Class Notes 4 You

India has ranked 27th, in the Global Soft-Power Index 2020. Soft power is the ability of a country to persuade others to do what it wants without resorting to force or coercion. It lies in a country’s attractiveness and comes from three resources: its culture (in places where it is attractive to others), its political values (when it lives up to them at home and abroad), its foreign policies (when they are seen as legitimate and having moral authority). Indian scholars like Kautilya and Kamandak have referred to ‘soft’ diplomacy, including the practice of sandhi (peace). India’s Strengths as a Soft Power long history, culture and civilization: attracted both intellectuals and common folk from across the globe Presence of all the major religions of the world : Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism and from outside- Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Indian government is using this in its outreach to East, Southeast, and Central Asia Buddhism. Yoga and Meditation: hea...

WTO dispute settlement panel ruled against India in a trade dispute over its subsidies to exporters under various schemes, stating that the subsidies given are not compliant with the WTO’s norms. US challenged export subsidies provided by India under 5 sets of schemes which violated WTO’s Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM) Agreement that prohibits subsidies that are contingent upon export performance.  Export-Oriented Units, Electronics Hardware Technology Park and Bio-Technology Park (EOU/EHTP/BTP) Schemes Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) Scheme Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Scheme Duty-Free Imports for Exporters Scheme (DFIS) Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) What are export subsidies? foreign trade policies undertaken by the governments to encourage export of goods and discourage sale of goods on the domestic market through direct payments, low-cost loans, tax relief for exporters, or government-financed international advertising. seen as trade-distortin...

India has been elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for a two-year term . India, the only endorsed candidate from the Asia-Pacific States , It will be India’s 8th term as non-permanent member at the UNSC. Agenda   Categories of membership Question of veto Regional representation Size of enlarged council and it's working methods  Security council general assembly relationship  Need   Changing Geopolitics  More countries need to be represented in highly globalized world  Membership at present was of a time when crisis in world  Stability in world order  Reforms long overdue  Emphasis on global representation needs it at all levels  Permanent 5 seen as rigid and adamant to not reform signalling failure to part with power  Inequitable economic and geographical representation  No rep from South Africa and Latin America  1 from asia under representation considering population  North south divide all ...

US President economic sanctions against officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for their investigation into alleged war crimes by U.S. forces and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Afghanistan since 2003. ICC is permanent international court established to investigate, prosecute and try individuals accused of committing the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole , namely genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. Limitation of ICC Disproportionately targeting the African continent: Of more than two dozen cases, all have dealt with alleged crimes in African states. Lack of participation by three permanent members of the UN Security council: China, USA, Russia Imposition of certain principles: to transpose principles of liberal democracy to all states, and to impose ‘one-size-fits-all’ solutions in order to provide international justice Jurisdiction of the ICC over internal conflicts: could misuse its j...

PM Narendra Modi skipping the summit, marking India’s transformation from a non-aligned country to one which is supposedly multi-aligned . NAM held its first conference Belgrade Conference in 1961 under the leadership of India, Yugoslavia, Egypt, Ghana, and Indonesia .It has 120 members comprising 53 from Africa, 39 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean and 2 from Europe (Belarus, Azerbaijan). There are 17 countries and 10 international organizations that are Observers at NAM. Indian Prime Minister participated in online Summit of NAM Contact Group 2020 to declare solidarity during COVID-19 Pandemic- Themed ‘United against COVID-19’ NAM leaders announced creation of a task force to identify requirements of member countries through a common database reflecting their basic medical, social and humanitarian needs in the fight against COVID-19. The policy of non-alignment was based on the five principles of Panchasheel - Mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrit...

Recently, there have been allegations on the course of action pursued by the WHO in the COVID-19 pandemic . These developments have fuelled observers to suspect China’s influence on the organisation, and raises questions regarding its politicisation. World Health Organisation (WHO) established in 1948 as a UN specialised agency as a global institution to expand international health cooperation. Structure The World Health Assembly - supreme decision making body comprising all member states to determine policy direction The Executive Board - technical experts to oversee the implementation of WHA’s decisions The Secretariat - headed by the Director General and functions as WHO’s administrative and technical organ with the overall responsibility for implementing its activities Funding - system of assessed and voluntary contributions. Assessed contributions are paid by all member states, and are calculated on the basis of a country’s gross national product and population Voluntary contri...

Human rights are rights we have simply because we exist as human beings – they are not granted by any state . These universal rights are inherent to us all, regardless of nationality, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status.  They range from the most fundamental – the right to life – to those that make life worth living, such as the rights to food, education, work, health, and liberty Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948, was the first legal document to set out the fundamental human rights to be universally protected. Importance of HRC Assessing the human rights records of all UN Member States   through the Universal Periodic Review. Appointing independent experts (known as “Special Procedures”) to review human rights violations and examine and further global human rights issues. Examining complaints from victims of human rights violations Promote human rights education and learning S...