International Relations This Week: Episode 74

The emerging contexts of international affairs present the saga of vibrant events that have an immense impact on major power equations and India’s national interests. Such events encompass the killing of the internationally renowned journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, developments in Algeria and Morocco, the rise of populism, and the visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Nepal. These are important developments in international relations from a UPSC exam perspective. In this article, you can get a gist of these points discussed by Prof. Pushpesh Pant in the video given below.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh
2. Developments between Algeria and Morocco
3. Rise of Populism
4. Prime Minister’s visit to Nepal

1. Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh

Context: Shireen Abu Akleh was a famous journalist who was killed in the territory illegally occupied by the Israelis creating a massive furore in Israel. 

Delving deeper:

• Abu Akleh was shot dead by the Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank. 
• She was killed while covering Israeli army raids in the city of Jenin which is situated in the northern occupied West Bank. 
• This act has been criticised by the Palestinian representatives calling it a monstrosity of Israeli colonialism and occupation. 
• The prevalent crisis between Israel and Palestine has been sparked further by the assassination of Abu Akleh. 

Issues raised:

• The Israeli forces were alleged to have misused the power and violated international law. 
• Such allegations were rejected by the Israeli forces and the government. 
• The murder of the journalist has been a further boost to the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflict. 

The Israel-Palestine conflict: Highlights

• The West Bank and the Gaza Strip became part of British-ruled Palestine after World War I. 
• By the end of World War II, there was a strong demand from Jews, who fled from Nazi-dominated Europe, for a homeland in Palestine which was an Arab dominated region. 
• There was a sacred belief associated with Jerusalem as it is considered to be the holy city by the Jews. 
• Jerusalem became the centre of a religious dispute between the Arabs and Jews for a long time. 
• In 1947, the United Nations proposed an Arab-Jewish partition of Palestine.
• According to this partition plan, 53% of the land was given to the Jewish majority and 47% to the Palestinian majority of Israel. 
• This idea of establishing a new Jewish majority state was not accepted by the Arab countries in the Middle East. 
• The Jewish paramilitary groups formed the state for the Jews in Israel by coercion in 1948. 
• As a result, the first Arab-Israeli war commenced between the Arab neighbours – Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. 
• The Israelis became victorious and conquered more land than was conferred to them by the UN plan. 
• Consequently, the Palestinian territory was reduced to 22% of what it had been earlier. 
• The West Bank and East Jerusalem came under Jordan’s rule while Israel ruled West Jerusalem. 
• The Gaza Strip was under Egyptian military rule after the 1949 war.
• As a result of the Six-Day war of 1967, Israel became successful in extending its rule to major parts of Palestine. 
• The West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem came under the control of Israel.
• Israel also occupied the Syrian Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. 
• The Sinai Peninsula was returned to Egypt as a result of the Camp David Accords signed in 1978. 

Read comprehensively about the Israel-Palestine Conflict in the linked article.

West Bank & the Gaza Strip:

• The West Bank and the Gaza Strip house a large number of Palestinian populations.
• The Oslo Accords between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation asserted that part of the West Bank will be under the control of the Palestinian Authority. 
• According to reports, Israel has built settlements for its Jewish community in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 
• These settlements have become the hallmark of the Israeli colonial project.

Image source: The Print

• The conflict between Israel and Palestine over territorial claims is unlikely to get over in the near future. 
• Experts envisage peaceful negotiation as an effective tool to resolve territorial disputes in the region. 
• There is a high possibility that the US, with its interest to secure its long-term friendship with Israel, may fetch a lasting deal between Israel and Palestine which will enhance regional security.
• Considering the new developments surrounding the Middle East region and the aftermath of the Ukraine war, India must rethink its policy by making the choices that are in favour of its national interests. 
• India’s unswerving stand on the doctrine of neutrality for a long time needs a shift and will not be a sustainable approach in the upcoming days. 
• India’s association with the Quad of West Asia opens multiple avenues to embolden its relationship with the countries of the Middle East accompanied by strategic and economic partnerships. 
• India has recently signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the United Arab Emirates which can go a long way towards expanding trade relations with flexible market access. 

Read about Israel-India Relations in the linked article.

2. Developments between Algeria and Morocco

Context: The fuming issues at the tip of Africa involving the Algeria-Morocco enmity is a matter of great concern and needs to be addressed. 

An Overview:

• The rivalry between Algeria and Morocco has been a long-lasting issue which gathered momentum when Morocco normalised its relations with Israel in exchange for the recognition of the kingdom’s sovereignty over Western Sahara territory by the US. 
• The Western Sahara region has been the bone of contention between Algeria and Morocco. 
• A sense of defeat was realised by Algeria when Spain expressed its support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for the disputed territory of Western Sahara. 
• The discontent was fuelled further when Algeria alleged that Morocco was supporting the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie and the Islamist Rachad Movement which are recognised as terrorist organisations by Algeria. 

The brief background:

• There was a struggle for leadership in the Western Sahara region which is unresolved since the colonial period, thereby keeping the area in a beleaguered condition. 
• At the behest of the Algerian regime, the land border between Morocco and Algeria was closed. 
• The Green March (1975) was an operation in which 350,000 unarmed Moroccans marched towards the Spanish colony. The territory was divided between Morocco and Mauritania under the Madrid Accords which did not include the Polisario nor Algeria as part of the agreement. 
• As a response to this, the Algerian regime initiated the expulsion of several Moroccan families based in the country. 
• Over the years, the tensions between the two countries have escalated in terms of political ideology, economic policies and strategies. 
• Since August 2021, Algeria has severed diplomatic relations with Morocco, cut off gas shipments that previously passed through Morocco to Spain and accused Moroccan forces of killing the Algerian citizens in the Western Sahara region. 

Major Concern:

• The existing tensions between Algeria and Morocco can open up ways for complete destabilisation in North Africa that may bring bitter consequences for the European Union. 
• The deepening ties between Morocco and Israel have polarised the Maghreb region and have widened the discontent existing between Algeria and Morocco.
• Algeria has also conducted a joint military exercise in South Ossetia with Russia which has long supplied a large part of Algeria’s weapons. 
• External influence in the region has also contributed to the rising tensions. 

Way Ahead:

• The further deteriorations in the Algeria-Morocco relationship may result in a sharp increase in migration towards the European Union, a disturbing impact on the peace and tranquillity of the Maghreb and the Sahel regions, a retarding influence on European hopes for economic development in North Africa that could play an important role in Europe’s green transition, and so on. The continued crisis can also provide a breeding ground for extremist groups to emerge. 
• Therefore, it is important that Europe intervenes to stabilise the tensions existing in the North African region by maintaining a balanced approach to both countries to avert any rising conflict between Algeria and Morocco. 
• The European Union must advocate and promote a policy that is based on its geopolitical and economic interests by putting efforts to prevent any disruption of the supply chain due to geopolitical tensions as we have witnessed in the case of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. 
• Any further supply chain disruption will cost havoc on the global economy.

3. Rise of Populism

Context: The concept of populism has been gathering enormous prominence in the leadership of nations. 

Understanding Populism:

• Populism is a mid-nineteenth century phenomenon that was executed in different ways, emphasising the gaining of people’s attention.
• The concept of “the people” gathered the curiosity of intellectuals who acted as the agents of revolution and modernity. 
• The perception of the theory of Populism underwent significant changes in the 20th century and was considered as a mass of destructive and primitive instincts. 
• During the Cold War period, populism was defined in the West as reuniting uneducated and authoritarian people, whereas, in the Soviet Union, it reflected the “empire of people’s democracies and popular fronts”. 
• Despite various attempts by the philosophers, the concept of populism is devoid of a single definition as its underlying principles change with time. 
• According to many thinkers, the movements in Russia, America, Africa, and Asia were populist in nature. 
• In recent times, populism has been associated with personalities who represent important political leadership roles. This can be exemplified through populism and a peculiar charisma upheld by leaders like Putin of Russia, Xi Jin Ping of China, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and so on. 

Implications of Populism:

• It is often argued that populism can significantly affect civil society and civil liberties, for instance, freedom of religion. 
• Defining populism in the light of Indian society makes the concept more inclined towards radical forms which are detrimental to liberal democracy. 
• Moreover, it widens the scope of authoritarian and discriminatory practices against various sections of society. 
• In the case of India, populism advocates the anti-elitist sentiment with a larger emphasis on equal distribution of resources to head towards an egalitarian society. 

Conclusion:

The entire concept of populism must be viewed with a pluralistic spirit considering the multiplicity of its definitions. For a better understanding of populism, the pages of literature must be turned that offer narratives on the concept through cultural diversities, ethnicities, and histories of the regions of the US, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It is imperative that the citizens are aware of their fundamental rights and interests to prevent the rise of extreme populism. 

Read more about Populism in the linked article.

4. Prime Minister’s visit to Nepal

Context: The Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Nepal became a significant testimony of change in the neighbourhood policy of India. 

Read more on this issue in IRTW Episode 73

Conclusion

The world ventures into a new order that has emerged from the war in Ukraine, withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan, the COVID crisis, and the implications of climate change. The ongoing events of international significance act as the driving force towards the changing contours of foreign politics. 

These events must be thoroughly examined by India to formulate a foreign policy that keeps an alignment with the emerging trends of geopolitics and is capable of developing resilience towards the upcoming challenges.

Read more International Relations This Week articles in the link.

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