutral organization, its mandate stems essentially from the Geneva Conventions of 1949.
• ICRC is based in Geneva, Switzerland having its presence in more 100 countries including India.
• The ICRC is funded mainly by voluntary donations from governments and from National Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies.
6.16 Saudi Arabia-Iran Reconciliation
Why in news?
The Saudi-Iran reconciliation in a China-brokered agreement reflects the new reality that Beijing is increasingly playing
a bigger role at a time when the U.S., is preoccupied with challenges elsewhere.
What is the history of the ties?
• Islamic sectarianism – The rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran is rooted in Islamic sectarianism.
• While Iran is the foremost Shia state in the world, Saudi Arabia is considered to be the religious home of Sunni
Islam.
• In modern times, this sectarian rivalry has
translated into a tussle for regional hegemony.
• In both the wars in Yemen and Syria, Iran and
Saudi Arabia find themselves on opposite sides.
• US factor – Iran is highly critical of Saudi
Arabia’s closeness with the United States.
• The US has crippled Iranian economy with its
sanctions regime for decades.
• Militancy – Saudi Arabia is worried of the large
network of armed militias across West Asia that
Iran funds and backs, a threat to its own
sovereignty as well as the regional balance of
power.
• Iran and Saudi Arabia will patch up a 7 year split
by reviving a security cooperation pact, reopening
embassies in each other’s countries, resuming
trade, investment and cultural accords.
Why was the agreement signed now?
Saudi Perspective Iran Perspective
• Vision 2030 – Regional peace will be crucial to turning • Nuclear deal – The agreement comes as
Saudi Arabia into the global hub that Vision 2030 envisions. Iran accelerates its nuclear program after 2
years of failed U.S. attempts to revive a 2015
• This has led to Saudi Arabia making concerted efforts to end deal that aimed to stop Tehran from
long-standing conflicts with powers across the region, with producing a nuclear bomb.
the Iran deal the latest such move.
• However, a brutal sanctions regime and
• Away from US – Furthermore, it has also led to Saudi internal tensions have made it difficult for
Arabia slowly moving away from the singular influence of Iran to achieve its goals.
the United States in its foreign policy.
• Regional allies – Finding allies in the
• While the US continues to be Saudi Arabia’s biggest military region is of utmost importance to Iran when
supplier, in recent years, the desert kingdom has courted the Khomeini regime is perhaps at its weakest
various powers including Russia, China and now, Iran. since the revolution.

What is the role of China in this agreement?

• China’s role as peace broker is yet another sign of changing currents in the region.
• China has historically maintained ties with both countries and the latest deal points to China’s growing political
and economic clout in the region.
What are the concerns for the United States?
• The United States has for a long time wielded great influence in West Asia.
• It has been the predominant global power that has had influence over geopolitics in the conflict-ridden region.
• Crucially, this deal and China brokering it, does not portend well for the United States.
What is the impact on the agreement on other stake holders in West Asia?
• Israel – The move has ushered in a wave of anxiety in Israel which shares no formal diplomatic ties with either
nation.
• While Israeli leaders see Iran as an enemy and an existential threat, they consider Saudi Arabia a potential
partner.
• Yemen – Riyadh intervened in Yemen against the Houthi movement after the Iran-aligned group ousted the
internationally recognized government from power.
• Restored ties between Riyadh and Tehran could facilitate agreement between Saudi and the Houthis.
• Syria – Iran has offered military, economic and diplomatic support to President Bashar al-Assad since his
crackdown of protests in 2011 left him isolated.
• The Saudi-Iranian deal comes as a step towards Syria’s return to the Arab League.
• Lebanon – Lebanese politics have been broadly split for years between a pro-Iran alliance led by powerful
armed group Hezbollah and a pro-Saudi coalition.
• The agreement between Tehran and Riyadh has sparked hope that paralysis could end.
• Iraq – After the toppling of Saddam Hussein, Iran deepened its political, security and economic influence in
Iraq, sparking Saudi alarm.
• Iraqis hope for a general regional detente that would allow their country to rebuild.
• While Iran and Saudi Arabia may still fall out, for the time being, this diplomatic agreement has ushered in
major change in geopolitical dynamics in West Asia.
• The agreement could be the start of a greater global geopolitical realignment.
• The announcement could not only lead to a major realignment in West Asia, it also poses a major geopolitical
threat to the United States, with China acting as peace broker for the historic deal.
6.17 The Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan Conflict
Why in news?
The heavy clashes on the Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan border have turned the world’s eyes to the border issues in the Central
Asia that could not been completely solved for the last 31 years.
How are these two nations related?
• Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan were established and have retained the
borders demarcated in the 1920s under Josef Stalin’s rule.
• The two landlocked countries share a 1,000-km long border, a large part of which is disputed.
• Historically, the Kyrgyz and Tajik populations enjoyed common rights over natural resources.
What are the reasons for the disputes?
• Border dispute- The main problem is that the two republics are using two different geopolitical maps.
• Tajikistan operates with maps from 1924-1939 and the Kyrgyz Republic with a map from 1958-1959.

• The region, Fergana, is divided

between Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and
Kyrgyzstan without taking into
account the ethnic structure and
culture of the inhabitants.
• The enclave factors, which are located
in a region belonging to another
country, have brought the countries of
the region against each other.
• Livestock- With the formation of the
Soviet Union, the livestock which were
the main source of household income,
were redistributed to collective farms
and state farms.
• Since the Tajik livestock has limited
rangelands, the Tajik depended on the
pasture resources located in the
Kyrgyz territory.
• With the demise of the Soviet Union,
the collective and state farms were dissolved, and the pasture management agreements became invalid.
• Water conflicts- The dissolution of the Soviet era water and land agreements saw the creation of multiple
smaller independent farms.
• The use of water resources increased among farmers leading to constant conflict between border communities.
• Population growth and poor infrastructure are other reasons for the conflicts around natural resources in the
border area.

What about the past conflicts in this region?

• Resource access and use clashes between Kyrgyz and Tajik border communities took place recurrently in the
21st century.
• Apricot war (2004)- Several apricot trees were planted on the disputed area by Tajik farmers, where then
Kyrgyz inhabitants disputed and removed all those trees.
• Ketmen war (2014)- The border communities fought using garden tools, stones and burned animal shelters.
• In a conflict that took place in 2014, about 1000 local civilians were involved, including many young people.
What is the current happening at the border?
• There were constant shelling, violent confrontations by local communities, and active engagement by security
forces on either side.
• The Batken region of Kyrgyzstan is seeing families getting relocated.
• Nearly 100 people have been killed and scores injured in violent border clashes between Kyrgyzstan and
Tajikistan.
• A ceasefire, brokered by Russia, was agreed by both sides.
What is the road ahead?
• The path to resolution of the conflict will require warring groups to agree upon a common map.
• An intergovernmental agreement is needed to be signed to define property rights to access and use water and
pasture resources
• The international community will have to make efforts to solve the dispute.
• The informal small-scale governance mechanisms would have to be strengthened through a concerted effort to
stabilise the geopolitical dynamics.
6.18 UK Financial Crisis
What is the issue?

A toxic mix of politics, inflation and higher interest rates is threatening the financial system in the U.K., sending a shock
wave through global markets.
What about the status of the UK economy?
• Historic inflation- Between February 2021 and
August 2022, UK gas prices shot up higher than the
prices experienced at any time in the past.
• Stagnant growth- The UK’s economy has largely been
stagnant since the global financial crisis of 2008.
• Between 2007 and 2020, the UK’s GDP has grown from
2.73 trillion dollars to 2.89 trillion dollars.
• Currency- The pound sterling has rapidly lost value
against the dollar and fallen to a 37-year low.
• Underinvestment- Britain has one of the lowest
shares of investment in GDP of any of the rich
economies of the world (15-16 %).
• Covid pandemic- The UK economy has still not
recovered to the pre-pandemic level.
• Energy crisis- Europe as a result of Russia’s war on
Ukraine and tensions in global gas markets worldwide is
suffering an epic energy crisis.
• Brexit- It has generated inefficiencies which will cost GDP, thus providing very little incentive for investment.
• The Mini Budget- The announced measures are likely to require new government borrowing.
• It has deepened anxiety about Britain’s public finances.

What did the new mini Budget announce?

• Inflation targeting- To contain the inflation, a freeze on
energy bills was announced.
• According to the government, this will reduce inflation by as
much as 5 % points.
• Kick-starting the economy- The government has decided to
scrap the 45% top rate for high earners.
• These tax cuts will benefit all taxpayers (individuals and
companies) to varying degrees.
• The government’s idea is to leave people and companies with
more money in their hands.
• It is expected to boost consumer spending as well as incentivise
businesses to invest in the economy, creating a virtuous cycle
of rapid economic growth.
Why was the mini budget criticized?
• Government borrowings- The package comprises about
5% of the country’s GDP.
• The energy support and the weaker economic outlook will
increase the borrowing.
• Interest rates- Since, the UK’s economy is facing the
prospects of stagflation, the interest rates will rise.
• Economic growth- The markets are not convinced that
growth will happen at the pace the government hopes for.
• Investor confidence Investors doubt the UK government’s
ability to pay back the money.
• They are unwilling to lend money to the UK, which, in turn, is
reflected in the selling of UK government bonds.
• As a consequence, gilt yields are shooting through the roof.
• Cost-of-living crisis - The mini-Budget may end up in the
cost-of-living crisis in the UK.
• Inflation- More money in the hands of the people could fuel
spending and inflation.
• Imports- The sharp weakening of the pound’s exchange rate will make imports (especially energy) costlier.
• Inequality- the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is reported to have said that the new UK Budget would
disproportionately benefit the wealthy, thereby increasing the inequality in Britain.
• Reaganomics- The announced tax
cuts have drawn comparisons to the tax
policies of US President Ronald Reagan.
• Starving the beast strategy- The
idea is that if the expenses of
corporations are reduced, the savings
trickle down to the rest of the economy.
• British Prime Minister Liz Truss said
that her government will not reverse the
economic plan despite the turmoil in the
financial market.
• Britain, once a glorious imperial power
where, the sun never sets, is now a
country, post Brexit, that’s fast losing its
status, economically as well as
geopolitically.

Quick Facts
Stagflation- Stagflation is an economic condition that is caused by a combination of slow economic growth, high
unemployment, and rising prices.
Gilts- Gilts are bonds that are issued by the British government and generally considered low-risk equivalent to U.S.
Treasury securities.
6.19 The Nord Stream Pipeline Leaks
Why in news?
Four leaks were reported (two in Swedish waters and 2 in Danish waters) in Nord Stream pipelines linking Russia and
Europe.
What is Nord Stream Pipeline?
• Owned by the Russian energy giant, Gazprom, Nord Stream Pipeline is the longest subsea pipeline.
• It is an export gas pipeline that runs under the Baltic Sea carrying gas from Russia to Europe.
• The gas for Nord Steam comes mainly from the Bovanenkovo oil and gas condensate deposit in Western Siberia.
• Nord Stream consists of two pipelines, which have two lines each.
o Nord Stream 1 that runs from Vyborg in Russia to Lubmin in Germany was completed in 2011.
o Nord Stream 2 that runs from Ust-Luga in Russia to Lubmin in Germany was completed in 2021.
• Both the pipelines together can transport a combined total of 110 billion cubic metres of gas a year to Europe
for at least 50 years.
• The Nord Stream crosses the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of several countries including Russia, Finland,
Sweden, Denmark and Germany, and the territorial waters of Russia, Denmark, and Germany.
• While both pipelines are not currently running commercially, they had millions of cubic metres of gas stored in
them.
What is the current leak about?
• Two leaks were detected on the
Nord Stream 1 pipeline, both in
an area northeast of the Danish
island of Bornholm.
• Sweden had reported two
separate underwater
explosions, very close to where
the leaks occurred.
• Possible causes of the
leak- The investigations have
not yet revealed the cause
behind the leaks.
• Possible causes range from
technical malfunctions to a
lack of maintenance, to even
possibly sabotage (deliberate
damage or destruction of
equipment or property which
belongs to the enemy).
• The European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) called the leaks acts of sabotage.
• Russia, which controls the pipeline, has not ruled out sabotage either.
• Ukraine said the leaks were likely the result of a terrorist attack carried out by Russia.
• Various European countries, such as Sweden and Denmark, have launched separate investigations into the
matter.

What will be the impact of the leaks?

• Economic impact- European gas prices immediately spiked after the reports of the leaks emerged.
• As a result of the leak, all the stored gas is escaping.
• The pipelines are unlikely to provide any gas to Europe through the forthcoming winter months.
• Depending on the intensity of the damage caused by these ruptures, permanent closure of the Nord Stream lines
was also a possibility.
• Environmental impact- Methane is a large component of natural gas and is also a potent greenhouse gas.
• It is the second-largest contributor to climate change after CO2.
• Other impacts- Vessels could lose buoyancy if they enter the area, and there might be a risk of leaked gas
igniting over the water and in the air.
What steps can countries take to protect their critical infrastructure?
• The Nord Stream incident shows the importance of surveillance, and making sure countries know which boats
and submarines are around the pipeline.
• The steps involves
o Building more protective pipes that can withstand intrusion
o Controlling access to pipelines
o Monitoring them
o Intercepting potential attacks
6.20 Facebook’s Settlement in Cambridge Analytica Lawsuit
What is the issue?

Facebook has agreed to settle a lawsuit seeking damages for allowing Cambridge Analytica access to the private data of
tens of millions of users.
What is the Cambridge Analytica lawsuit?
• It is primarily about the Facebook’s role in the 2016 U.S. election.
• A probe revealed that a London-based data analytics firm, Cambridge Analytica, misused data from as many as
50 million Facebook users.
• The firm collected the personal data of many users
without their consent to build psychographic profiles of
voters.
• The potential voters’ personality traits, ideology, and
beliefs were then built.
• Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign is
said to have used the services of Cambridge Analytica to
influence voters by micro-targeting them.
• It was also accused by a whistleblower of pursing voter
suppression tactics targeting Black voters.
What is the role of Facebook in the scandal?
• Role in Cambridge Analytica Scandal
o Allowing unauthorised access to its users’ data
o Slow response to data breach and in informing
the user community
o Refuting the claims of Cambridge Analytica
that they deleted the collected data after
realising that it went against Facebook’s terms

• Other cases- U.S. residents who used Facebook after 2015 alleged that the company tracked their location via
their IP address despite them disabling the location service option.
• In 2019, Facebook paid a record 5 billion dollar to settle Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges for deceiving
users about their ability to control the privacy of their personal info.
What is the response of Facebook?
• It apologised for the breach of trust and admitted that the company didn’t do enough to deal with it.
• Since the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke, Facebook has
o Removed data access from thousands of apps suspected of abusing
o Restricted the amount of information available to developers
o Made it easier for users to calibrate restrictions on personal data sharing
• In 2019, Facebook agreed to pay a fine imposed by the U.K. for breaches of data protection law related to the
Cambridge Analytica scandal.
6.21 The Scandinavian Model
Why in news?
The 2022 Sweden elections is a watershed moment for the country since for the first time an ultra-nationalist, anti-
immigrant party would be a part of the ruling coalition to influence Sweden’s public policy.
What is so significant about the recent Sweden
elections?
• Social Democratic Party, which has been in power
since 2014, was edged out by the right-wing
Opposition.
• Sweden Democrats is an ultra-nationalist, far-right
party which traces its origins to neo-Nazi groups of
the 1980s.
• Sweden has traditionally been accepting immigrants
and asylum-seekers, not merely as national policy but
also as a matter of national pride.
• Stereotyping- Over time, the coloured immigrant
communities either could not gain acceptance or were not accepted as part of the Swedish national identity.
• Exclusion from the mainstream- The immigrants began to be seen as people who have come to exploit the
country’s generous welfare system.
• Unemployment- The unemployment among
Sweden’s immigrant population is four times
that of native Swedes.
What about the political-economic systems
associated with socialism?
• The Scandinavian countries has strong welfarist
basis and emphasis on collective bargaining.
• Socialist- It would be a misnomer to term the
system as “socialist” which is associated with the
regimes of the erstwhile Communist bloc.
• The Communists had a state dominance in not
just the ownership of the major means of
production but also in political life with a one-
party system drawing its ideological basis for
rule.
• Democratic socialist- The regimes in Latin
America (Venezuela, Bolivia and Chile) can be
termed democratic socialist.

• It seeks to achieve socialist goals of redistribution and restructuring of formal democratic and liberal institutions
in vastly unequal and elite driven systems.
What is the Scandinavian/Nordic model?
• In the Scandinavian countries, the systems are more similiar to typical social democracies.
o Reliance on representative and participatory democratic institutions where separation of powers is
ensured
o Comprehensive social welfare schema emphasising the public social services and investment in child
care, education and research
o Public funding by progressive taxation
o Presence of strong labour market institutions with active labour unions and employer associations
o Significant collective bargaining, wage negotiations and coordination besides an active role in
governance and policy
• All these countries also follow a capitalist model of development.
o Allowing for entrepreneurism
o Funding of welfare policies through a large degree of wage taxation in relation to corporate taxes
o Deregulation of industry
o Privatization of some public services
How is the political-economic system in Scandinavia and Nordics?
• Education is free in all the Nordic States.
• Health care is free in Denmark and Finland and partially free in Norway, Sweden and Iceland.
• Workers get several benefits, from unemployment insurance to old age pensions, besides effective child care.
• The labour participation rates in these countries are among the highest in the world (even among women).
• In the recent UNDP report, Norway ranked second among countries in the Human DeveIopment Index.
• The Nordic countries ranked the highest in various indices on press freedom and in gender equality.
• They were placed among the top 20 countries in GDP per capita (PPP) according to the World Bank’s recent
data.
What are the reasons for thriving social democratic model?
• The relatively smaller and more homogenous population in Nordic countries enable focused governance.
• The corporatist model of involving interests of both capital and labour, mediated by the government has allowed
for smoother transition from agrarian to industrial to post-industrial economies.
• They emphasised social policies that facilitate expansion of modern production, and thus more and better paid
jobs.
• The Social Democratic Parties in these countries fortified democracy leading to equal citizenship rights and
pragmatic class compromises.
6.22 US Government’s EAGLE Act
Why in news?
Recently, the White House supported the US Congress pass a legislation whose aim is to eliminate the per-country quota
on issuing green cards and the House of Representatives will soon vote on the EAGLE Act of 2022.
What is a Green card?
• Green card is officially known as a Permanent Resident Card. Green Card is valid for 10 years
• It is issued to immigrants, allows them to live and work in the United A Green Card holder can apply for
States on a permanent basis. US citizenship after 5 years of
• The card serves as evidence that the holder has been accorded the permanent residency
privilege of residing permanently.

Benefits of having a green card

• Provides a pathway to citizenship
• Can sponsor immediate family members for the same card
• Provides easy access to US’ social security system as also education assistance
• Travel to and from the country becomes much easier
• Can choose to live anywhere in the US
• More freedom in terms of career opportunities as one can apply for a wide variety of jobs
• Can also have some amount of engagement in the political process of the country
What is H.R. 3648, or the EAGLE Act of 2022?
• The Equal Access to Green Card for Legal Employment (EAGLE) Act or HR 3648 will allow US employers to
hire immigrants on the basis of “merit, not their
birthplace”.
• Existing law - The limit of green card allotment
annually depends on the country of birth of an
immigrant, not their nationality.
• As per the law, any country is eligible for up to 7% of
green cards per year.
• Objectives
H1B Visa
o To allow US employers to focus on hiring
immigrants based on merit by eliminating the “per
country” limitation on employment-based immigrant visas (green
cards)
o To improve the H-1B specialty occupation visa program by
bolstering the recruitment requirements and strengthening
protections for US workers and boosting transparency
o To resolve the major issue of the green card processing backlog
• Features - H.R. 3648 also includes important provisions to allow
individuals who have been waiting in the immigrant visa backlog for 2 years
to file their green card applications.
• The transition will take place over 9 years so that no countries are excluded
from receiving visas while the per-country caps are phased out.
• The bill will also increase the limit on family-based visas from 7 % to 15 %.
• Impact - This will reduce the impact of the limitiation on less-populated countries and ensure that eligible
immigrants from these countries are not excluded.
• Although the applications could not be approved until a visa becomes available, this would provide employment
based immigrants with additional flexibilities in changing employers or starting a business.
What will be the impact of the legislation on people from India?
• The existing law limits skilled citizens from large population countries like China and India from getting
permanent residency in the US.
• Immigrants from these countries are forced to wait 20 to 30 times longer for lawful permanent residency status
compared to countries with a smaller population.
• According to data released by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), nearly 370,000 Indians
were awaiting visa availability, most of whom were in the professionals and skilled workers category.
• Benefit to people from India - It will benefit people from India seeking a permanent residence in the US as
they will have to wait for shorter durations.
• The Cato Institute said that the bill would raise the average wage of an employment-based immigrant by 12%.
• Faster processing of the citizenship application will help immigrant workers to get protection from exploitation
as they would not be completely dependent upon an employer for their legal stay.

What does it have for Americans?

• Skepticism - Several Americans said that this would encourage more
foreigners to come to the US for residency.
According to the CATO
• This would lead to low-wage and low-skilled workers getting Green
Cards. report of 2020, in the
United States, 75% of the
• Clauses for protecting Americans - Employers who hire foreign employment‐based
workers will have to advertise the jobs to American workers for at least
backlog was made up by
30 calendar days to ensure American workers can get the first crack.
skilled Indian workers.
• It also offers whistleblower protections for employees to report illegal
employer behaviour to the US government.
• The Act will also make it illegal for jobs to be advertised as "only available to H-1B workers" to ensure that H-1B
workers are not given a preference over American workers.
6.23 Reshaping the Responses to Terror Matrix
Why in news?
The world has been witnessing a flurry of meetings to counter terrorism such as the meeting of the UN Security
Council Counter-Terrorism Committee, No Money for Terror Conference, Interpol Conference, etc.
How prominent are terror attacks?
• The September 11, 2001 terror attack in New York, and the November 26, 2008 attacks on multiple targets in
Mumbai, in their own way reflected the evolving changes in the practice of violence.
• The 9/11 attack came to be regarded as ‘new age terrorism’, while Mumbai underscored the dangers of
state-sponsored terrorism.
• The attacks on the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris (2015) and on the Bardo Museum in Tunis (2015), signals the
rise of new terrorist entities such as the Islamic State (IS) and al Qaeda.
• While Europe and Asia remain in the cross hairs of different terrorist groups, Africa and northwest Asia appear
to have become the main hunting ground of the al-Qaeda and IS terrorists.
• Al-Qaeda’s activities are becoming more decentralised.
• It is finding fertile grounds in the Sahel region of Africa and in Eastern Africa, apart from its prominence in
Afghanistan.
• The Haqqani Network within the new Taliban government provides an opportunity for al-Qaeda for a
greater pull across the region.
• The intensity has declined to an extent, but there are indications of new complicated patterns of relationships
among various terrorist conglomerates.
• In 2018, France mobilized

No Money for Terror
(NMFT) Conference
• The UN Security Council

Committee (CTC)
Counter-Terrorism
unanimously adopted resolution countries determined to identify and

1373 (2001), which established the drain all the sources of terrorist
Counter-Terrorism Committee financing, thus started NMFT.
(CTC). • It offers a unique platform to
• The CTC is assisted by an Executive deliberate on the effectiveness of the
Directorate (CTED), which carries current international regime on
out its policy decisions and conducts Counter Terrorism Financing as well
expert assessments of the 193 United as steps required to address emerging
Nations Member States. challenges.
• The Committee is composed of 15 • India hosted the 3rd conference of
Member States including India. NMFT at New Delhi.

What has been neglected in such meetings?

• There have been very little discussions at these meetings on how to deal with the spate of newer terror groups
whose ambit of activities had widened.
• The meetings did not note the fact that ideology intertwined with religious extremism had become a more potent
threat than earlier.
• The declining level of serious terrorist incidents do not, however, translate into a decline in terrorism.
• The counter-terrorism experts across India did not read the proper meanings into terror attacks, such as the
one in Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) and Mangaluru (Karnataka) attacks
• The incidents indicate the growing radicalisation and a sizeable base being built in the southern region, which
could lead to the creation of organisations on the model of Indian Mujahideen (of 2000s).
To know about Counter-terror diplomacy of India, click here
What measures need to be taken?
• Role of world leaders - The world leaders need not accept all declarations of a decline in levels of terrorism
at face value.
• They should not treat some terrorists as good and others as bad, based on each nation’s preferences.
• The proposal for the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) that was first proposed by
India in the 1990s need to be reactivated.
• Role of Counter-terrorism agencies - Counter-terrorism agencies need to sharpen their skills and
capabilities in countering new age terrorism.
• There is a need for counter-terrorism agencies across the world to function in coordination, exchanging both
intelligence and tactics.
• They need to look into the newer patterns of terror such as enabled terrorism and remote control terrorism,
putting forward the dangers of Internet-enabled terrorism.
6.24 Crisis in International Law
What is the issue?

It is said that year 2023 is going to further test the limits of international law, not just because of Russia’s ongoing illegal
war, but also due to other factors that will play out in the next 12 months and beyond.
What is the problem with the international law?
• In an essay written more than two decades ago, Professor Hilary Charlesworth (a judge at the International
Court of Justice) described international law as “a discipline of crisis”.
• Not much has changed since then. Just when the world was recovering from the pain induced by COVID-19,
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year once again highlighted the ‘crisis’ dimension of international law.
• One of the underlying bases of the post-world war international legal order has been to explicitly outlaw war
through the adoption of the United Nations Charter.
• While the U.N. Charter has succeeded in ensuring that the world doesn’t fight another world war, it has failed
in stopping inter-state wars.
What is the geo-economic challenge?
• The post-World-War-II world was a bipolar one with power competition between a ‘capitalist’ America and a
‘communist’ Soviet Union.
• The end of the Cold War led to the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the collapse of communism.
• This ‘unipolar’ moment gave a leg-up to multilateralism and led to three decades of “relative harmony” among
the major powers.
• However, even during this period, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization bombed Kosovo and the Western
forces invaded Iraq in complete disregard to the U.N. Charter.
What was the ‘relative harmony’ phase like?
• The ‘relative harmony’ phase saw

o Spread of democracy,
o Greater acceptance of universal human rights,
o A global consensus for maintaining international rule of law with multilateral institutions and
independent international courts acting as referees.
• However, these universal values are under threat as we have entered a multipolar world involving the
securitisation of international law.
What is the new ground reality?
• Today international law faces a new ground reality
o The dwindling of the ‘liberal’ and ‘capitalist’ West and
o The rise of an ‘autocratic’ China and ‘expansionist’ Russia.
• The meteoric rise of China means that Beijing is now flexing its muscles, including by weaponising international
law.
• The Westphalian notion of international law that championed international rule of law and territorial integrity
of states is now pitted against Chinese and Russian versions that game international law for national interests.
• Under the Chinese and Russian versions, the territorial integrity of nations and the sovereignty of states doesn’t
quite matter.
• As this clash between different visions of international law sharpens in 2023, it will push international law into
a deeper crisis.
What is the international economic lawlessness?
• An important fallout of the rise of the geo-economic order is the concomitant spread of economic
protectionism.
• The rise of China has set the cat among the pigeons in the U.S., which is desperate to ensure its continued
hegemony.
• The U.S. is fast backtracking on the neoliberal consensus of interdependence and non-discrimination in
international economic law that it laboriously built in the last three decades.
• For example, the U.S. has vehemently rejected the recent World Trade Organization (WTO) panel reports that
held the U.S.’s protectionist industrial policies masquerading as national security objectives illegal.
• All these challenges are only going to become ominous in 2023 leading to greater lawlessness in the world
economy.
What is the populist challenge?
• International law in 2023 will continue to face challenges from populist and ethno-nationalist regimes in several
countries.
• Although the leaders of U.S. and Brazil who supported populist ideas have demitted office, these ideas are still
found in countries such as Hungary, Turkey, Poland, and Israel.
• Populists attack the legitimacy of international law and refer to it as foreign law, which is inimical to their
national interests.
• In the populist scheme of things, international law is often reduced to a mere law of coordination which is
o Not aimed at international cooperation to develop and espouse common global values, but
o Aimed at ensuring a minimal relationship between countries with common ideational moorings.
• Populists also attack international institutions and international courts for thwarting them from pursuing the
interests of the ‘pure’ people they claim to represent.
• They enact domestic laws to protect the ethnic identity of the ‘pure’ people even if these laws undermine
international law.
• Scholars characterise the crisis in international law in different ways. Regardless of the characterisation, the fact
remains that the liberal international legal order is under attack from many sides.
• There is a need that the international community, in 2023, fight back against the relentless assaults posed by
securitisation, populism, and protectionism on core universal values that international law enshrines.
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1. INDIA & ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD ......... 3 3. REGIONAL AND GLOBAL GROUPINGS

2.2 India-Egypt Relations ....................................... 27 OTHERS ............................................... 64

2.7 India-France Strategic Partnership ................. 34 6.10 Windsor Framework ......................................... 70

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

1. INDIA & ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD

1.1 Taliban’s War on Women

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

The Rome Statute

What does the Taliban need?

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

1.2 India-Pakistan Disaster Diplomacy

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

1.3 Pakistan’s Economic Slowdown

What is the crisis in Pakistan? Quick facts

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

What is the cause of the crisis?

1.4 Negotiations to amend the Indus Waters Treaty

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

• However, since Indus

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

1.5 India-China: Pre-1962 And Now

What is the issue?

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

What is the current situation at different sectors of LAC?

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

1.6 India-China Tawang Crisis

What is the issue?

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

1.7 China’s blockade in 1267 Sanctions Committee

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

• The Committee is bound to resolve

Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

Secretariat Paris (OECD HQ)

India’s membership India is a member

• It was set up in 1989 by the G7 countries.

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

1.8 Population decline in China

What is the issue?

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

1.9 China’s Spy Balloon Case

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Pros of spy balloons Cons of spy balloons

What is the impact on China-U.S ties?

1.10 China’s Diplomacy in Central Asia

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

What is the status of India’s relation with Central Asia?

• Chabahar port is a gateway for Indian trade

The Collective Security Treaty Organization Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

• SCO is an intergovernmental organization founded

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

1.11 Sri Lanka’s Agreement with IMF

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

What India is doing to help Sri Lanka in crisis?

1.12 International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

o Multilateral borrowing agreements

India & IMF

• India is a founder member of the IMF.

CHENNAI | SALEM | MADURAI | COIMBATORE DELHI | BANGALORE | THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

IMF Lending Instruments

1.13 Citizenship for Indian-origin Tamils