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What is debt-trap diplomacy? How does China's debt-trap diplomacy impact India's interests in its neighbourhood?
Answer: Debt-trap diplomacy is an international financial relationship where one creditor country consciously extends excessive credit to another country with the intention of extracting economic or political concessions from the debtor country when it is unable to honour its debt obligations. ChinaRead more
Answer: Debt-trap diplomacy is an international financial relationship where one creditor country consciously extends excessive credit to another country with the intention of extracting economic or political concessions from the debtor country when it is unable to honour its debt obligations. China’s debt-trap diplomacy with respect to India’s neighbouring countries has gained significant attention in recent years. For example, China took Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port on a 99-year lease, on account of Sri Lanka’s failure to pay Chinese debt. Further, Myanmar has 40 percent of its total debt to China with high interest rates. Its impact on India’s interests in the neighbourhood:
India is looking to maintain its influence in the region and counter the growing debt-trap initiatives of neighbouring China via cooperative strategies and humanitarian aid. India has also been advocating for transparent and sustainable lending practices and promoting regional cooperation mechanisms that uphold principles of sovereignty, inclusivity, and respect for international norms.
See lessIndia has placed soft power as an important pillar of its foreign policy to enhance its global standing and image abroad. Discuss the statement along with the initiatives taken by the government.
Answer: Soft power refers to a nation's ability to influence others through non-coercive means, such as culture, values, diplomacy, education, and economic attractiveness. India, with its rich history, diverse culture, and democratic values, has effectively utilized soft power to enhance its globalRead more
Answer:
Soft power refers to a nation’s ability to influence others through non-coercive means, such as culture, values, diplomacy, education, and economic attractiveness.
India, with its rich history, diverse culture, and democratic values, has effectively utilized soft power to enhance its global standing in the following manner:
The government of India has taken several initiatives to promote India’s soft power, such as:
Although India’s soft power has created a favourable image of India in the world, to truly emerge as a leading power in the world, India must ensure that it continues on the path of higher economic development, technological progress and modernisation of the military.
See lessComment on the effectiveness of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in managing international conflicts in the present times.
<strong>Answer:</strong> The <strong>United Nations Security Council (UNSC)</strong> is the principal crisis-management body of the United Nations (UN), empowered to impose binding obligations on the member states to maintain peace. The council's <strong>five permanentRead more
<strong>Answer:</strong> The <strong>United Nations Security Council (UNSC)</strong> is the principal crisis-management body of the United Nations (UN), empowered to impose binding obligations on the member states to maintain peace. The council’s <strong>five permanent and ten elected members</strong> meet regularly to assess threats to international security, including civil wars, natural disasters, arms proliferation, and terrorism, using tools granted under Chapter VI, VII of the UN Charter as well as peacekeeping missions. <strong>Effectiveness of these tools in managing conflicts:</strong> <ul> <li>The Security Council has authorized <strong>59 peacekeeping operations in the years since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991,</strong> many responding to failing states, civil wars or complex humanitarian emergencies and deploying to conflict zones in the absence of cease fires or parties consent.</li> <li>Under more muscular mandates, they have<strong> combined military operations</strong> including less restrictive rules of engagement that allow for civilian and refugee protection <strong>with civilian tasks</strong> such as policing, electoral assistance and legal administration.</li> <li><strong>Regional organizations</strong> have played an increasingly important role in peacekeeping and conflict resolution, in some cases <strong>prodding the Council</strong> to action and in others <strong>acting as subcontractors</strong> on its behalf. For instance, the Council authorized the use of force in Libya in 2011 after the Arab League called for a no-fly zone, which NATO then executed.</li> <li>Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Security Council passed Resolution <strong>2532,</strong> which called for a <strong>90-day humanitarian pause in armed conflicts worldwide,</strong> with an exception for conflicts against designated terrorist groups.</li> </ul> However, there remain issues, which<strong> hamper its effectiveness in managing conflicts and maintaining global peace and security</strong> owing to various reasons like: <ul> <li><strong>Difficulty in functioning:</strong> For instance, during the Syrian conflict, Russia, sometimes joined by China, used its <strong>veto power</strong> nearly twenty times to block resolutions aimed at holding the Assad regime accountable for atrocities documented by UN sources.</li> <li><strong>Frequent use of sanctions:</strong> The sanctions target discrete economic and political matters and specific individuals deemed threats to international security. As of 2021, fourteen sanctions, listing more than 600 individuals and nearly 300 entities, are in place. <strong>Targeted sanctions have raised human rights concerns</strong> of their own.</li> <li><strong>Military force:</strong> Under the UN charter, members can only use force in self-defence or when they have obtained authorization from the Council. However, members and coalitions of countries have <strong>often used military force outside of these contexts.</strong> For instance, NATO’s 78-day air war in Kosovo.</li> <li><strong>Emergence of R2P:</strong> The emergence of the responsibility to protect (R2P) in the early 2000s signifies the failure of UNSC in managing the conflicts.</li> </ul> Therefore, the UNSC must be reformed to ensure inclusiveness of emerging global powers and maintain regional balance in decision making. Various concerns such as power dynamics, block within P5, encroaching on state sovereignty etc. need to be resolved on priority.
See lessGreater engagement with Europe while dealing with its multiple contradictions has to be an important element of India's contemporary international relations. Analyze.
Answer: India and the European Union (EU) share a deep political and strategic relationship that pivots around democracy, global rule of law, security, and trade. The EU is India's first trading partner and foreign investor and also holds India as a cornerstone of its geopolitical strategy. Amidst aRead more
Answer: India and the European Union (EU) share a deep political and strategic relationship that pivots around democracy, global rule of law, security, and trade. The EU is India’s first trading partner and foreign investor and also holds India as a cornerstone of its geopolitical strategy. Amidst all the potential and deepening engagements and friendship between the two, the bilateral relationship has underperformed and there have been multiple contradictions in Indo-Europe relations, as discussed below:
Role of India in greater engagement with the EU:
The revitalized and re-energising template of India-EU relations is crucial for global cooperation and a rules-based international order. A comprehensive, strategic approach involving all stakeholders must be chalked out to realise the true potential of the relationship.
See lessDiscuss the rationale behind India's recent pitch for 'New Orientation for a Reformed Multilateral System (NORMS)' to reflect the present-day geo-political realities.
Answer: India has come up with a New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism System (NORMS) to reform the multilateral institutions. It envisages reforms in all three pillars of the current multilateral architecture - peace and security, development, and human rights with the United Nations at itsRead more
Answer: India has come up with a New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism System (NORMS) to reform the multilateral institutions. It envisages reforms in all three pillars of the current multilateral architecture – peace and security, development, and human rights with the United Nations at its center. The rationale behind India’s recent pitch for NORMS to reflect the present-day geo-political realities is as follows:
The multi-dimensional crises facing the world today demand a representative multilateral architecture that is reflective of contemporary global realities and is well-equipped to meet emerging challenges. The rapidly shifting global security landscape, the persistence of traditional security challenges, and the emergence of new and complicated challenges such as climate change demand a clear, pragmatic, nimble, and effective platform for collaboration to ensure sustainable peace. Adoption of NORMS by the global multilateral institutions will be the right step in this direction.
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