Topper IAS Discussion - Recent questions and answers in International Relations

Answered: Explain complete israel and palasteine issue ?

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 18:55:28 +0000

The Israel-Palestine conflict is a complex and long-standing issue that spans over a century. Here is a detailed timeline and flowchart of the events:

Late 1800s: The Zionist movement, which aims to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine, begins to gain traction in Europe.

1917: The Balfour Declaration, a statement from the British government supporting the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, is issued.

1920: The League of Nations grants Britain a mandate over Palestine.

1922: Britain partitions Palestine into two regions, one for Jews and one for Arabs.

1936-1939: Palestinian Arabs revolt against British rule and Jewish immigration.

1947: The United Nations adopts a plan to partition Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states. Jewish leaders accept the plan, but Arab leaders reject it.

1948: Israel declares independence, sparking a war with neighboring Arab countries. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees flee or are forced to leave their homes.

1964: The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is established, with the aim of reclaiming Palestinian land and establishing a Palestinian state.

1967: In the Six-Day War, Israel gains control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.

1978: Israel and Egypt sign the Camp David Accords, which leads to the return of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt.

1987-1993: The First Intifada, a Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation, takes place.

1993: Israel and the PLO sign the Oslo Accords, which aim to establish a Palestinian state and grant limited autonomy to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

2000: The Second Intifada breaks out, leading to a renewed cycle of violence.

2005: Israel withdraws its settlements from Gaza.

2006: Hamas, a militant group that opposes Israel, wins Palestinian legislative elections.

2008-2009: Israel launches a military operation in Gaza, killing hundreds of Palestinians.

2014: Another conflict erupts between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, resulting in over 2,000 deaths.

2018: The United States moves its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

2021: Violence breaks out in Jerusalem, leading to a new round of conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The flowchart of the conflict can be summarized as follows:

Zionist movement -> British Mandate -> Partition plan -> Israeli independence -> Palestinian refugees -> Occupation of West Bank and Gaza Strip -> Peace agreements -> Renewed violence -> Continued occupation and settlement building -> Current conflict.

It should be noted that this is a simplified overview of a very complex issue, and there are many nuances and complexities that are not included in this timeline and flowchart.

Answered: What is the historical tie between India and Saudi Arabia?

Sun, 19 Mar 2023 12:14:00 +0000

India and Saudi Arabia share a long history of bilateral ties, built upon shared values, culture and strong people-to-people links. Trade and cultural links between ancient India and Arabia date back to the third millennium BC. By 1000 AD, the trade relations between southern India and Arabia flourished and became the backbone of the Arabian economy¹. One of the first countries to forge ties with the Third Saudi State was India³. India's relationship with Saudi Arabia has flourished since 1947, the year India got independence. By 1954 ties between the two nations had been fully upgraded². Today, more than three million Indians live in Saudi Arabia, forming the largest expatriate community in the Kingdom².

Answered: What is the new U.K. policy on refugees?

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 17:31:07 +0000

The Conservative government of the U.K. has proposed to adopt a new, stricter policy to deal with asylum seekers who arrive on the island via boat. The government has taken this step to fulfil a promise made in January 2023 by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, to “stop the boats”. The proposed plan to deport to origin or remove asylum seekers arriving in the U.K. by boat to a third country has been sharply criticised by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and by leaders of the European Union, who have argued that the new U.K. policy is incompatible with international law, specifically the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The Bill, when passed into law by the U.K. Parliament, will require that the Home Secretary detain and remove those arriving in the U.K. illegally, either to Rwanda or another “safe” third country.

Answered: What is China's plan for Hainan?

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 17:25:53 +0000

China is looking to establish Hainan, a lush tropical island in the South China Sea, as China's first "Free Trade Port" (FTP) to deepen its position as an economic lynchpin for the region. The FTP blueprint aims to establish the 35,000 sq km island as China's most open economic region by 2025, with the ultimate goal of building a tropical Dubai in the middle of the South China Sea by 2035. Hainan will essentially establish itself as a separate administrative trading entity within China, with the "free flow through the first line, control at the second line" model at its heart. The plan proposes "five frees" referring to free trade, investment, cross-border capital flows, transportation, and exit and entry, with the broader idea of attracting foreign enterprises, particularly from Southeast Asia, to use Hainan as a base for trade, offering incentives such as zero tariffs and the lowest tax rate in China.

Answered: What are the challenges that Australia is facing in implementing the AUKUS partnership for acquiring nuclear-powered submarines?

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 17:03:37 +0000

The AUKUS partnership between the US, the UK, and Australia has the potential to shape the strategic contours of maritime Asia. Australia plans to operate a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines within the next decade, which it sees as a significant leap in its defence capability. However, the country faces several challenges in implementing the AUKUS partnership for acquiring nuclear-powered submarines. Many of Australia's regional partners are opposed to the Royal Australian Navy operating nuclear attack submarines. The U.S. export control and protocol regime could jeopardize the technology transfer agreement, particularly in areas related to undersea capabilities and electronic warfare. Additionally, acquiring nuclear propulsion technology is complicated, and Australia has to exploit a loophole that allows non-nuclear weapon countries to withdraw the fissile material required for submarine reactors from the International Atomic Energy Agency-monitored stockpile. The removal of such fissile material could set a dangerous precedent for potential proliferators to use naval reactors as a cover for future nuclear weapons development.

In conclusion, the optimal pathway for AUKUS is likely to be announced soon, and the challenges that Australia faces in implementing the partnership for acquiring nuclear-powered submarines are instructive for Indian observers. Nuclear technology transfer is complicated, and acquiring critical technology from the U.S. remains a daunting prospect for India.

Answered: What is the current state of relations between China and the United States, and how are they impacting the rest of the world?

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 17:03:17 +0000

The relations between China and the United States have been rapidly deteriorating and appear to be reaching a point of no return. During the annual session of the National People’s Congress, Chinese leaders took aim at the recent approach of the United States to ties, with President Xi Jinping stating that China was facing unprecedented severe challenges due to Western countries, led by the U.S., implementing all-round containment and suppression of China. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang also rejected the Biden administration’s claim that it seeks to out-compete China but does not seek conflict, saying that it means to contain and suppress China in all respects.

Recent events suggest that the rift between the two countries is here to stay, with both sides shoring up alliances and partnerships in the region. For the rest of the world, this is creating uncertainty and difficult challenges. China is increasingly looking at the rest of the world through the prism of its all-encompassing U.S. rivalry, and appears to be mending fences with Europe while courting its neighbours. The U.S., on the other hand, is shoring up alliances and partnerships in the region. India, in particular, must be nimble enough to exploit the opportunities in an increasingly divided world.

As the world's two biggest powers, it is important that China and the United States do not allow their differences to polarize the world. The two leaders had agreed to "responsibly manage" competition at the G-20 Indonesia meet in November 2022, but recent events have not inspired confidence. Both sides must work towards finding a way to resolve their differences and coexist peacefully for the benefit of the entire world.

Answered: What is the difference between ICJ and ICC?

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 16:51:01 +0000

International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC)

Parameter	ICJ	ICC
Purpose	Resolves legal disputes between consenting states	Prosecutes individuals for international crimes
Jurisdiction	Contentious and advisory	Prosecutorial and judicial
Membership	193 member states	123 member states
Judges	15 judges appointed by the General Assembly and Security Council	18 judges elected by member states, each judge serves a nine-year term
Prosecutors	N/A	1 Chief Prosecutor and several Deputy Prosecutors
Cases heard	Legal disputes between states, including issues of boundary disputes, territorial sovereignty, and human rights	War crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression
Location	The Hague, Netherlands	The Hague, Netherlands
Examples of cases heard	Nicaragua v. United States (1986), Germany v. Italy (2012)	Thomas Lubanga, Joseph Kony, Jean-Pierre Bemba
Binding decisions	Contentious jurisdiction decisions are binding on parties	Judgments and orders are binding on parties and states parties to the Rome Statute
Non-binding decisions	Advisory opinions are non-binding, but can carry normative weight	N/A

It's worth noting that while the ICJ and ICC have some similarities, they serve very different purposes and have different jurisdictions. The ICJ is a generalist court that resolves legal disputes between consenting states, while the ICC is a specialized court that prosecutes individuals for serious international crimes.