16 Aug 2021: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

B. GS 2 Related

Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. Afghan President Ghani leaves country as Taliban reach Kabul

Context:

After 20 years of war, the Taliban has captured Afghanistan’s capital Kabul.

Details:

• President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan and has sought asylum in Tajikistan.
• This marks the end of a 20-year Western experiment aimed at remaking the country.
• Taliban said that it would announce the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the presidential palace.
• Afghanistan was called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan under the Taliban government that was ousted by the U.S.-led forces after the 9/11 attacks.

Impact:

• There are indications of a return to the harsh version of Islamic rule Afghans lived under from 1996 until 2001.
• The biggest losers in the transition would be Afghan women and youth who had political, civic, economic and human rights and opportunities, and media freedoms under the Afghan government.
• Afghans fear that the Taliban could reimpose the kind of brutal rule that almost eliminated women’s rights.
• Fear is running high among the ethnic Hazara minority, Shia Muslims who were persecuted by the Taliban and made major gains in education and social status over the past two decades.
• Commercial flights were later suspended after sporadic gunfire erupted at Kabul International Airport.
• Evacuations continued on military flights.
• The immediate challenge is a massive humanitarian crisis on account of the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced who have left other war zones and taken shelter on pavements and parks in Kabul.
• Also, there is the panic and rush for passports and visas for those who fear for their lives from the Taliban or their sponsors.
• There have been reports of revenge killings and other brutal tactics in areas of the country the Taliban have seized in recent days.

India’s Role:

• Outbreaks of violence and political persecution should be anticipated.
• India should facilitate emergency visas.
• Those close to India who are under threat must be evacuated from the country.
• With the Taliban in Kabul, the old debate in India on whether to talk or not to the Taliban is now academic.
• India should keep an open mind, wait and watch what the Taliban actually does during and after the transitional process, instead of jumping into any hasty recognition of an Islamic ‘Emirate’ which will have profound consequences for the region, the world and the US in particular.

E. Editorials

Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. India’s fate is tied to the rest of the world

Context:

• The article discusses the evolution of India’s international relations from the time of independence to current times.

Between 1947 and 1962:

• India being a large, newly independent, impoverished, and highly diverse country, active engagement with other countries for its survival, security, and development became a necessity for India at its independence.

Relations with the neighbours:

• Independence and Partition left behind a messy territorial legacy in the Indian subcontinent.
  • India’s borders were initially poorly demarcated and it has had to compete with two nuclear-armed neighbours for territory.
  • India itself was poorly integrated and the resulting sources of domestic insecurity benefited from support from neighbouring countries.
• India during this phase went to war with the neighbouring countries of Pakistan (1947) and China (1962).
  • The Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948 was fought between India and Pakistan over the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. This brought the Kashmir issue into the international relations domain.
  • The disputed Himalayan border was the main cause of the Sino-Indian War in 1962.

Relation with major power blocs:

• In its initial years, India opted for flexible and friendly relations with both the U.S. and the Soviet Union and their respective allies. In fact, India initially received the bulk of development and military assistance from the West; it was only from the mid-1950s onwards that the Soviet Union extended support.

Leader of the third world:

• India played an activist role in the decolonising world, extending diplomatic and in some cases security assistance to independence movements in Asia and Africa.
• India also sent military missions to Korea and the Congo as part of peacekeeping efforts.

Between 1962 and 1991:

Relations with the neighbours:

Pakistan:

• The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 began following Pakistan’s Operation Gibraltar, which was designed to infiltrate forces into Jammu and Kashmir to precipitate an insurgency against Indian rule. India retaliated by launching a full-scale military attack on Pakistan. Diplomatic intervention by the Soviet Union and the United States, and the subsequent issuance of the Tashkent Declaration resulted in ending the war.
• India’s intervention in the Bangladesh war became imminent given India’s stakes in the issue. India provided substantial diplomatic, economic and military support to Bangladeshi nationalists. The resulting 1971 Indo-Pak war saw India emerging as the victor and the formation of independent Bangladesh.
• India and Pakistan have fought intermittently since 1984 over control of the Siachen Glacier. The conflict was started in 1984 by India’s successful capture of the Siachen Glacier as part of Operation Meghdoot, and subsequently continued with Operation Rajiv.

China:

• China tested its nuclear weapons in 1964. This prompted India to initiate its own nuclear weapons programme to achieve nuclear parity with China. The Pokhran nuclear test of 1974 made India a nuclear power.
• Indian forces were successful in pushing back against China in Sikkim in 1967. Subsequent to anti-monarchy protests, India took control of Sikkim as its associate state first and subsequently into the union as the 22^nd state of India via a constitutional amendment in 1975.

Other neighbouring countries:

• Following the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord of 1987, India intervened in the Sri Lankan Civil War through the deployment of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka in a peacekeeping role.
• India’s intervention in the 1988 attempted coup in the Maldives became necessary to protect its own interests in India’s backyard of the Indian Ocean region. India intervened with “Operation Cactus”.

Domestic challenges:

• India’s domestic security challenges in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast assumed an external angle via the active support to insurgent outfits by the neighbouring countries of Pakistan, China and Bangladesh.

Relation with major powers:

• The Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation in 1971 marked a significant deviation from India’s previous position of non-alignment during the Cold War. This was necessitated given the increasing Pakistani ties with China and the United States at that time.
• India found itself at odds with the U.S. over issues such as intervention in Bangladesh, nuclear non-proliferation and trade. India was threatened by military action by the U.S. over the Bangladesh liberation movement and severe sanctions were levied on India over its Pokhran Nuclear tests.
• Foreign technical and financial assistance was instrumental to the important economic strides made in India during this period, including the Green Revolution.

Post-1991:

The economic challenges and the LPG era:

• The balance of payments crisis in the post-Cold War era resulted in India adopting a range of reforms to liberalise the economy.
  • The Indian economy had remained relatively closed at a time when other Asian economies had begun to liberalise.
• In this direction, India adopted the Look East Policy and deepened its relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Relation with neighbouring countries:

China:

• India has tried to normalize its relations with China with the signing of a border peace and tranquillity agreement with China in 1993 agreeing to maintain the status quo on their mutual border pending an eventual boundary settlement. This was followed by another important set of agreements with China in 2003.
• A more assertive China has begun to test India on the border and undermine Indian interests in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Region. The recent India-China relationship has been marred by border skirmishes. The stand-offs at Doklam and Ladakh between 2017 and 2021 being the most recent.
• In a bid to counter Chinese aggressiveness, India has employed an economic approach in addition to the military standing. India has boycotted China’s Belt and Road Initiative, raised barriers to Chinese investment and banned some Chinese technology.

Pakistan:

• India’s repeated efforts to normalize its ties with Pakistan have failed given Pakistan’s continued non-conventional warfare approach to India via its support to terrorist organizations working against India.
  • The Kargil war, the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 to Kandahar (Afghanistan), the 2001 attack on India’s Parliament and the more recent terrorist attacks at Pathankot, Uri and Pulwama have only strained the Indo-Pak relations.

Relation with major powers:

• In the post-cold war phase, India made attempts to make initial military contacts with the U.S., even as it has sought to maintain normal relations with Russia too.
• After 2004, the then government worked extensively to resolve the outstanding question of India’s nuclear status. By eliminating barriers to ‘dual use’ technologies and equipment, as well as a host of associated export controls, India had the opportunity to establish robust defence relations with the U.S. and its allies. A number of defence and security agreements have been signed between the two countries of late which have only deepened the strategic relationship between the oldest democracy and the biggest democracy in the world.
• In a bid to counter the increasingly assertive China, India has sought to deepen relations with other balancing powers in the Indo-Pacific. Security relations and understandings with the U.S. and its allies (Japan, France, Australia) have accelerated after 2014.

India’s trade relations:

• Despite a strategic alignment with U.S. and Europe, India’s relations with the U.S. and Europe have grown more contentious over trade issues.
• In the post-global financial crisis phase, India has sought to partner with China and other rising powers on institutional reform, financial lending, climate change, and sovereignty. This is indicative of India’s emphasis on national interest as a core guiding factor for its foreign policy.

Relations with West Asia:

• India’s relation with West Asian partners has assumed greater importance during this phase.
• India has worked towards establishing diplomatic ties with Israel during this period while continuing to deepen its relationship with other major powers of the region like Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Conclusion:

• Ever since independence, India’s fate has been closely tied to the rest of the world. The constantly evolving international environment presented India not just with opportunities but numerous challenges.
• Despite the different approaches to international engagement over the period since independence, India’s objectives in its foreign policy approach have been broadly consistent: development, regional security, a balance of power, and the shaping of international consensus to be more amenable to Indian interests.
• The ravages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the growing international competition with China and the turmoil in Afghanistan pose serious challenges to India. Apart from domestic measures to counter these challenges, India’s global interactions will play a significant role in helping India counter these challenges. India should use its growing network of international strategic and economic partners to counter these challenges. Hence India’s future, too like its past, will remain intertwined with global affairs.

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1: ‘Khyber Pass’ is a mountain pass between:

1. Pakistan & Afghanistan
2. Afghanistan & Uzbekistan
3. Afghanistan & Tajikistan
4. Afghanistan & Turkmenistan

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

The Khyber Pass is a mountain pass in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, on the border with Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province.

Q2: Which of the following is/are likely reasons for judicial delays?

1. Ambiguity in laws
2. Low judges to population ratio
3. Judicial vacancies
4. Parliamentary democracy

Select the correct option from below:

1. 1 & 2
2. 1, 2 & 3
3. 2 & 3
4. All of the Above

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

• Ambiguity in the laws triggers litigation – causing inconvenience to citizens, courts and other stakeholders. This not only leads to increased litigations but also delays in the judicial process.
• Inadequate number of judges is one reason behind delay in judicial process. With low judges to population ration, the system would not be able to keep pace with new cases.
• Unfilled judicial vacancies lead to mounting arrears of cases pending in the various courts leading to judicial delays.
• A parliamentary democracy is a system of government in which citizens elect representatives to a legislative parliament to make the necessary legislations and decisions for the country. This does not have any direct link to the delay in judicial processes.

Q3: ‘Operation Meghdoot’ was an:

1. Operation to seize control of the Siachen Glacier
2. Operation to end the rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad
3. Indian operation to push back the infiltrators from the Kargil Sector
4. Indian Army-led rescue and relief mission in quake-hit Nepal

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

• Operation Meghdoot was the codename for an Indian military operation to take control over the Siachen Glacier in Kashmir.

Read more on Operation Meghdoot | Siachen Conflict

Q4: Which of the following is/are correctly matched? 

            Water Disputes                                                States Concerned

1. Vansadhara Water Dispute                               A. Andhra Pradesh, Odisha
2. Ravi & Beas Water Dispute                               B. Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan
3. Mahadayi Water Dispute                                  C. Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra
4. Mahanadi Water Dispute                                 D. Chhattisgarh, Odisha

Select the correct option from below:

1. 1-A, 2-B, 3-C, 4-D
2. 1-D, 2-C, 3-B, 4-A
3. 1-B, 2-A, 3-D, 4-C
4. 1-A, 2-C, 3-B, 4-D

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: a

Explanation:

• River Vamsadhara is an important east flowing river between Rushikulya and Godavari, in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh states in India. Vansadhara Water Dispute Tribunal (VWDT) was set up in 2010 to look into the dispute between the two states.
• Ravi and Beas Waters have been a source of Inter-state river water dispute between Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan regarding their shares in the remaining waters.
• The dispute over the sharing of the water of the Mahadayi river involves the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa.
• The conflict over the Mahanadi involves the governments of Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

Q5: In the context of Indian history, the Rakhmabai case of 1884 revolved around (UPSC 2020)

1. women’s right to gain education
2. age of consent
3. restitution of conjugal rights

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

• In the context of Indian history, the Rakhmabai case of 1884 revolved around: age of consent and restitution of conjugal rights.
• She was the first practising female doctor in colonial India. She was involved in the case that contributed to the enactment of the Age of Consent Act, 1891.
• Long back, the concept of restitution of conjugal rights faced its first legal test in 1885 in the case of Dadaji Bhikaji vs Rakhmabai.
• Rakhmabai Raut was married to Dadaji Bhikaji at the age of 11. However, she stayed at the house of her widowed mother after her marriage.
• Rakhmabai’s step-father supported her when she refused to stay with Bhikaji and his family at his house. This led to Dadaji Bhikaji vs Rakhmabai case in 1885.
• Bhikaji asked for “restitution of conjugal rights”.
  • Justice Pinhey gave judgment in favour of Rukhmabai and said, “Rakhmabai was a young woman and was married off in helpless infancy and therefore cannot be forced”.
• After many criticised the judgment as diminishing Hindu customs, the case came up for retrial.
• There were debates around internal reforms vs external reforms, Hindu vs English law and respecting ancient customs and traditions.
• The final judgment in 1887 had asked Rakhmabai to live with her husband or face imprisonment for six months instead.
• Finally, Queen Victoria settled the matter by overruling the court order and dissolved her marriage.