Class Notes 4 You

Botany Optional Preparation for UPSC CSE :  Dr. Mayuri Mukherjee, AIR 159, UPSC CSE 2020  My background in Botany ● B.Sc Honors in Botany, Presidency College, University of Calcutta, 2013 (2nd in University) ● M.Sc in Botany, University of Delhi, 2015 (1st in University) ● Ph.D in Biological Sciences (research area cyanobacterial genomics and transcriptomics), CSIR IICB, 2015- 21 ● Cleared CSIR JRF (AIR 40, June 2014) and GATE Ecology and Evolution (AIR 19, 2015) Did I take coaching/test series for botany? My background in botany had definitely gave me certain advantages which I cannot deny. I could devote much more time in GS papers compared to the optional. I got decent marks (total 277, 140 + 137) in both the papers of botany in mains 2020 and was the only person who cleared CSE with botany optional that year. Honestly, I have been studying botany since last 11 years. Therefore, I was very comfortable in reading foreign author books and research papers. Also few of the book...

Intro:A nuclear doctrine states how a nuclear weapon state would employ its nuclear weapons both during peace and war. India’s nuclear doctrine was adopted in 2003 For NFU: Manpreet Sethi- gives advantages of NFU No need for expensive nuclear infra Onus of escalation is on adversary No need to keep nuclear forces on trigger Arun Prakash( former navy chief) - NFU was adopted, not merely as a token of nuclear restraint and re sponsible conduct, on India's part, but also because it is, by far, the least burdensome and inexpensive form of nuclear-deterrence. Raja Menon- no nfu would destabilize he whole region. In his book A nuclear strategy for India - he talks about increasing India's nuclear capability to build an environment of safety and not to encourage any arms race. For first use : Bharat Karnad of Centre for policy research- NFU may be useful as a political rhetoric but it is a liability in a serious war planning. It requires India to first absorb a nuclear attack before ...

Cold War Chronology: 1917- Bolshevik revolution ; Lenin’s foreign policy that communism in Russia is not secure until and unless it is surrounded by Communist states. Hence Lenin formed Communist international for expansion of communism Stalin formed Cominform. The purpose was to support Communist guerrillas in Europe in countries to install pro Soviet regimes He entered into a nonaggression pact with Germany in 1939 and a neutrality pact with Japan in 1941 His actions were seen as an attempt by western powers to come together to end the liberal hegemony However Russia had to enter into World War II due to Hitler’s invasion (operation Barbarossa) During World War II delay on the part of Allied powers to open second front convinced Stalin that West wanted Russia and Germany to destroy each other In East Europe Stalin wanted puppet regime led by Communist and USA wanted democratic puppet regimes. Manhattan project- USA kept the nuclear project secret from Russia but informed its allies l...

Intro: Men make war because war make them men J Ann Tickner Points out that all the women have played key role in global politics, they are still on the periphery of power and this has been evident not only in the level of state but also in international system level Women are perceived only as complimentary to men both in their status and in their perception of the world Conventional security studies have generally looked at conflict from a top down or structural perspective, feminists have generally taken a bottom-up approach that is analyzing the impact of war at micro-level. Feminists have been particularly concerned with what goes on during wars, especially the impact of war on women and civilians more generally They have challenged the myth that wars are fought to protect women, children and others who are stereo-typically  viewed as “vulnerable” Feminists have brought issue such as war time rape and military prostitution onto the security agenda. Inspired by radical feminist...

Influences: Italian scholar Vico- natural world is made by God , social world is made by humans  Kant- we don't look at the world with naked eyes but with glasses of our culture. For social constructivists-all is in our mind. Alexander Wendt- criticises waltz and says anarchy is not the structure of intl politics it is what states make of it. Nina Tannenwald  Nicholas Onuf - the world of our making. Said cold war- was not inevitable.. Anthony Giddens- Structuration ,i,e. structure do not constrain actor but actors can also change the structures by thinking about them in a different way. However, according to Dale Copeland, constructivists analysis overly downplays the fact that states have difficulties in obtaining information about the motives of other states. Thus, the problem of the uncertainties is not sufficiently analysed by the constructivists. They suggest that neorealists and neoliberal paradigms, both of which emphasise the rate of uncertainty in international r...

Intro- The antagonism b/w India - Pakistan, the two nuclear rivals remains one of the greatest tragedies of Asian politics. While India is contend with the status-quo by accepting Pakistan’s existence, Pakistan on the other hand, seeks to revise the status-quo as it sees India as an existential threat to its survival Trying to reconcile India and Pakistan is like trying to treat two patients whose only disease is an allergy to each other.-G Parthasarthy views of scholars: Stephen P Cohen Dilip Hiro- the longest august- partition is banquo's ghost whose shadow hangs over the Asian sub continent. Uses social constructivism to say India - Pakistan relationship is a result of misconceptions, antagonisms and mutual paranoia of elites that have created a view of the other as a security threat. Hussain Haqqani- Pakistan' reductive nationalism that comprises 95% hate for India and 5% love for Pak.  A relationship which has not been resolved for last seven decades, it can no...