India and International Affairs

What the official syllabus says

Main Examination, Paper III (General Studies III), Unit I - Indian Polity, Governance, India and International Affairs and Current Affairs, under the heading “India and International Affairs”:

• Post-Cold War changes, USA's hegemony, multipolarity, Global political economy, International Terrorism.
• Determinants and attributes of Indian Foreign Policy, India's relations with major powers and Neighbouring countries, Indian Diaspora and Cultural Diplomacy.
• India's role in regional and global platforms - UN, WTO, EU, ASEAN, BRICS, G-20, QUAD, I2U2, AUKUS, DAKSHIN.
• India's leadership in climate and green diplomacy (COP Summits, ISA, Mission LiFE).
• Contemporary Strategic Initiatives in India's Foreign Policy.

Topics in detail

The world after the Cold War

• Break-up of the Soviet Union (1991) and the end of bipolarity
• The “unipolar moment”: US military, economic and technological dominance and its limits
• Rise of China and other powers; multipolarity and multi-alignment
• Global political economy: globalisation, the WTO (1995), the 2008 financial crisis, supply-chain shifts, trade wars and protectionism
• Regional conflicts: Russia-Ukraine war, conflicts in West Asia, their effect on energy and food security
• International terrorism: the 11 September 2001 attacks and the war on terror; groups such as ISIS; India's proposed Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (1996); FATF and terror financing

Indian foreign policy: determinants and attributes

• Determinants: geography, history, economy, security, domestic politics, leadership, civilisational values
• Attributes: Panchsheel (1954), non-alignment, strategic autonomy, multi-alignment, development partnership
• Doctrines: the Gujral Doctrine; Look East to Act East; Neighbourhood First

India and the major powers

• United States: civil nuclear agreement (2008), defence agreements (LEMOA, COMCASA, BECA), technology partnership, trade issues
• Russia: Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership, defence and energy ties
• China: boundary dispute and the Line of Actual Control, the Galwan clash (2020), trade deficit, competition in the neighbourhood
• Japan, the European Union, France, the United Kingdom: strategic partnerships, investment, technology

India and its neighbours

• Pakistan: cross-border terrorism, the Indus Waters Treaty (1960), Kashmir
• Nepal (Treaty of Peace and Friendship, 1950), Bhutan (2007 treaty, hydropower), Bangladesh (Land Boundary Agreement, 2015; Ganga waters treaty, 1996)
• Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar, Afghanistan: development partnership, security and connectivity
• Regional forums: SAARC (1985) and BIMSTEC (1997)

Diaspora and cultural diplomacy

• The Indian diaspora: Non-Resident Indians and Persons of Indian Origin; remittances; Overseas Citizenship of India
• Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (9 January); evacuation operations for Indians abroad
• Cultural diplomacy: the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (1950), International Day of Yoga, Ayurveda, cinema, Buddhist heritage
• Rajasthan's diaspora and Marwari business communities across India and abroad

India in regional and global platforms

• United Nations: India's terms as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, peacekeeping contributions, the G4 bid for Security Council reform
• WTO: India's positions on public stockholding for food security, agricultural subsidies, fisheries subsidies, e-commerce
• European Union: free trade agreement negotiations, the Trade and Technology Council
• ASEAN: Act East policy, the ASEAN-India trade in goods agreement, Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
• BRICS: New Development Bank, expansion of membership
• G-20: India's presidency (2023), the African Union admitted as a permanent member
• QUAD (India, US, Japan, Australia): Indo-Pacific cooperation, maritime domain awareness, critical technologies
• I2U2 (India, Israel, UAE, US): food security and clean energy projects
• AUKUS (Australia, UK, US): a security pact India is not part of, and its meaning for the Indo-Pacific
• DAKSHIN: India's Global South centre of excellence for development and knowledge sharing (2023)

Climate and green diplomacy

• COP summits: Paris Agreement (COP21, 2015), India's net zero target of 2070 (COP26, Glasgow), updated Nationally Determined Contributions, climate finance and loss and damage
• International Solar Alliance: launched by India and France at COP21; headquarters in Gurugram
• Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment): individual and community action for sustainable living
• Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, Global Biofuels Alliance, One Sun One World One Grid
• Principle of common but differentiated responsibilities; equity and climate justice

Contemporary strategic initiatives

• SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative
• Connectivity: International North-South Transport Corridor, Chabahar port, India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor
• Vaccine Maitri and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief
• Voice of the Global South summits; development partnership through lines of credit and grants
• Defence diplomacy and exports, and strategic autonomy in technology