💥Join UPSC 2027,2028 Mentorship (August Batch) + XFactor Notes & Microthemes PDF
Talk to Mentor

Civilsdaily

Login

Subject: International Relations

  • Unanimity at WHO

    WHO has been in news recently for all the wrong reasons. This article focuses on wide-ranging support for the resolution calling for the inquiry into the origin of the novel coronavirus. With this resolution, WHO has a chance to redeem its credibility. Until recently China seemed to be in the control of the global narrative on the pandemic. And now we witness near-unanimous support to this resolution.

    Inquiry of the origin of the virus

    • International attention is riveted on the question of an inquiry into the origin of the corona-virus.
    • The call for an international investigation was first voiced formally by the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison.
    • Beijing reacted with open threats of trade sanctions. But Canberra pushed the investigation ahead.
    • It is working with the European Union to promote a resolution at this week’s World Health Assembly (WHA), which brings ministers from all the member states of the WHO.
    • The resolution also calls for an “impartial, independent and comprehensive” evaluation into the international response to the corona pandemic.
    • The WHA has 194 members.
    • So, the entire international community — has a voice in addressing the key issues raised by the corona crisis by debating the resolution.

    Wide support to the resolution

    • According to media reports, the resolution is close to gaining support from two-thirds of the WHA’s 194 members.
    • Australia and the EU hope to have the resolution approved unanimously.
    • Since the resolution does not mention China by name, Canberra and Brussels hope Beijing will not oppose the resolution.
    • They also hope to persuade Washington, which wanted tougher language including references to China, to endorse the resolution.
    • Whatever the fate of the resolution, the wide-ranging support it has got amidst the vocal Chinese opposition is impressive.

    So, how effective is the resolution?

    • To be sure, the resolution was watered down to get the maximum possible backing at the WHO.
    • But it is said to have enough teeth to dig deep into the issues raised by the corona crisis.

    How China controlled the corona narrative until now?

    • A few weeks ago, it seemed China and the Director-General of WHO, had full control over the corona narrative on the issues involved.
    • The Trump administration’s aggressive questioning of China’s role and WHO DG’s role had not gone down well.
    • Nor did the US threat to cut off funding for the WHO.
    • Within the US itself, opposition Democrats and the foreign policy establishment has attacked Trump for trying to “divert attention”.
    • China’s success in quickly getting things under control at home and its expansive mask diplomacy seemed to give Beijing an upper hand at the WHO.
    • China’s growing clout in the developing world and bilateral economic levers against major developed countries, including in Europe, appeared to insure against any serious international questioning of its handling of the virus.
    • What factors played the role in the passing of the resolution?
    • 1) The public pressure from the US concentrated minds at the WHO.
    • 2) Some quiet diplomacy by middle powers, including India, appears to have created the political basis for learning the right lessons from the pandemic and preventing similar eruptions in the future.

    Is it a setback for China?

    • Some observers see a unanimous approval of the resolution as a diplomatic setback for Beijing.
    • Since limiting the demands for an external inquiry has been a major political priority for Beijing.
    • There are similar demands at home for an investigation into a crisis that led to an enormous loss of life in China and punishing those responsible.
    • The leadership in Beijing is not comfortable with these demands.

    Issues with the WHO that India must pay attention to

    1. International norms for early detection

    • There is the need to develop new international norms that will increase the obligations of states and the powers of the WHO in facilitating early detection and notification of pandemics.
    • This will involve finding ways to bridge the contested notions of state sovereignty and collective security.

    2. Funding of the WHO

    • If you have a club that depends on donations rather than membership fees, donors will inevitably set the agenda.
    • Over the decades, the WHO has become ever more reliant on voluntary contributions from governments and corporations rather than assessed contributions from the member states.
    • This is going to leave the WHO rather vulnerable to pressures.

    3. WHO’s focus should be on fewer objectives

    • India must also ask if the WHO is trying to do too many things.
    • The WHO’s initial successes came when it focused on a few objectives like combatting malaria and the elimination of smallpox.
    • A limited agenda might also make the WHO a more effective organisation.

    Way forward for India

    • India knows it is one thing to pass to a resolution and entirely another to compel a great power like China to comply.
    • Any current effort to understand the origin and spread of the COVID-19 virus and a long-term strategy to deal with future pandemics must necessarily involve more than a measure of Chinese cooperation.
    • Sustained engagement with Beijing, then, is as important for Delhi as deeper cooperation with Washington and the “Quad plus” nations.
    • India should also focus on more intensive engagement with the non-aligned nations in promoting a new global regime on preventing and managing pandemics.

    Consider the question “Corona pandemic and its handling by the WHO resulted in the loss of its credibility. But the collective efforts of the nations which resulted in the passage of the resolution for inquiry of the origin of the virus, could soften the blow the credibility of WHO had suffered. Comment.”

    Conclusion

    For India, the widespread support for the resolution is a vindication of its early call for transparency and accountability in the responses of China and the WHO to the pandemic. India should take initiative to ensure the reforms at WHO and the formation of global order for preventing and managing the global order.

  • Are the U.S. and China entering a new Cold War?

    Relations between the U.S. and China plunged to a new low in recent weeks. Ties between the two countries had started deteriorating well before the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Practice question for mains:

    Q. How will economic nationalism take a lead in the post-COVID-19 Asia? Discuss in context to the rising tensions between the US and China.

    Heading for a new Cold War

    • The US President has recently threatened to “cut off the whole relationship” with China over the COVID-19 pandemic, which originated in Wuhan.
    • Earlier this month, the U.S. imposed visa restrictions on the Chinese journalists working in the country, limiting their work period to 90 days.
    • Last week, Trump extended for one more year a ban on U.S. companies from using telecom equipment made by “companies positing national security risks” (Huawei and ZTE row).

    A new national policy

    • The rising tensions between the two superpowers have prompted many experts to warn of a new Cold War.
    • A chorus of American voices now argues that confronting China should become the organizing principle of U.S. foreign policy, akin to the Cold War against the Soviet Union.
    • Hawks in the Trump administration openly push for a more aggressive approach towards Beijing.
    • In 2017, the US’s National Security Strategy called China as “a revisionist power” seeking “to erode American security and prosperity” and “shape a world antithetical to U.S. values and interests”.

    Why is the US confronting China?

    • Competition rules the relationship, and flexibility and mature handling are in short supply on both sides.
    • Uncertainty prevails, whether it on the question of resolving trade problems, or on the maritime front in the East and South China Seas, on technology, or on mutual mud-slinging on COVID-19-related issues.
    • Record high temperatures have been recorded in Sino-U.S. relations in recent years and the pandemic is no exception to this.
    • COVID-19 appears to have aggravated the crisis, pushing both countries, already reeling under trade, technology and maritime disputes, to take a more hostile position towards each other.

    How has China responded?

    • China has frequently urged the United States to abandon its Cold-War mentality and zero-sum game mindset.
    • It has sometimes through the state-run media, hit back, calling Trump’s comments “lunacy” and Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, an “evil politician”.

    A reminder of the ‘Novikov telegram’

    • In early April, China’s Ministry of State Security sent an internal report to the country’s top leaders, stating that hostility in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak could tip relations with the U.S. into a confrontation.
    • Intelligence community sees the report as China’s version of the ‘Novikov Telegram’, referring to a report Nikolai Novikov, the Soviet Ambassador in Washington, sent to Moscow in September 1946.
    • Laying out his analysis of the U.S. conduct, the report, sent to Russia said that the U.S. is determined on world domination and suggested the Soviet Union create a buffer in Eastern Europe.
    • Novikov telegram was a response to the “Long Telegram”, the 8,000-word report sent by George Kennan, an official at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, to Washington.
    • It said that the Soviet Union was heavily armed and determined to spread communism, and peaceful coexistence was impossible.
    • Historians often trace the origins of the Cold War to these telegrams.

    Nationalist overdrive in US

    • The current crisis in relations clearly shows that tensions will not go away. This situation is unlikely to ease until the U.S. Presidential election.
    • Post-election, temperatures could decrease, but a deep-rooted antipathy towards China has gripped the popular and political imagination in the U.S.
    • In China, the leadership and public opinion are both on a nationalist overdrive and the Trump administration is seen as the prime antagonist.

    Relevance with the Cold War

    • There are similarities between the current crisis and the Cold War.
    • The political elites of both China and the U.S., like the Soviet Union and the U.S. back then, see each other as their main rivals.
    • We can also see this antagonism moving from the political elite to the popular perception — the targeting of ethnic Chinese professionals and others in the U.S. and of American individuals or entities in China is a case in point.

    Conclusion

    • We don’t see the kind of proxy conflicts between the U.S. and China which we did during the Cold War.
    • The world is also not bipolar any more. There are third parties such as the EU, Russia, India and Japan.
    • These parties increasingly have a choice whether or not to align with either power as they see fit and on a case by case basis.
    • This leads to a very different kind of international order than during the Cold War.

    Challenges ahead

    • The Cold War was out and out ideological between the communist and capitalist blocs.
    • For China, a country ruled by a communist party where the primary goal of all state apparatus is preserving the regime in power, it’s always been ideological.
    • The U.S. has started realizing this angle about China now. The Republican Party has ideological worldviews, too.
    • If Trump gets re-elected, the ideological underpinnings of the U.S.-China rivalry could get further solidified.

    Back2Basics: Cold War

    • During World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union fought together as allies against the Axis powers.
    • However, the relationship between the two nations was a tense one.
    • Americans had long been wary of Soviet Communism and concerned about Russian leader Joseph Stalin’s tyrannical rule of his own country.
    • For their part, the Soviets resented the Americans’ decades-long refusal to treat the USSR as a legitimate part of the international community as well as their delayed entry into World War II, which resulted in the deaths of tens of millions of Russians.
    • After the war ended, these grievances ripened into an overwhelming sense of mutual distrust and enmity.

  • India on the margins of Afghanistan diplomacy

    From economic, strategic to security, India has many interests in “future” Peaceful and Developed Afghanistan. But India was sidelined from the recently organised meeting on Afghanistan. This article analyses what went wrong in India’s foreign and security policy. Two factors are emphasised in the article- India’s reluctance to talk with the Taliban and the US’s desperation to get out of Afghanistan.

    India’s Rigid policy toward Afghanistan

    • Recent developments in Afghanistan demand a flexible approach.
    • But India’s foreign and security planners have lacked flexibility in their approach.
    • Right approach should have included seeking to establish open connections with all its political groups, including with those perceived to be in Pakistan’s pocket.
    • Instead, they continued to rigidly cling to Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani even as his influence diminished with each passing month.

    India’s support to Mr Ghani

    • Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Mr Ghani for winning the elections, in December 2019 when the Afghanistan election commission had only announced the preliminary results.
    • And most countries had maintained a discreet silence then.
    • When the final result came it was rejected by Mr Ghani’s main rival, Abdullah Abdullah.
    • The international community ultimately supported Mr Ghani.
    • But qualified it with an insistence that he enters into a real power-sharing agreement with Mr Abdullah.

    India sidelined from meeting on Afghanistan

    • The United Nations Secretariat organised a meeting on Afghanistan where it invited the 6 current physical neighbours of Afghanistan—China, Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
    • In addition, invitations were extended to the United States, Russia and the Ghani government.
    • Obviously, Mr Ghani did not condition his participation on India’s inclusion.
    • The constructive role New Delhi has played in Afghanistan’s reconstruction since the Taliban were ousted from the country in 2001-2002 after 9/11 was neglected.

    US going along with India’s absence

    • The role and action of the US proved that the U.S. acts to promote its interests in Afghanistan.
    •  It obviously expects that if in doing so Indian interests are exposed, India will protect them as best as it can.
    • U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation said that ‘India should talk directly to Taliban, discuss terror concerns directly’.
    • He noted that despite India’s contributions to Afghanistan’s economic development — and these are undeniably significant covering large parts of the country, and are popular — as well as its long history of contacts with that country, it does not have a place in international diplomacy on Afghanistan.
    • He also said that when it comes to international efforts, India yet does not have a role that it could.
    • He patronisingly added that the U.S. wants India to have a more active role in the peace process.

    So, why India’s presence was not considered vital?

    • U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation thinks that by avoiding open contacts with the Taliban, India has reduced its role in international diplomatic efforts.
    • That the U.S. is currently crucially dependent on Pakistan for the successful implementation of its Taliban deal.
    • It is reminiscent of the time in the 1990s when, at Pakistan’s insistence, India was considered a problem and kept out of crucial global forums on Afghanistan.

    Way forward

    • In such a situation, it is essential for India to maintain its strong links with the Afghan government, built and support its traditional Afghan allies.
    • But India should also established open lines of communication with the Taliban.
    • This is important because they are informally conveying that India should not consider them as Pakistan’s puppets and also because they have gained international recognition.
    • Contacts and discussions do not mean acceptance of their ways but its still a step forward.
    • India should act keeping in mind that there are no countries on the horizon which are really opposed to the Taliban acquiring a major place in the Afghanistan’s formal power structures.

    In 2013, the UPSC asked a question related to developments in Afghanistan against the backdrop of the proposed withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Force. Similarly, a question based on the latest development can be asked, for ex-“The return of Taliban after the US-Taliban deal in Afghanistan is fraught with major security implications for the countries in the region. Examine in the light of the fact that India is faced with a plethora of challenges and needs to safeguard its own strategic interests.”

    Conclusion

    India needs to take corrective diplomatic action even at this late stage, and even in the time of COVID-19. It must begin openly talking to the Taliban and with all political groups in the country. It must realise that its Afghan policy needs changes.

  • Mapping: Baltic Travel Bubble

    The Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have opened their borders to one another, creating a coronavirus “travel bubble” with an improvised idea to boost travel into their countries.

    Mark the following things on Map:

    1. Baltic Sea and its bordering nations

    2. Irben Strait

    3. Gulf of Riga

    4. Gulf of Finland

    Baltic Travel Bubble

    • The ‘Baltic travel bubble’ aims to facilitate the citizens of these three countries to travel within the region without hassles.
    • However, those who are coming from any other than these three countries would be required to follow self-isolation guidelines and stay in quarantine for exactly 14 days.
    • During the epidemic, Estonia and Lithuania closed their borders to non-citizens and all three nations placed mandatory quarantines for those entering for reasons related to non-work activities.
    • The region has been part of the European Union since 2004 and since 2007 has been a member of the European Schengen Free Travel Area.

    Significance of the travel ease

    • The Baltic nations have shown trust in each other’s healthcare system and have concluded that they have been able to tackle the coronavirus outbreak efficiently.
    • For Asian countries including India, these developments can provide interesting pointers when lockdown relaxations pertaining to travel and flights are being considered.

    Bonus: Try this question from CSP 2011

    Between India and East Asia, the navigation-time and distance can be greatly reduced by which of the following?

    1. Deepening the Malacca straits between Malaysia and Indonesia.

    2. Opening a new canal across the Kra isthmus between the Gulf of Siam and Andaman Sea.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

  • Diamer-Bhasha Dam in Pak-occupied Kashmir (PoK)

    Pakistan government has signed a contract with a joint venture of a Chinese state-run firm for the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha dam in the PoK.

    Make a note of major dams in India along with the rivers, terrain, major Wildlife sanctuaries and national parks incident to these rivers.

    Diamer-Bhasha Dam

    • Diamer-Bhasha Dam is a concreted-filled gravity dam, in the preliminary stages of construction, on the River Indus between Kohistan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Diamer district in Gilgit Baltistan region of PoK.
    • The dam will have a gross storage capacity of 8.1 Million Acre Feet (MAF) and power generation capacity of 4500 MW.
    • The eight Million Acre Feet (MAF) reservoir with 272-metre height will be the tallest roller compact concrete (RCC) dam in the world.
    • It will have a spillway, 14 gates and five outlets for flushing out silt.
    • The diversion system involves two tunnels and a diversion canal — all three having 1 km length each.
    • The bridge — a box girder structure — under the contract will be constructed downstream of the dam structure while the 21MW power plant will be built to meet the energy requirements of the project during construction.

    Why is this dam being built?

    • The project is designed to serve as the main storage dam of the country, besides Mangla and Tarbela dams, and its storage would be helpful for alleviating flood losses.
    • The project is estimated to help alleviate acute irrigation shortage in the Indus basin irrigation system caused by progressive siltation of the existing reservoirs.
    • It aims to reduce the intensity, quantum and duration of floods and reduce the magnitude and frequency of floods in the River Indus downstream.

    Issues with the Dam

    • The dam is located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region which is an Indian territory illegally occupied by Pakistan.
    • India has consistently conveyed her protest and shared concerns with both China and Pakistan on all such projects in the Indian territories under Pakistan’s illegal occupation.
    • In the past too, India has opposed projects jointly taken up by Pakistan and China in PoK as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

  • Role of ESCAP in the Asia-Pacific

    The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. This article examines the common challenges that ESCAP region faces- such as danger of pollution to the marine ecosystem, lack of data about ocean, connectivity issue faces by small island nations etc. Scope for the collaboration between ESCAP nations is explored.

    Strain on marine ecosystem and its implications

    • The Asia-Pacific seas provide food, livelihoods and a sense of identity, especially for coastal communities in the Pacific island states.
    • Escalating strains on the marine environment is threatening our growth and way of life.
    • In less than a century, climate change and unsustainable resource management have degraded ecosystems and diminished biodiversity.
    • Over-fishing has exponentially increased, leaving fish stocks and food systems vulnerable.
    • Marine plastic pollution originating from region’s rivers has contributed to most of the debris flooding the ocean.

    Lack of data for SDG 14: Life below water

    • Insights from ‘Changing Sails: Accelerating Regional Actions for Sustainable Oceans in Asia and the Pacific’, the theme study of this year’s Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), focuses a lot on the need of data collection in the region.
    • At present, data are available for only two out of ten targets for the Sustainable Development Goal 14, ‘Life Below Water’.
    • Due to limitations in methodology and national statistical systems, information gaps have persisted at uneven levels across countries.

    Challenges facing the region

    1. Plastic Pollution

    • Asia and the Pacific produces nearly half of global plastic by volume, of which it consumes 38%.
    • Plastics represent a double burden for the ocean:  1) their production generates CO2 absorbed by the ocean, 2) as a final product enters the ocean as pollution.
    • Need of the hour is effective national policies and re-thinking production cycles i.e. promoting a circular economy approach.
    • Economic incentives and disincentives are necessary for the adoption of these policies as well as for minimizing resource use.

    2. Decline in fish stocks

    • Region’s position as the world’s largest producer of fish has come at the cost of over-exploitation.
    • The percentage of stocks fished at unsustainable levels has increased threefold from 10% in 1974 to 33% in 2015.
    • Generating complete data on fish stocks, fighting illicit fishing activity and conserving marine areas must remain a priority.

    3. Connectivity of island nations

    • While the most connected shipping economies are in Asia, the small island developing States of the Pacific experience much lower levels of connectivity.
    • This leaves them relatively isolated from the global economy.
    • Closing the maritime connectivity gap must be placed at the centre of regional transport cooperation efforts.
    • We must also work with the shipping community to navigate toward green shipping. Enforcing sustainable shipping policies is essential.

    Areas of cooperation

    • Trans-boundary ocean management and linking ocean data in the region can be the starting step.
    • Harnessing ocean statistics through strong national statistical systems will serve as a compass guiding countries to monitor trends, devise timely responses and clear blind spots.
    • ESCAP by using Ocean Accounts Partnership can help to harmonise ocean data and provide a space for regular dialogue among nations.
    • Translating international agreements and standards into national action is the key here. Also ensuring capacity building among nations to do so.
    • ESCAP is working with member states to implement International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements.

    Consider the question-“What are the challenges facing the nations of Asia-Pacific amid growing levels of pollution and climate change. How cooperation among the countries of the region mitigate the risks? “

    Conclusion

    Our oceans keep our economy and our lives above the waves. We must use the years ahead to steer our collective fleets toward sustainable oceans.

    Back2Basics: ESCAP- United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

    • India has been the founding member of ESCAP.
    • UNESCAP is the regional development arm of the United Nations in Asia and the Pacific, with a membership of 62 Governments, including 58 from the region.
    • Established in 1947 with its headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand.
    • UNESCAP serves as the highest intergovernmental regional platform to promote cooperation among member States for creating a more interconnected region working to achieve inclusive and sustainable economic and social development.
    • It carries out work in the areas of macroeconomic policy, poverty reduction and financing for development; trade and investment; transport; environment and sustainable development; information and communications technology and disaster risk reduction; social development; statistics, sub-regional activities for development; and energy.
    • UNESCAP also focuses on sub-regional activities to provide in-depth technical assistance to address specific key priorities, including poverty reduction and sustainable development, in the respective sub-regions.

    IMO- International Maritime Organisation

    • The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference held in Geneva in 1948.
    • And the IMO came into existence ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959.
    • As a specialized agency of the United Nations, IMO is the global standard-setting authority for the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping.
    • Its main role is to create a regulatory framework for the shipping industry that is fair and effective, universally adopted and universally implemented.
    • IMO measures cover all aspects of international shipping – including ship design, construction, equipment, manning, operation and disposal – to ensure that this vital sector for remains safe, environmentally sound, energy-efficient and secure.

     

  • West Bank Annexation plans by US

    U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss plans to annex parts of the West Bank.

    The strategic location of Gaza strip, West Bank, Dead Sea etc. creates a hotspot for a possible map based prelims question.  Consider this PYQ from 2015 CSP:

    Q. The area known as ‘Golan Heights’ sometimes appears in the news in the context of the events related to:

    a) Central Asia
    b) Middle East
    c) South-East Asia
    d) Central Africa

    Where is West Bank Located?

    • The West Bank is located to the west of the Jordan River.
    • It is a patch of land about one and a half times the size of Goa, was captured by Jordan after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
    • Israel snatched it back during the Six-Day War of 1967 and has occupied it ever since.
    • It is a landlocked territory, bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel to the south, west, and north.
    • Following the Oslo Accords between the Israeli government and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) during the 1990s, part of the West Bank came under the control of the Palestinian Authority.
    • With varying levels of autonomy, the Palestinian Authority controls close to 40 percent of West Bank today, while the rest is controlled by Israel.

    Back2Basics: Gaza Strip

    • The Gaza Strip is a small boot-shaped territory along the Mediterranean coast between Egypt and Israel.
    • A couple of years later in 2007, Hamas, an anti-Israel military group, took over Gaza Strip. The militia group is often involved in violent clashes with the Israeli Defence Forces.
    • While Palestine has staked claim to both territories — West Bank and Gaza Strip — Israel’s objective has been to keep expanding Jewish settlements in these regions.

    For complete details on Israel-Palestine conflict, kindly refer:

    [Burning Issue] West Asia Peace Plan

  • India-Nepal dispute over Kalapani Region

    Nepal has protested against India’s inauguration of a Himalayan link road built in a disputed territory which falls at a strategic three-way junction with Tibet and China. Kathmandu claims the highly strategic areas of Limpiyadhura and Kalapani, although Indian troops have been deployed there since the 1962 war.

    Practice question for mains:

    Q. The India-Nepal bilateral relations these days are increasingly seen through the lens of China factor. Examine.

    Kalapani Region

    • Mapped within Uttarakhand is a 372-sq km area called Kalapani, bordering far-west Nepal and Tibet.
    • A treaty signed between Nepal and British India in 1816 determined the Makhali river, that runs through Kalapani, as the boundary between the two neighbours.
    • The Treaty of Sugauli concluded between British India and the Kingdom of Nepal in the year 1816, maps the Makhali river as the western boundary with India but different British maps showed the source of the tributary at different places which was mainly due to underdeveloped and less-defined surveying techniques used at that time.
    • However, the river has many tributaries that meet at Kalapani. For this reason, India claims that the river begins at Kalapani but Nepal says that it begins from Lipu Lekh pass, which is the source of most of its tributaries.
    • While the Nepal government and political parties have protested, India has said the new map does not revise the existing boundary with Nepal.
    • India claims that the river begins at Kalapani but Nepal says that it begins from Lipu Lekh pass, which is the source of most of its tributaries.

    Legal Dimension of Issue

    According to International Laws, the principles of avulsion and accretion are applicable in determining the borders when a boundary river changes course.

    • Avulsion: It is the pushing back of the shoreline by sudden, violent action of the elements, perceptible while in progress. Also it can be defined as the sudden and perceptible change in the land brought about by water, which may result in the addition or removal of land from a bank or shoreline.
    • Accretion: It is the process of growth or enlargement by a gradual buildup. It is the natural, slow and gradual deposit of soil by the water.

    If the change of the river course is rapid – by avulsion – the boundary does not change. But if the river changes course gradually – that is, by accretion – the boundary changes accordingly.

    Since, the Gandak change of course has been gradual, India claimed Susta as part of their territory as per international laws.

    • On several occasions, India has tried to resolve the issue through friendly and peaceful negotiations, but the Nepali leadership has always shown hesitation in resolving the issue.
    • In Nepal, the issue has become a tool for arousing strong public sentiment against India. Therefore, resolving the issue may not be in the best interest of Nepal’s domestic politics.

    Significance for India

    • The Lipu Lekh pass serves strategic importance for India as a key point to monitor Chinese troop movement.
    • The link road via Lipulekh Himalayan Pass is also considered one of the shortest and most feasible trade routes between India and China.
    • The Nepalese reaction would probably have triggered in response to Chinese assertion.

    An undefined boundary claimed by Nepal

    • Nepal’s western boundary with India was marked out in the Treaty of Sugauli between the East India Company and Nepal in 1816.
    • Nepali authorities claim that people living in the low-density area were included in the Census of Nepal until 58 years ago.
    • Five years ago, Nepali Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pande claimed that the late King Mahendra had “handed over the territory to India”.
    • By some accounts in Nepal, this allegedly took place in the wake of India-China War of 1962.

    Treaty of Saguali

  • Mapping: Pangong Tso Lake

    Helicopters of the Chinese Army came close to the border during the face-off with the Indian Army near Pangong Tso Lake in Eastern Ladakh last week.

    Keep a watch on some facts related to the Pangong Tso Lake like nearby rivers, passes, Ramsar status etc.

    Aircraft restricted near LAC

    • As per existing agreements between India and China, operation of fighter aircraft and armed helicopters is restricted to a distance from the LAC.
    • According to the Agreement on Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility along the LAC in India-China Border Area’ of 1996 combat aircraft (to include fighter, bomber, reconnaissance, military trainer, armed helicopter and other armed aircraft) shall not fly within 10 km of the LAC.

    Pangong Tso Lake

    • Pangong Tso or Pangong Lake is an endorheic lake in the Himalayas situated at a height of about 4,350 m.
    • It is 134 km long and extends from India to the Tibetan Autonomous Region, China.
    • Approximately 60% of the length of the lake lies within the Tibetan Autonomous Region.
    • The lake is 5 km wide at its broadest point. All together it covers 604 sq.km.
    • During winter the lake freezes completely, despite being saline water.
    • It is not a part of the Indus river basin area and geographically a separate landlocked river basin.
    • Formerly, Pangong Tso had an outlet to Shyok River, a tributary of Indus River, but it was closed off due to natural damming.
    • The lake is in the process of being identified under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance.
    • This will be the first trans-boundary wetland in South Asia under the convention.

    Back2Basics: India-China Border Dispute

    The India-China borders disputes exist between three regions:

    1) J&K region

    • The Aksai Chin sector which originally was a part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir is claimed by China as part of its autonomous Xinjiang region.
    • After the 1962 war, it is administered by China. It is the second-largest Indo-China border area covering over 38000 sq. km. However, it is uninhabited land.
    • While India claims the entire Aksai Chin territory as well as the Shaksgam valley (Indian Territory gifted to China by Pakistan), China contests Indian control over Daulat Beg Oldi (a tehsil in Leh south of Aksai China-it is believed to host the world’s highest airstrip).

    2) Sikkim region

    • China has recognised India’s sovereignty over Sikkim and had initiated the trade at Nathu La pass.
    • However, this is the region where the Doklam standoff took place.

    3) Arunachal Pradesh Region

    • The Arunachal Pradesh border that China still claims to be its own territory is the largest disputed area, covering around 90000 sq. km.
    • It was formally called North-East Frontier Agency.
    • During the 1962 war, the People’s Liberation Army occupied it but they announced a unilateral ceasefire and withdrew respecting the international boundary (Mcmahon Line).
    • However, it has continued to assert its claim over the territory.

  • Seven trends in the geopolitics of the world

    The article examines 7 trends that have been emerging in the global order for quite some time now. The corona crisis has only accentuated these trends. So, what are these trends? read to know more.

    1. The rise of Asia

    • The first trend which became clear in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis is the rise of Asia.
    • Economic historians pointed to its inevitability, recalling that till the 18th century, Asia accounted for half the global GDP.
    • The Industrial Revolution accompanied by European naval expansion and colonialism contributed to the rise of the West, and now the balance is being restored.
    • The 2008 financial crisis showed the resilience of Asian economies.
    • And even today, economic forecasts indicate that out of the G-20 countries, only China and India are likely to register economic growth during 2020.
    • Asian countries have also demonstrated greater agility in tackling the pandemic compared to the United States and Europe.
    • This is not limited to China but a number of other Asian states have shown greater responsiveness and more effective state capacity.
    • Consequently, Asian economies will recover faster than those in the West.

    2. Decline of the US

    • The second trend is the retreat of the U.S.after a century of being in the forefront of shaping the global order.
    • The U.S. played a decisive role in shaping the world, from the World Wars to the leadership of the western world during the Cold War, molding global responses to threats posed by terrorism or proliferation or climate change.
    • But recent examples show that interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq have become quagmires that have sapped domestic political will and resources.
    • President Donald Trump called for “America first” and during the current crisis, the U.S.’s efforts at cornering supplies of scarce medical equipment and medicines and acquiring biotech companies engaged in research and development in allied states, shows that this may mean “America alone”.
    • Moreover, even as countries were losing trust in the U.S.’s leadership, its mishandling at the home of the pandemic indicates that countries are also losing trust in the U.S.’s competence.

    3. Weakening unity of the EU

    • A third trend is the European Union’s continuing preoccupation with internal challenges.
    • This internal disruption is generated three factors: 1) EU’s expansion of membership to include East European states 2) Impact of the financial crisis among the Eurozone members 3) Ongoing Brexit negotiations.
    • Threat perceptions vary between old Europe and new Europe making it increasingly difficult to reach agreement on political matters e.g. relations with Russia and China.
    • Rising populism has given greater voice to Euro-sceptics and permitted some EU members to espouse the virtues of “illiberal democracy”.
    • Adding to this is the North-South divide within the Eurozone.
    • This divide was seen when austerity measures were imposed on Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal a decade ago by the European Central Bank.
    • These austerity measures were persuaded by the fiscally conservative Austria, Germany and the Netherlands.
    • The EU lacked solidarity when Italy was battling the pandemic alone.
    • Further damage was done when Italy was denied medical equipment by its EU neighbours who introduced export controls.
    • Schengen visa or free-border movement has already become a victim to the pandemic.
    • The EU will need considerable soul searching to rediscover the limits of free movement of goods, services, capital and people, the underlying theme of the European experiment of shared sovereignty.

    4. Rise of China

    • China’s growing economic role has been visible since it joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.
    • Its more assertive posture has taken shape under President Xi Jinping’s leadership with the call that a rejuvenated China is now ready to assume global responsibilities.
    • In recent years, the U.S.-China relationship moved from cooperation to competition; and now with trade and technology wars, it is moving steadily to confrontation.
    • A partial economic de-coupling had begun and will gather greater momentum.
    • The Belt and Road Initiative involves investing trillions of dollars in infrastructure building as a kind of pre-emptive move against any U.S. attempts at containment.
    • Even if Mr Xi’s leadership comes under questioning, it may soften some aggressive policy edges but the confrontational rivalry with the U.S. will remain.

    5. Failure of multinational institutions

    • With COVID-19, international and multilateral bodies are nowhere on the scene.
    • The World Health Organisation (WHO) was the natural candidate to lead global efforts against the health crisis but it has become a victim of politics.
    • The UN Security Council (UNSC), the G-7 and the G-20 are paralysed when the world faces the worst recession since 1929.
    • The reality is that these institutions were always subjected to big power politics.
    • During the Cold War, U.S.-Soviet rivalry blocked the UNSC on many sensitive issues and now with major power rivalry returning, finds itself paralysed again.
    • Agencies such as WHO have lost autonomy over the decades as their regular budgets shrank.
    • Budget constraints forced them to increasingly rely on voluntary contributions sourced largely from western countries and foundations.
    • The absence of a multilateral response today highlights the long-felt need for reform of these bodies but this cannot happen without collective global leadership.

    6. The oil prices

    • The two trends were changing energy markets: 1)Growing interest in renewables and green technologies on account of climate change concerns. 2) The U.S. emerging as a major energy producer.
    • Now, a looming economic recession and depressed oil prices will exacerbate internal tensions in West Asian countries which are solely dependent on oil revenues.

    7. Stability of West Asia

    • Long-standing rivalries in the region have often led to local conflicts but can now create political instability in countries where regime structures are fragile.

    Consider the question “The Corona crisis contributed to speeding the failure of a global order which had been faltering before the pandemic afflicted the world. Examine the trends that have been accentuated by the pandemic.”

    Conclusion

    The vaccine may end the corona crisis when it comes, but the unfolding trends in the geopolitics have been altering the world even before the corona crisis and continue to do so after a pandemic is over.