INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Prelims - 2018
SYLLABUS
India and its neighbourhood
India’s bilateral ties with few prominent countries
International Organisations
Regional Groupings
Indian Diaspora
INDIA AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD
India - Nepal
India - Bhutan
India - Bangladesh
India - Myanmar
India - Sri Lanka
India - Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles
India - China
India - Pakistan
INDIA - NEPAL
The India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of
1950 – forms the bedrock of this relationship
It provides for a system of Open Borders and
National Treatment to each other’s citizens
Nepalese citizens have enjoyed unparalleled
advantages in India,
availing facilities and opportunities at par with Indian
citizens.
POLITICAL TIMELINE OF NEPAL
1950s to 1990 – Absolute Monarchy
1990 – Parliamentary Monarchy was introduced
1996 to 2005 – Civil War rages
2005 – 12 Point peace agreement signed
2008 – Nepal becomes a Democratic, Secular,
Federal, Republic
2008 to 2015 – Constitutional Crisis
2015 – New Constitution adopted
2017 – First stable government elected
CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS (2008 - 2015)
Federalism
Inclusive Constitution
Equitable representation for Madhesis and
Janjatis
INDIA – NEPAL BORDER DISPUTES
Territorial disputes at Kalapani and Susta.
a legacy of British India
Present border drawn in 1814 during Partition of
Nepal under Treaty of Sugauli – lacks clarity
especially with regard to water resources
Joint Technical Level Nepal-India Boundary
Committee (JTLNIBC) – survey completed but both
countries have failed to ratify
INDIA – NEPAL PROJECTS
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been providing
technical, advisory, and financial support to the BBIN MVA
initiative as part of its assistance to the South Asia Sub-
Regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) programme, a
projects-based economic cooperation initiative that brings
together the BBIN countries, Maldives, Sri Lanka and
more recently, Myanmar.
Visakhapatnam Port has been declared as the second
gateway port for Nepal after Kolkata-Haldia.
India to sponsor the construction of a new Bridge over Mechi
River at Indo-Nepal border.
The Mechi River is a trans-boundary river flowing through
Nepal and India. It is a tributary of the Mahananda
River. The Mechi originates in the Mahabharat Range in
Nepal.
INDIA – NEPAL DEFENCE TIES
Operation Maitri – India carried out HADR operations to
assist Nepal during the massive earthquake of 2015.
Surya Kiran – annual military exercise.
INDIA – NEPAL BUDDHIST CIRCUIT PROJECT
The map of the Buddhist circuit as envisaged by India
comprises Bodh Gaya, Vaishali, Rajgir and
Kushinagar in Bihar, Sarnath, and Shravasti in
India, along with Kapilavastu and Lumbini in Nepal
where Buddha was born.
CHINA IN NEPAL
Sagarmatha Exercise – 1st ever military exercise held in
2017.
Tianjin Port – China has offered it as an alternative to
Kolkata port.
INDIA - BHUTAN
1949 India–Bhutan Friendship Treaty
Bhutan agreed to be ‘guided’ by India in its foreign
relations and India agreed not to interfere in Bhutan’s
internal affairs.
India also has the obligation to defend Bhutan.
Bhutan’s development in the initial decades has almost
entirely been financed by India.
India and Bhutan also have a free trade regime
India maintains an Indian Military Training Team
(IMTRAT) in Bhutan
Bhutan has cooperated with India in clearing out the bases
of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and Bodo
groups from its territory in 2003
INDIA - BHUTAN
Hydro Power Co-operation - The revenues that Bhutan
earns from sale of surplus electricity to India have
given Bhutan the highest per capita income in South
Asia, and enabled it to reduce its budgetary
dependence on India.
The Lhotsampas Refugee crisis in 1990s
ASTANA CONSENSUS
India and China had arrived at a consensus between Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jin
Ping at Astana on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in
June 2017.
Both sides agreed not digress from their commitment
for peaceful resolution of all disputes.
LAND BOUNDARY AGREEMENT – ENCLAVE ISSUE
India resolved the enclave issue by passing the 119th
Constitutional amendment bill which enacted the 100th
Constitution amendment.
FARAKKA BARRAGE DISPUTE
Farakka Barrage is a barrage across the Ganga River,
in West Bengal.
The purpose of the barrage is to divert water from the
Ganga to the Hooghly River for flushing out the
sediment deposition from the Kolkata harbour
without the need of regular mechanical dredging.
Bangladesh has environmental concerns such as
increase in salinity level, contaminated fisheries,
hindered navigation.
FENI RIVER Feni River is a river in the Indian state of Tripura and
southeastern Bangladesh.
It is a trans-boundary river with an ongoing dispute about water rights.
The Feni River originates in South Tripura district and flows through Sabroom town and then enters Bangladesh.
Tripura to construct bridge on river Feni to connect Chittagong port
Landlocked Tripura has decided to construct a 150-metre bridge on river Feni to connect the State with Chittagong port in Bangladesh.
This bridge would not only connect Tripura but also the whole of north-east region plagued by serious connectivity issues
BARAK RIVER AND TIPAIMUKH DAM
It rises in the Patkari range of Manipur and flows
through Mizoram and into Assam, and just after it
enters Bangladesh it forks into Surma and Kushiyara
rivers.
BARAK RIVER AND TIPAIMUKH DAM Tipaimukh Dam is a proposed embankment dam on the
river Barak in Manipur
The purpose of the dam is flood control and hydroelectric power generation.
Project delayed due dispute between India and Bangladesh over water rights, floods and environmental concerns.
The Union Cabinet has approved MoU between India and Bangladesh for fairway development of Ashuganj-Zakiganj stretch of Kushiyara river and Sirajganj-Daikhawa stretch of Jamuna river.
Benefits of this MoU:
The MoU will considerably reduce the logistics cost of cargo movement to North Eastern India.
It will also reduce the congestion through the Siliguri Chicken’s Neck corridor.
TEESTA RIVER
The Teesta River originates from the Phanuri (or
Teesta Kangse) glacier in Sikkim and enters West
Bengal and finally flows into Bangladesh to join
Jamuna (Brahmaputra), and drains into Bay of Bengal.
The dispute has come close to a resolution but not yet
finalized.
INDIA – BANGLADESH CONNECTIVITY
Petrapole Integrated Check Post in West Bengal is
the largest land custom point in India and Asia.
Petrapole ICP will be the second ICP on the India-
Bangladesh border after the Agartala ICP at the
Agartala (Tripura) - Akhaura (Bangladesh) land border
DEFENCE & STRATEGIC TIES
Sampriti - military exercise
Sundarban Moitry (Sundarban Alliance) - first of its
kind exercise between the BSF and the BGB.
Civil Nuclear Co-operation - India will participate in
construction and installation works in the “non-critical”
category for the first nuclear power plant in Bangladesh
at Rooppur in association with Russia.
Operation Insaniyat – Indian assistance to Bangladesh
to help deal with the influx of Rohingya refugees in 2017
BORDER PASS FOR FREE MOVEMENT
India and Myanmar are all set to streamline free movement of people within 16 km along their borders.
The Centre has asked the four states that share unfenced border with Myanmar to distribute “border pass” to all the residents living within 16 km from the boundary line.
It has also asked the governments of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram to enrol the border residents under Aadhaar on war footing.
The border pass will be given only to the domiciles to permit free movement for trade, agriculture and people to people ties.
It will also help address the issue of movement of extremists and smugglers freely across the border.
Rina Mitra Committee - Curb the misuse of free movement along the Myanmar border.
MYANMAR DAM NEAR MANIPUR
Myanmar is building a new dam, close to the border near Manipur. This has raised some concerns among the border villages in Manipur.
The Tuidimjang Dam, is being built on the Twigem River. Twigem River flows into Myanmar from Manipur. The dam is barely 100 metres from the zero line separating the two countries.
International rules warrant border countries to check activities in No Man’s Land.
This applies to a 150-metre strip on either side of the boundary line.
Border villagers in Manipur’s Chandel district are concerned of the project. The residents of Khangtung village recently reported to the Chandel district officials.
Khangtung is inhabited by the Thadou tribe and is 137 km south of Manipur capital Imphal.
MILITARY EXERCISES
1. IMBAX
The first India-Myanmar bilateral military exercise
was held in Meghalaya in 2017.
The joint exercise is the first of its kind military
training exercise on United Nations Peacekeeping
Operations between India and Myanmar.
2. IMCOR
Indo-Myanmar Coordinated Patrol is a naval exercise
along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL)
in the Andaman Sea.
INDIA – SRI LANKA
Question of 13th Amendment - peace, reconciliation and rehabilitation of Tamil
victims of civil war.
Issue of Human Rights violation at UNHRC.
Civil Nuclear Co-operation deal signed in 2015.
Fisherman Dispute
INDIA’S COUNTER TO CHINA IN THE IOR
Regional Initiatives – BIMSTEC, IORA, IONS etc.
Trilateral arrangement established between India,
Sri Lanka and Maldives in 2011. Mauritius has been
invited to join this arrangement.
Coastal Surveillance Radar project.
Maldives – India gifted INS Tilanchang – a fast attack
craft and iHaven SEZ Project, Mauritius – India gifted
offshore patrol vessel INS Barracuda, Agalega
Islands.
Seychelles – Assumption Islands.
Project Mausam.
Buddhist Heritage (Kapilavastu Relics displayed in Sri
Lanka).
JOINT MILITARY EXERCISES IN IOR
Sri Lanka – Mitra Shakti and SLINEX
Maldives – Ekuverin and Dosti
Seychelles – LAMITIYE
USA - Malabar (few editions have included Japan,
Australia and Singapore)
6. INDIA - CHINA
Panchsheel principles of 1954:
1. Mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and
sovereignty.
2. Mutual non-aggression.
3. Mutual non-interference in each other's internal affairs.
4. Equality and cooperation for mutual benefit.
5. Peaceful co-existence.
BRAHMAPUTRA DISPUTE AND SIANG RIVER TURNS
BLACK
Recently China was blamed for affecting the flow in Siang.
China has been planning to dig the world’s longest
tunnel to change the course of Yarlung Tsangpo from
Tibet towards Taklamakan desert in Xinjiang.
INDIA - PAKISTAN
1947-48: Operation Gulmarg
1965: Operation Gibraltar and Tashkent Agreement
1971: Liberation of Bangladesh and Shimla Agreement
1984 : Operation Meghdoot
2002 Cold Start Doctrine
GUJRAL DOCTRINE (1996-97)
1. With neighbours like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, India does not ask for reciprocity, but gives and accommodates what it can in good faith and trust. 2. No South Asian country should allow its territory to be used against the interest of another country of the region. 3. No country should interfere in the internal affairs of another. 4. All South Asian countries must respect each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. 5. They should settle all their disputes through peaceful bilateral negotiations.
INDIA – ISRAEL DEFENCE TIES
Barak SAM – air defence system
LRSAM & MRSAM – DRDO & IAI
Phalcon AWACS
Drones- Heron, Searcher and Heron TP (Armed
UAV’s)
Spike – Anti –tank missiles
Space (TecSAR, RISAT)
Cyber security (Talpiot programme - Stuxnet)
INDIA – ISRAEL
Agriculture – Drought resistant crops, high yield crops
and Precision Agriculture
Water Management – Drip Irrigation
Water Desalination – Gal-Mobile