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KSEAB SSLC Political Science study materials
KSEAB SSLC Political Science study resources

KSEAB SSLC Political Science: India and International Relations: Foreign Policy, UN and Global Organisations

KSEAB SSLC Political Science · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

India and International Relations: Foreign Policy, UN and Global Organisations

What this domain tests

Questions cover the objectives and instruments of India's foreign policy, the UN system and global organisations. You should know the Panchsheel, NAM, UN organs and India's claim for a permanent Security Council seat.

Core rules

  • Article 51 of the Constitution directs the state to promote international peace and security, and to settle disputes by arbitration.
  • Panchsheel (1954), signed with China, sets out five principles: mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.
  • The Non-Aligned Movement grew from the Bandung Conference (1955) and was formally founded at Belgrade (1961), with Nehru, Nasser, Tito, Sukarno and Nkrumah as key leaders. It sought independence from Cold War blocs, not isolation.
  • India's current emphases include strategic autonomy, the Neighbourhood First policy, Act East, the Gujral Doctrine, and a nuclear doctrine of credible minimum deterrence with No First Use.
  • The UN was founded in 1945; India is a founding member. Its principal organs are the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council, International Court of Justice and Secretariat. The Security Council has five permanent members with veto power and ten non-permanent members elected for two years.
  • India campaigns for UNSC reform through the G4 (India, Brazil, Germany, Japan). It is a major troop contributor to UN peacekeeping.
  • Other organisations: WTO (1995), IMF, World Bank, SAARC (1985), BRICS, G20 (India hosted the 2023 summit), SCO and the Commonwealth.

Worked example

Why does India demand a permanent seat in the UN Security Council? Reasoning: the Council's structure reflects 1945 power, not today's world. India cites its population, democracy, peacekeeping contributions and developing-world representation. Expansion requires amendment of the UN Charter, including support from two-thirds of the General Assembly and ratification by member states, and the P5's veto makes reform difficult. Answer: India argues for representativeness and legitimacy, not merely status.

Traps

India is not a permanent member. The UN was founded in 1945, not after the League of Nations. Panchsheel dates to 1954. NAM was not an anti-Western military alliance. The ICJ in The Hague is not the International Criminal Court, and the veto belongs only to the P5.