International Relations This Week: Episode 76

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 the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Australian elections, and other important topics.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Ukraine Russia Conflict
2. Australian Elections
3. Tour of India’s M-o E.A., to Bangladesh
4. Summit of the Americas-2022
5. Scare of Monkey Pox

1. Ukraine Russia Conflict

Context

Three months since the onset of war in Ukraine.

Background

For detailed background on the issue refer to the following article:

Russia – Ukraine conflict

Overall impact of the war in Ukraine

• The devastating impact of the war has been felt not just in the European theatre of war but across the globe as well.
• The war has changed the dynamics of the relations between the two traditional superpowers the U.S. and Russia significantly.
• The war has also severely affected the food and energy security of the world.
• The infrastructural damages that have taken place in Ukraine are huge and would take years to rebuild.
• Further, Ukraine since the start of the war has received massive military assistance from the U.S. and its NATO allies which has retarded the advances of the Russian troops.
• There have been reports of human rights violations and war crimes by both parties.
• The war has also exposed the corruption in the armed forces of Russia, wherein cheap Chinese products were used and a large amount of money has been wasted in this context.
• About 5 million refugees from Ukraine have crossed borders into neighbouring countries, and many more have been forced to move inside the country.
  • This has exposed the “double standards” in the refugee policies of neighbouring European countries which have been unwelcoming for people fleeing violence in Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere.
• Over 15,000 Russian soldiers are said to have died in the war.

Impact of the war on U.S. interests

• The war has exposed the inability of the U.S. to stop the conflict and break the stalemate which has damaged its reputation as a global superpower.
• The war has also threatened the influence or the dominance of the U.S. across the world as the countries are now forced to rethink their reliance on the U.S.
• The U.S., which has been talking extensively about the human rights violations and war crimes conducted in Ukraine, has been widely criticised and has been reminded about their own unilateral military conduct in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Vietnam.
• The sanctions imposed on Russia by the west led by the U.S. have not yielded the intended outcomes as Russia has a huge war chest and vast resources of oil and gas.

Recommendations for India

• India has to continue walking the tightrope and balance out its relations with both sides of the war.
• It is also important for India to keep an eye on all the developments in the region and plan its strategies accordingly.

2. Australian Elections

Background

• The Labour Party has won the recent elections in Australia and Anthony Albanese is set to become the 31st Prime Minister of Australia.
• This is considered significant as it is only the fourth time that the Labour Party has come into power since World War Two.
• This also marked the rejection of charismatic leader Scott Morrison, and his brand of politics, who wielded power for the last two terms.

Reasons for the change in the leadership in Australia

• Anthony Albanese’s focus on domestic issues such as taxes, child care, education, employment, the standard of living and quality of life, climate change and law and order attracted the attention of Australian citizens who are compelled by law to vote in federal elections.
• Australia under the previous leadership of Scott Morrison experienced stressful relations with China because of the influence of America which affected its flourishing business with China in terms of exporting beef, wine, fodder for cattle, etc.
  • The retaliatory tariffs imposed by China forced the Australians to look for other markets to export these goods and further angered the Australian citizens.
• The controversy about the Chinese students studying in Australian Universities, who were reportedly working as agents for the Chinese government, also worked against Scott Morrison’s government.
• Also, the previous regime underestimated and largely ignored the consequences of climate change at a time when Australia was suffering from wildfires and large-scale degradation of the environment due to mining.

Impact on India

• India shares a cordial relationship with Australia and currently, there are very few irritants in their relations.
• India and Australia were expected to coordinate and combine not only in QUAD but also in dealing with the external members in the ASEAN region to counter the increasing Chinese influence.
  • With the change in the regime in Australia, it is to be seen how both the countries move further in this regard.
• However, the new Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said that his goals were aligned with the priorities of the Quad grouping.
• Indian industrialist Adani, on his trip to Australia along with the Indian Prime Minister, had recently bought a large mine that was on the verge of closure.
  • There is now uncertainty surrounding this deal as the new government is said to be against the pollution due to mining.
  • The coal mined from these mines was supposed to address India’s coal demands and be a win-win situation for both countries.
• It is expected that the present friendly relations between India and Australia would continue and more would be achieved in terms of vaccine diplomacy, technology transfers, fight against terrorism and climate change. 

Read more about – India-Australia Economic Partnership

3. Tour of India’s M-o E.A., to Bangladesh

Context

Continuing frequent high-level exchanges, in the spirit of close fraternal ties between the two countries, the Indian External Affairs Minister made an official visit to Bangladesh.

Details

• The minister called on the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and invited her to visit India. 
• They also spoke about various bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.
• The minister also met his counterpart and invited him to attend the next meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission to be held in India.
• Both countries have maintained a steady level of momentum in high level visits particularly in the commemorative year of the golden jubilee of diplomatic ties. 
• The visit of the minister has provided an opportunity to review the progress in bilateral ties and ways to further strengthen them.

Know more about – India-Bangladesh relations.

Latest developments in bilateral relations 

• The Bangladesh PM has made an offer that proposes to make the port of Chittagong to India.
  • This is considered to be significant as it allows connectivity between North-Easterns states of India and South East Asia and cuts short the distance.
• Bangladesh is experiencing severe floods which are affecting the lives and livelihoods of many people.
  • This is also impacting several places in India as both the countries share common rivers.
  • This requires both the countries to cooperate better in the fields of forecasting floods, control measures and constructing canals that mitigate the effects of floods.

4. Summit of the Americas-2022

The Summit of the Americas

• The Summit of the Americas brings together leaders from countries in the Organization of American States (OAS) which includes countries of North, South, and Central America, and the Caribbean.
• U.S. President Bill Clinton convened the first Summit of the Americas in Miami, Florida, in December 1994.
  • The aim of the summit was to promote economic growth and prosperity throughout the Americas based on shared democratic values and the promise of increased trade and commerce to improve the quality of life for all peoples.
• The Summit has taken place once every three years since 1994.
• The Summit, and its stakeholder forums, promote cooperation towards region-wide, inclusive economic growth and prosperity based on shared respect for democracy, fundamental freedoms, the dignity of labour, and free enterprise.

Summit of the Americas-2022

• The Ninth Summit of the Americas is taking place in June 2022 in Los Angeles in the U.S.
• Theme: Building a Sustainable, Resilient, and Equitable Future
• Focus areas include: 
  • The COVID-19 pandemic and the cracks it exposed in health, economic, educational, and social systems
  • Threats to democracy
  • The climate crisis
  • Lack of equitable access to economic, social, and political opportunities

Criticism of the summit

• The summit is criticised for not inviting a few countries despite their prominence in the region. 
  • The U.S. is reportedly ignoring the left-oriented leaders of governments despite them being legitimate governments.
• The apprehensions about the U.S. not inviting the Cubans, Venezuelans, and Nicaraguans are causing concerns.
• There is also a distortion in the relations between the U.S. and countries like Mexico, Cuba and Brazil which are tilted towards Russia. This is also affecting the objectives of the summit.

5. Scare of Monkey Pox

Context

The recent outbreak of the Monkeypox virus across the world.

Details

• After the devastating COVID pandemic, a new virus infection is spreading across the world.
• Cases of Monkeypox have been reported in various countries such as the U.S., Australia,  European and African countries.

Monkeypox

• Monkeypox disease is caused due to the Monkeypox virus and the disease was endemic to Africa.
• Symptoms include fever, rashes and swollen lymph nodes and other medical complications.
• Monkeypox virus can spread both from animal to human and from human to human. 
• Monkeypox virus can be transmitted by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.

Know more about – Monkeypox Disease

Few insights on the spread of disease

• The prevalence and the spread of diseases on a global scale are increasing due to globalisation. This was seen in the case of outbreaks of diseases such as Ebola, HIV, SARS and COVID.
• Although the experts of WHO have said that no one section of the people should be stigmatised for the spread of disease, there have been accusations that Africans and homosexual individuals are responsible for the spread of the disease.
• There are questions regarding:
  • How the disease is spreading from one human being to another?
  • Is climate change responsible for the mutation of disease vectors?
  • Has the prevalence of these diseases increased due to increased travel between countries?
  • Is it because the world has neglected the diseases of the poor?

Way forward

The world has to learn to deal and live with diseases that it had not known previously and especially those which have the potential to spread on a global scale. Countries must acknowledge the fact that “nobody is safe till even a single individual is vulnerable to the disease”.

Read more International Relations This Week articles in the link.

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