International Relations and Global Politics - Study Guide
What the exam tests
International Relations and Global Politics tests theories, actors and instruments, and how institutions such as the UN work. Expect questions on realism and liberalism, the Security Council, India's foreign policy and contemporary conflicts.
Core rules
- Realism stresses anarchy, power, self-help and balance of power. Liberalism stresses institutions, interdependence, trade and domestic preferences. Constructivism stresses norms and identities.
- The UN General Assembly has one state, one vote; the Security Council has five permanent members with veto power and ten elected members.
- UNGA resolutions are generally recommendations, not binding law; Security Council resolutions can be binding under the Charter.
- India's foreign policy emphasises strategic autonomy, non-alignment's legacy, Panchsheel, South–South cooperation and reform of multilateral institutions. India is not a party to the NPT but has a civilian nuclear cooperation framework.
- Instruments include diplomacy, sanctions, deterrence, alliances, aid and soft power.
Worked example
Question: Why is UN Security Council reform difficult? Reason: Expanding the Council requires a Charter amendment: two-thirds of the General Assembly plus ratification by two-thirds of member states, including all P5. The P5 can block reform, and competing groups disagree on categories and veto. A strong answer links the legal procedure to power politics.
Traps
Do not call all UNGA resolutions binding; do not confuse the ICJ with the ICC; do not reduce realism to war or liberalism to peace; do not say non-alignment means neutrality in every conflict; do not ignore the P5 veto in reform answers.