Aspirant Academy

Polity, Governance and Current Affairs

Predicted Questions with Model Answers

Global Platforms: UN, WTO, EU, ASEAN, BRICS, G-20, QUAD, I2U2, AUKUS, DAKSHIN

Paper III · Unit 1 Section 11 of 13 0 PYQs 30 min
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Predicted Questions with Model Answers

Q1 (5 marks — 50 words): What is QUAD? Mention its members and current focus areas.

Answer (EN): QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) is a strategic forum comprising India, USA, Australia, and Japan. First met in 2007; revived 2017; elevated to Heads of Government level in March 2021. Focus areas: Free and Open Indo-Pacific, critical technology (semiconductors, AI), climate action, vaccine/health security, and infrastructure investment as alternative to China's BRI.

Q2 (5 marks — 50 words): Write a short note on AUKUS and its strategic significance.

Answer (EN): AUKUS (Australia-UK-USA) was announced on 15 September 2021. Its core commitment: providing Australia with nuclear-powered submarines (not nuclear-armed) using US-UK technology — replacing France's diesel submarine contract. Second pillar covers AI, quantum, cyber, and hypersonic technologies. AUKUS is seen as a counter to China's Indo-Pacific ambitions; India aligns strategically with AUKUS objectives via QUAD.

Q3 (5 marks — 50 words): What is BRICS? Explain its 2023 expansion.

Answer (EN): BRICS is a grouping of major emerging economies — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. At the Johannesburg Summit (August 2023), six new members were invited to join from 1 January 2024: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Argentina (Argentina later declined). The expanded BRICS represents 40% of global oil supply and over 3.5 billion people — surpassing G7 in PPP-GDP terms.

Q4 (10 marks — 150 words): Discuss India's engagement with global platforms like BRICS, G-20, and QUAD, and examine their significance for India.

Answer (EN): India's engagement with these three platforms reflects a sophisticated multi-vector foreign policy that simultaneously deepens multiple partnerships without binding alliance commitments.

G-20: India's 2023 presidency elevated India's global stature. Key outcomes — African Union permanent membership, IMEC, Global Biofuels Alliance — demonstrated India's ability to build consensus even on divisive issues (Ukraine language). G-20 reinforces India's case for reformed multilateralism and UNSC permanent membership.

BRICS: India uses BRICS as a platform for Global South advocacy, NDB financing for infrastructure, and de-dollarisation experiments (India-Russia trade in INR). India's challenge: preventing BRICS from becoming an anti-Western bloc under China-Russia influence. The BRICS expansion (2024) increases India's voice in a larger coalition.

QUAD: QUAD is India's primary Indo-Pacific security platform. It provides intelligence sharing (China's naval movements in IOR), access to advanced US military technology (GE engines, MQ-9B drones), and political signalling to China about India's alignment with the democratic Indo-Pacific countries. India emphasises QUAD's positive agenda (vaccines, technology, climate) rather than purely military character.

Conclusion: India's "multi-alignment" strategy — participating in BRICS (with China and Russia) and QUAD (with US, Australia, Japan) simultaneously — maximises strategic flexibility. India avoids choosing sides while extracting economic and security benefits from multiple partnerships.

Q5 (5 marks — 50 words): What is I2U2? What was its first major outcome?

Answer (EN): I2U2 is a grouping of India, Israel, UAE, and USA, announced October 2021 in the context of the Abraham Accords. The first I2U2 Leaders' Summit (July 2022) produced a concrete outcome: UAE committed $2 billion to build food parks in India incorporating Israeli agricultural technology (drip irrigation, precision farming), with US technical support — addressing India's food processing and agricultural technology goals.

Q6 (10 marks — 150 words): Examine the role of the United Nations Security Council in maintaining international peace. What are the challenges to its effectiveness?

Answer (EN): The UN Security Council carries the "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security" under Article 24 of the UN Charter. It is the only body whose resolutions are legally binding on all UN members under Chapter VII.

Successes: UNSC authorised interventions that prevented/ended conflicts — Korean War (1950), Gulf War coalition (1990), East Timor independence (1999), Libya civilian protection (2011). It has authorised 71 peacekeeping missions across 4 continents with 100,000+ uniformed personnel currently deployed in 12 missions.

Challenges:

  1. Veto paralysis: Russia has used veto 17+ times since 2011 on Syria resolutions alone, preventing action on chemical weapons use. China and Russia jointly blocked sanctions on Myanmar (2022) and North Korea (2022). The Ukraine War (2022) exposed UNSC's total inability to act when a P5 member is the aggressor.

  2. Legitimacy deficit: The UNSC composition reflects 1945 power distribution — Europe is over-represented (3 P5 seats: UK, France, Russia) while Africa, Latin America, and South/Southeast Asia have no permanent representation (combined = 4+ billion people).

  3. Reform stalemate: G4 (India, Germany, Japan, Brazil) campaign for permanent seats is blocked by the "Uniting for Consensus" bloc (Italy, Pakistan, South Korea) and the inherent interest of P5 in the status quo.

  4. Non-state actors: UNSC is designed for inter-state conflicts; terrorism, cyber attacks, and climate threats don't fit neatly into its mandate.

Way Forward: India advocates UNSC expansion — Category A seats with veto (or veto moratorium); equitable geographic representation; transparent working methods. India's UNSC presidency (2021–22) championed maritime security and counter-terrorism reforms.