UPSC Mains 2020 GS Paper 4 Q8: model answer
The Chairman of Bharat Missiles Ltd (BML) was watching a program on TV wherein the Prime Minister was addressing the nation on the necessity of developing a self-reliant India. He subconsciously nodded in agreement and smiled to himself as he mentally reviewed BML’s journey in the past two decades. BML had admirably progressed from producing first generation anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) to designing and producing state of the art ATGM weapon systems that would be the envy of any army. He sighed in reconciliation with his assumptions that the government would probably not alter the status quo of a ban on export of military weaponry. To his surprise, the very next day he got a telephone call from the Director General, Ministry of Defence, asking him to discuss the modalities of increasing BML production of ATGMs as there is a probability of exporting the same to a friendly foreign country. The Director General wanted the Chairman to discuss the details with his staff at Delhi next week. Two days later, at a press conference, the Defence Minister stated that he aims to double the current weapons export levels within five years. This would give an impetus to financing the development and manufacturing of indigenous weapons in the country. He also stated that all indigenous arms manufacturing nations have a very good record of the international arms trade. As the Chairman of BML, what are your views on the following points? (a) As an arms exporter of a responsible nation like India, what are the ethical issues involved in arms trade? (b) List five ethical factors that would influence the decision to sell arms to foreign governments.(250 words)
What the question wants
As Chairman of a missile maker, discuss the ethical issues in arms trade for a responsible nation and list five ethical factors in deciding arms sales to foreign governments.
How to structure it
Issues, five factors.
(a) Ethical issues
(b) Five factors
How to think it through
BrahMos to Philippines (2022, $375 million). India member of Wassenaar Arrangement (2017), MTCR (2016), Australia Group (2018); not ATT signatory. Issues: weapons may be used against civilians, human rights; fuelling regional conflicts; diversion to terrorists; corruption in arms deals (Bofors); economic gain and self-reliance; strategic partnerships; just war theory. Five factors: end-use and human rights record of buyer; regional stability; risk of diversion/re-export; compliance with international regimes and UN embargoes; strategic and diplomatic consistency (non-alignment, not arming aggressors); transparency and anti-corruption.
Model answer
Stakeholders
- The buyer's citizens and neighbours; Indian armed forces; BML workers; the government; international community; me as Chairman.
Dilemmas
- Profit and self-reliance vs risk of harm; strategic partnership vs human rights.
Options
- Sell to anyone who pays; refuse all exports; sell under strict, value-based criteria.
A missile does not ask who fired it. That is why an arms exporter's ethics must work before the sale, not after.
(a) Ethical issues in the arms trade
- Harm to civilians: weapons sold for defence can be turned on protesters or minorities.
- Fuelling conflict: sales can tilt regional balances and prolong wars.
- Diversion: arms may reach terrorists or third countries.
- Corruption: big defence deals have a long history of kickbacks; Bofors still shapes Indian memory, and every agent's commission is a hidden cost to someone's security.
- Economic and strategic good: exports keep production lines viable, fund research, create jobs and strengthen partners, as the BrahMos sale to the Philippines in 2022 showed.
- Consistency with India's image: a country that speaks of peace and non-alignment must not become a merchant of war.
(b) Five ethical factors in deciding a sale
1. End use and human rights: the buyer's record and binding end-user certificates that bar use against civilians.
2. Regional stability: will the sale deter aggression or feed an arms race or an ongoing conflict?
3. Risk of diversion or re-export: strength of the buyer's controls; no sale to states linked with terror groups.
4. International law and regimes: UN Security Council embargoes and the norms of regimes India belongs to, such as the Wassenaar Arrangement and the MTCR.
5. Transparency and integrity of the deal: government-to-government routes, no agents' commissions, and disclosure to Parliament where possible.
As Chairman
- I would welcome the opportunity for self- reliance, but ask the Ministry to issue a written export policy built on these factors.
- I would build a compliance cell in BML to monitor end use.
Selling arms responsibly is possible. Selling them blindly is not responsibility at all.
Draw: A checklist of five gates a sale must pass: end use, stability, diversion, law, integrity.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
arms trade ethics, civilian harm, regional stability, diversion, end-user certificate, Bofors, BrahMos Philippines 2022, Wassenaar Arrangement, MTCR, UN embargoes, government-to-government, transparency, self-reliance, compliance cell.
Where most answers lose marks
- Giving only the economic case, or refusing all exports on pacifist grounds without addressing self-reliance.
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Question text as printed in the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) question paper. The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.
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