International Relations This Week: Episode 70

International relations is a very important segment of the UPSC syllabus. In this series, we present an analysis of the most important international issues and developments that occurred over the past week relevant for the IAS exam. In this article, you can learn more about Elections in France, India US 2+2 Dialogue, Developments in the Middle East & the Gulf.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Elections in France
2. India US 2+2 Dialogue
3. Developments in the Middle East & the Gulf
4. India Australia Developments

1. Elections in France

French Presidential Elections 2022:-

• The French presidential election is nearing its conclusion, with voters choosing between incumbent Emmanuel Macron, a centrist, and his far-right challenger, Marine Le Pen.
• Macron has been accused of trying to use his diplomatic clout to get re-elected without having to debate his opponents on domestic issues.
• In the 2017 French presidential election, Mr. Macron and Ms. Le Pen faced off. Mr. Macron received nearly two-thirds of the vote back then, but polls predict a much closer race this time.

Key issues

• One of the major talking points in the French presidential election has been the rising cost of living and inflation.
• Le Pen was successful in channeling the outrage directed at Macron’s economic policies. Though Macron’s popularity was initially boosted by France’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Le Pen’s campaign aimed to appeal to voters who were suffering from rising food and energy prices as a result of the conflict.
• Macron’s handling of the yellow vest protests, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the subsequent vaccine pass were also hot topics.
• Macron aimed his campaign at Le Pen’s far-right immigration views, her stance on the hijab, and her alleged ties to Russian banks.

Global Significance of French Presidential Elections:

• France is the world’s seventh-largest economy and one of the UN Security Council’s five permanent members.
• It is a nuclear power and a member of the European Union since its inception.
• The next president of France will have to guide the country through two forces that are buffeting Europe:
  • a brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has displaced millions on Europe’s doorstep,
  • a pandemic-related economic recovery that is putting strain on supply chains.
• While right-wing forces have largely won France’s culture wars in recent years, polls show that the majority of French voters are now concerned about rising living costs.
• The next president will have to balance these concerns with other long-term concerns on voters’ minds, such as France’s clean energy transition, the sustainability of its generous welfare model, immigration fears, and hand-wringing over the country’s place of Islam.
• While Macron is a staunch defender of the EU and recently reinforced France’s participation in NATO operations in Eastern Europe, Le Pen says France should keep its distance from international alliances and strike its own path.
• Le Pen would reduce French spending on the EU and try to diminish the EU’s influence by chipping away at the bloc from within while no longer recognizing that European law has primacy over national law.

How France’s presidential election could impact the Ukraine war?

• France’s presidential election could have repercussions on the Ukraine war.
• Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has close ties to Russia and wants to weaken the EU and NATO.
• France has been a major source of military support for Ukraine since 2014. Le Pen expressed reservations about supplying Ukraine with additional arms.
• France is the EU’s No. 2 economy and key to EU decision-making, and currently holds the rotating EU presidency, giving France’s next leader significant influence in policy decisions.
• The French president also sought to revive peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv over a long-running separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine.
• Le Pen’s party has deep ties to Russia. She met with Putin as a French presidential candidate in 2017 and has praised him in the past.

2. India US 2+2 Dialogue

Background:

• When then-Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis met with the late Sushma Swaraj and then-Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi in 2018, it was the first 2+2 dialogue between the two countries.
• The fourth annual “2+2” Defense and Foreign Ministry dialogue between India and the United States was held recently, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine looming over the discussions.
• S Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh, India’s External Affairs and Defence Ministers, met with their American counterparts, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
• Know more about 2+2 Dialogue

2+2 talks between India and allies

• The 2+2 dialogue is a format for discussions on strategic and security issues between India’s foreign and defense ministers and their allies.
• To improve the partners’ understanding and appreciation of each other’s strategic concerns.
• In a rapidly changing global environment, to develop a stronger, more integrated strategic relationship.
• India has two-plus-two discussions with four key strategic partners: the United States, Australia, Japan, and Russia. The other three countries in the Quad, aside from Russia, are also India’s partners.
• Know more about theImportant elements of the 2+2 engagement

Agenda of the summit:

• The United States has stated that it is willing to help India develop alternatives to Russian oil, which accounts for 1–2% of the country’s total energy imports.
• Defense, science and technology, climate, and cooperation on managing the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as fortifying and building supply chains and people-to-people ties, will be on the agenda for discussion.
• Learn about Important takeaways of India-US 2+2 Dialogue

Way Forward:

• The 2+2 dialogue between India and the United States takes place at a time when the world is experiencing geopolitical tensions.
• It will be a testament to the two dialogue partners’ commitment to regional stability and prosperity, as well as an inclusive regional architecture.
• In addition, it will promote the rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight, peaceful dispute resolution, and ASEAN centrality.
• Despite India and the United States taking opposing positions on the entire Russia-Ukraine conflict, the 2+2 dialogue genre provides a futuristic platform for strengthening India-US bilateral ties.
• As a result, the 2+2 format has been proposed as the health yardstick for the two countries’ relations.
• Know more aboutIndia-USA Dialogue and its implication on India

3. Developments in the Middle East & the Gulf

Background:

• A deadly knife attack took place at a holy shrine in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad.
• The attack took place as large crowds gathered in the courtyard of the shrine of Imam Reza which is visited by millions of people annually.

Yemen Crisis:

• Since 2004, the Houthi movement has led an insurgency in Yemen against the military. The movement’s official name is Ansar Allah. Tensions between the Houthis and government forces erupted in 2014, resulting in civil war.
• Yemen’s seven-year conflict pits the internationally recognised government against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, who are backed by a Saudi-led military coalition.
• The country’s humanitarian crisis is said to be among the worst in the world due to widespread hunger, disease, and attacks on civilians.
• Some experts argue that better representation of the many parties involved in the conflict will yield better results as the UN-backed two-party peace process grinds to a halt.

Human Crisis:

• Yemen remains one of the world’s most serious humanitarian crises, with 23.7 million people in need, including nearly 13 million children.
• The country has become a living hell for the country’s children since the conflict escalated in March 2015.
• Fewer than half of health facilities are operational, and many of those that are do not have basic equipment.
• Know more in detail about Yemen Crisis

4. India Australia Developments

Context: Recently, India and Australia signed an Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA).

India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA)

• The India-Australia ECTA is the first trade agreement of India with a developed country after more than a decade.
• The Agreement encompasses cooperation across the entire gamut of bilateral economic and commercial relations between the two friendly countries.
• Know more about “IndAus ECTA” : Salient Features

Significance of ECTA

• Growing economic and commercial ties between India and Australia contribute to the stability and strength of the two countries’ rapidly diversifying and deepening bilateral relationship.
• India and Australia have been important trading partners for each other. Over time, these excellent bilateral economic and commercial relations have improved and deepened.
• India’s 17th largest trading partner is Australia, and Australia is India’s 9th largest trading partner.
• Along with Japan, India and Australia are partners in the trilateral Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI), which aims to improve supply chain resilience in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Know more about Benefits and Significance of ECTA

India-Australia Relations and ECTA

• India and Australia have excellent bilateral relations that have undergone a transformation in recent years, evolving into a friendly partnership on a positive track.
• This is a unique partnership marked by shared values of pluralistic, parliamentary democracies, Commonwealth traditions, increased economic engagement, long-standing people-to-people ties, and increased high-level interaction.
• Know more about India Australia Relations

Read more International Relations This Week articles in the link.

International Relations This Week: Episode 70:-Download PDF Here