Chapter 9 · Topic 9.1 · Prelims + Mains1 of 3
India & the World: India’s global role
Key points
- India's global role.
- Values in IR.
Prelims box: facts and traps
| Tension | Balanced answer |
|---|---|
| sovereignty vs human rights | protect people through UN-backed, peaceful means first |
| national interest vs global good | enlightened self-interest: global stability helps India |
| power vs principle | strength with restraint. |
- India's government has presented the vision of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ (PIB, 21 April 2024).
- The Responsibility to Protect principle was adopted by all Heads of State and Government in the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document (A/RES/60/1) (United Nations, Office on Genocide Prevention and R2P).
India’s global role
Past topics: UPSC CSE Essay, Section A, topic 2 (official UPSC question paper): “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”; UPSC CSE Essay, Section A, topic 4 (official UPSC question paper): “When two elephants fight, it is the grass that gets trampled.”; UPSC CSE Essay, Section A, topic 2 (official UPSC question paper): “The empires of the future will be the empires of the mind.”
More past topics (2014–2020 papers): UPSC CSE Essay, Section A, topic 4 (official UPSC question paper): “Has the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) lost its relevance in a multipolar world?”; UPSC CSE Essay, Section A, topic 4 (official UPSC question paper): “Management of Indian border disputes—a complex task”.
Outline for ‘subdue the enemy without fighting’: the idea comes from Sun Tzu’s Art of War (Giles translation: ‘supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting’). Meaning: strength used wisely deters conflict; diplomacy, alliances, economic strength, technology and soft power can achieve goals without war. Dimensions: deterrence, diplomacy, economic interdependence, information and cyber power, culture (yoga, cinema, diaspora). Counter-view: some threats need force. Reply: force as last resort; prepare strongly to avoid using it. Ethical limit: the goal is peace, not domination.
Outline for ‘when two elephants fight’: great-power rivalry hurts smaller states and the poor (trade wars, sanctions, food and fuel price shocks, proxy conflicts). India’s role: a bridge, voice of the Global South, strategic autonomy, and support for multilateralism. India’s government has presented the vision of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ (PIB, 21 April 2024).
Values in international relations
Verified references: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 (resolution 217 A) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations (United Nations, UDHR page). The Responsibility to Protect principle was adopted by all Heads of State and Government in the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document (A/RES/60/1) (United Nations, Office on Genocide Prevention and R2P).
Use these to discuss tension between sovereignty and human rights, power and principle, national interest and global good. India’s traditions add Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family), non-violence and peaceful coexistence.
| Tension | Balanced answer |
|---|---|
| sovereignty vs human rights | protect people through UN-backed, peaceful means first |
| national interest vs global good | enlightened self-interest: global stability helps India |
| power vs principle | strength with restraint |
Teaching table.
Mains box: analysis and answer points
- India's role: a bridge, voice of the Global South, strategic autonomy, and support for multilateralism.
- Use these to discuss tension between sovereignty and human rights, power and principle, national interest and global good.
- Outline for ‘subdue the enemy without fighting’: the idea comes from Sun Tzu's Art of War (Giles translation: ‘supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting’).
- Likely next angle: Global South voice
Practice
Write an answer
In 150 words, explain the significance of India & the World with one recent example.
Flashcards (10)
2025 art of war topic?
The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.
Source of that line?
Sun Tzu's Art of War.
2026 elephants topic?
When two elephants fight, the grass gets trampled.
Tools to win without war?
Deterrence, diplomacy, economy, soft power.
India's role in rivalry?
Bridge, Global South voice, strategic autonomy.
UDHR proclaimed?
10 December 1948, Paris.
UDHR resolution number?
217 A.
R2P adopted in?
2005 World Summit Outcome Document.
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam?
The world is one family.
Four lenses?
Power, principle, people, India.
Next topic · 9.2 →India & the World: Globalisation and its discontentsSyllabus: Essay · Essay: Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics. They will…