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International Relations (Indian and Regional Groupings) by Viraj Rane

  • Category
    GS -II
  • Test Date
    14-12-2022 07:00 AM
  • Evaluated
    Yes

To participate in answer writing program, Register yourself for the test. Copies will be evaluated only for the registered students. Registration will be closed after the scheduled date.

48 Hrs. Answer Writing, Copy Evaluation and Marks Improvement Cycle

Step 1 (Answer Writing): 

  • Questions will be uploaded on the portal on the scheduled date at 7:00 AM.  
  • You have to write your answers on an A4 size sheet leaving margins on both sides based on the UPSC pattern.
  • Mention your name, email id, location, and phone number on the 1st page in the top right corner and the page number on each page. 
  • After writing the answers, Click pictures of each page of your answer sheet, merge them all in a single PDF, and upload them in the upload section of the same question
  • Written answer sheets will be accepted before 7:00 PM or until the First 100 copies are received.
Note: Answer sheets without the proper guidelines given above will not be accepted for evaluation.

Step 2 In Next 48 Hrs (Copy Evaluation): After evaluation, the first 100 copies will be uploaded to your account. During these 48 hrs, doubt clearing and discussion about the theme or topic of the test with respective mentors of the test will be done in the telegram group. 

Step 3 (Mentorship): Once evaluated copies will be sent to you,
and a mentorship session for the marks improvement with respective faculty will be conducted online so that students can get a wider perspective of the topics. Here you can discuss your evaluated copies also with the faculty. 

For discussion sessions, y
ou will be notified through SMS and Telegram Group.

Instruction:

  • There will be 2 questions carrying 10 marks each. Write your answers in 150 words
  • Any page left blank in the answer-book must be crossed out clearly.
  • Evaluated Copy will be re-uploaded on the same thread after 2 days of uploading the copy.
  • Discussion of the question and one to one answer improvement session of evaluated copies will be conducted through Google Meet with concerned faculty. You will be informed via mail or SMS for the discussion.

Question #1. The QUAD encirclement of China can go down the same path as NATO encirclement of Russia. Doyou agree? Also, discuss the impact of Russian action in Ukraine on India’s quest for multipolarity.

Question #2. Despite its initial years of dormancy BIMSTEC holds the potential to act as the vehicle of transformation in the region. Discuss.

(Examiner will pay special attention to the candidate's grasp of his/her material, its relevance to the subject chosen, and to his/ her ability to think constructively and to present his/her ideas concisely, logically and effectively).

Model Answer

Question #1. The QUAD encirclement of China can go down the same path as NATO encirclement of Russia. Doyou agree? Also, discuss the impact of Russian action in Ukraine on India’s quest for multipolarity.

Approach:

  • In introduction write about the Quad and NATO and link it with the context of the question
  • Discuss the failure of NATO to encircle Russia and weakness of QUAD
  • Discuss the impacts of Russian-Ukraine conflict on India.
  • Conclude briefly with the way forward.

Hints:

The Quad, officially the 'Quadrangle Security Dialogue', is a strategic forum involving four nations - the US, India, Japan and Australia - to exchange strategic intelligence and conduct joint military exercises. It was initially formed as a military bloc, and the navies and air forces of the four countries have conducted large-scale joint exercises, including in the Bay of Bengal.

While the level of military cooperation in the Quad has not reached the level of NATO, in which an attack on one nation is taken as a sovereign violation on all member states, or the US agreement with South Korea and Japan, which is similar on the lines. Some observers think that the QUAD may have evolved in such a group.

Failure of NATO to Encircle Russia:

Despite what looked like tremendous efforts by the West to deter Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the Kremlin started a full-scale military invasion across the Ukrainian border from the north, east, and south. May be due to following reasons NATO failed to analyze the situation and encircle Russia-

  • Deterrence mechanism contains two critical mechanisms - credibility and effect, and NATO failed to understand both in regards to Russia.
  • NATO did not effectively measure the cost of invasion and the signals by Russia.
  • The EU and the US have a different foreign policy culture, with disagreements sometimes manifesting over policies.
  • The USSR’s foreign policy was guided by a zero-sum logic, whereas the brutality of the foreign policy of today’s Russia is guided by the perceived weakness of the West.
  • Ger­many’s staunch opposition to the demands of the US to end the Nord Stream 2 project was misinterpreted by the Russian leader­ship along these lines, as revealed in Rus­sian policy debates.
  • The con­tinu­ous refusal by NATO and the EU of Military assistance strongly impacted Russia’s cost calculations.

Weaknesses of QUAD:

  • The idea of QUAD was put forward by Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2007 in order to promote “freedom and prosperity” in the Indo-Pacific and to counter China’s growing influence in the region.
  • The Quad is an informal coalition covering a variety of disciplines, so a clear strategy has still not been defined or adopted.
  • Member states still not prepared a fixed and stern agenda to counter China, as their individual priorities differ, fuelling confusion about the Quad’s precise purpose.
  • Among the member countries, Australia and the U.S. China has no territorial disputes with China, as do India and Japan, and is thus reluctant to formulate a concrete policy to counter China.
  • In addition, there is an internal conflict between member states, e.g. India's neutrality on Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is not liked by other member states.
  • China is currently the top exporting country for Japan and Australia, as well as the third-largest export market for the U.S. and India. Hence member states have their own trade interest with China.
  • The Quad member states have not yet formalized their military relationship by scheduling routine joint naval exercises in the Indo-Pacific.
  • The Quad states, have refrained from organizing altogether an exercise in the East or South China Sea, areas in which China has contested territorial disputes.

Impact on Ukraine Due to Russian Invasion:

  • The world is fast moving towards a multipolarity as evident from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and associated events.
  • Russian aggression in Ukraine will have global repercussions and will also affect China's behavior towards Taiwan and India.
  • The rise of the right-wing section in Ukraine has been a significant concern for Russia, becoming one of the reasons for Russian aggression in Ukraine.
  • Also, economic sanctions on Russia are impacting all countries, including the West and the Asian continent.
  • The Russian invasion of Ukraine provoked massive refugee migration not only in Ukraine but across Europe.
  • This has provoked large-scale militarization of not only large nations but also smaller nations in Europe.

Conclusion:

Given these trends, the Quad members may be less willing to formalize their alliance or use the Quad as a platform to directly threaten China as a military and economic power. Threats can be very costly in diplomacy, inducing deeper tensions between nations. In future, to strengthen its deterrence against China in a militaristic manner, the Quad may conduct full regular annual naval exercises in the South and East China Seas. It could also partner with Asian and European countries to form a joint maritime force that checks China's growing naval power and encourages it to limit its infiltration activities in the Indo-Pacific. Ultimately the development of the Quad would be determined by China's persistence in the region, as it was created as a reactive force against Beijing's activities.

 

Question #2. Despite its initial years of dormancy BIMSTEC holds the potential to act as the vehicle of transformation in the region. Discuss.

Approach:

  •   Give a background of BIMSTEC in introduction).
  •   Trace the journey of BIMSTEC in its initial years. Discuss how the relevance of BIMSTEC has increased in recent times from an Indian point of view.
  •   Conclude with the gist of the answer

Hints:

Changing geopolitical realities in the region have brought about a renewed interest in the Bay of Bengal. As the regional grouping of choice in South Asia — the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) — flounders with strained India-Pakistan relations, New Delhi has realized that BIMSTEC will allow for a broader playing field.

Dormancy of BIMSTEC in its initial years:

  •   Despite it being formed in 1997, BIMSTEC did not have a headquarter till 2011 and a permanent secretary general till 2014.
  •   BIMSTEC was unable to conclude its FTA (free trade agreement)despite it being an economic grouping in its years.
  •   Exclusion of other key Bay of Bengal littoral states like Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore also led critics to question its relevance.
  •   In the 90s India regional policy was mainly SAARC centric hence New Delhi too didn’t invest enough diplomatic capital in BIMSTEC.

Revival of BIMSTEC and its current significance:

  • Due to the continuous obstructionist nature of Pakistan, SAARC has become moribund in recent years which concomitantly increased the relevance of BIMSTEC in Indian strategic calculus.
  • Bay of Bengal littoral region which was devoid of any major conflict in the 90s is becoming a center of geo-political rivalry of major powers due to the rise of China and USA Indo-pacific strategy hence BIMSTEC is poised to play a key role in the future.
  • For India, it is a platform to leverage economic and political developments through its ‘Act East’ policy with increased interconnections with the Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN) through priority areas like connectivity for a conducive, sustainable, peaceful and prosperous Bay of Bengal region.
  • With India becoming the third dialogue partner of ASEAN to inaugurate an ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee-India Meeting in 2013, the BIMSTEC can function as a liaison organization in actualizing these projects as there are common members in both groupings (i.e., Myanmar and Thailand).
  • BIMSTEC can also play a key role in the development of the north-east region. With projects like India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway and Kaladan multimodal project BIMSTEC can act as a platform to execute our “neighborhood first” and “act east” policy.
  • Along with north-east BIMSTEC can also revitalize economic cooperation between Sri Lanka and southern states of India.

Conclusion:

Despite holding enormous potential India needs to be circumspect to avoid BIMSTEC becoming another SAARC. Accusation of being dominated by India and inroads of China in the region can derail the potential of BIMSTEC. The Indian foreign minister has recently announced that BIMSTEC is going to be a priority for the next five years and only through sustained push and constructive cooperation with other member India can realize the potential of BIMSTEC to make the Bay of Bengal littoral region a powerful economic block.

Procedure of Answer Writing:

To participate in the answer writing program, Register yourself for the test. Copies will be evaluated only for the registered students. Registration will be closed after the scheduled date.

Answer Writing, Copy Evaluation, and Marks Improvement Cycle:

Step 1 (Theme, Details & Its Topics):

  1. Every round of Answer writing initiative will be around a theme related to the Subject/Topic.
  2. Please read the theme and its description, and try to cover the topics given within the theme before writing the answer along with the sources.

Step 2 (Answer Writing):

  1. Questions will be uploaded on the portal on the scheduled date at 7:00 AM.
  2. You have to write your answers on an A4 size sheet leaving margins on both sides based on the UPSC pattern.
  3. Mention your name, email id, location, and phone number on the 1st page in the top right corner and the page number on each page.
  4. After writing the answers, Click pictures of each page of your answer sheet, merge them all in a single PDF and upload them in the upload section of the same question.
  5. Kindly submit your written answers before 7:00 PM. Only the first 100 copies will be considered for evaluation. No request for late submission or evaluation will be entertained once the 100 mark is reached.

Note: Answer sheets without the proper guidelines given above will not be accepted for evaluation.

Step 3 (Copy Evaluation): Copies will be evaluated in the next 72 hours of the test date. After evaluation, copies will be uploaded into your account. During the copy evaluation period, doubt clearing and discussion about the theme or topic of the test with respective mentors of the test will be done in the telegram group

Step 4 (Mentorship): Evaluated copies will be sent to you via mail and also uploaded into your account on the website. After that a mentorship session for the marks improvement with respective faculty will be conducted on the Google Meet, so that students can get a wider perspective of the topics. Here you can discuss your evaluated copies also with the faculty. Top 5 copies of every test will be shared in the telegram group for reference.

Note: Aspirants who have not written the test can also participate in the mentorship session.

For Updates and Mentorship of the session, you will be notified through SMS or Telegram Group.

For Notification And Update About the Program Join Telegram Group at: https://t.me/gsscoreopendailyanswerwriting

Note: You have to write your answers on an A4 size sheet leaving margins on both sides based on UPSC pattern. Mention Your Name on 1st page and Page Number on each page. After writing the answer, Click pictures of each page of your answer sheet, merge them all in a single PDF and upload in the Your Answer Copy section of the same question.

Copy submission is closed now for this test.

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