UPSC Prelims Research: International Relations 2014

Q. With reference to a grouping of countries known as BRICS, consider the following statements:

1. The First Summit of BRICS was held in Rio de Janeiro in 2009.
2. South Africa was the last to join the BRICS grouping.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (b) 2 only

Notes:

• In a 2001 research paper that highlighted the growth potential of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, then-Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O’Neill introduced the acronym BRIC, which at first did not include South Africa.
• The BRICS group, which encompasses Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, represents a quarter of the world’s economy and about 40 per cent of the world’s population and has increasingly sought to be a counterweight to the dominance of Western-led forums like the Group of 7 and the World Bank.
• The grouping was first informally formed during a meeting of the leaders of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) countries on the sidelines of the G8 Outreach Summit in St.Petersburg, Russia, in 2006. Later that year, it was formalised during the 1st BRIC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New York.
  • 2009: The first BRIC (BRICS minus South Africa) summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
  • 2010: South Africa was accepted as a full member, and the group became BRICS. 
  • 2011: South Africa attended its first BRICS summit in China.
  • 2014: The Fortaleza Declaration was adopted at the 6th BRICS Summit, and it marked the establishment of the New Development Bank (NDB).
  • 2015: The Ufa Declaration of BRICS was adopted at the 7th BRICS Summit held in Ufa, Russia. It covers a range of topics, including global governance, international security, and economic cooperation.
  • 2021: The 13th BRICS Summit was held under India’s Chairship (virtual summit). It was the third time that India hosted the BRICS Summit after 2012 and 2016.
  • 2022: The Beijing Declaration was adopted at the 14th BRICS Summit, where it was declared that the BRICS countries support talks between Russia and Ukraine.
    • Also, cooperation in the fight against COVID-19, digital transformation, resilience and stability of industrial and supply chains, and low-carbon development.

Q. Recently, a series of uprisings of people referred to as ‘Arab Spring’ originally started from

(a) Egypt

(b) Lebanon

(c) Syria

(d) Tunisia

Answer: (d) Tunisia

Notes:

• The Arab Spring was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s.
• It began in Tunisia in response to corruption and economic stagnation. From Tunisia, the protests then spread to five other countries: Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain.

Read more: Arab Spring

Q. Consider the following countries:

1. Denmark
2. Japan
3. Russian Federation
4. United Kingdom
5. United States of America

Which of the above are the members of the ‘Arctic Council ‘?

(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 2, 3 and 4
(c) 1, 4 and 5
(d) 1, 3 and 5

Answer: (d) 1, 3 and 5

Notes:

• The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, Arctic indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular on issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic.
  • The Arctic Council works as a consensus-based body to deal with issues such as the change in biodiversity, melting sea ice, plastic pollution and black carbon.
• The first step towards the formation of the Council occurred in 1991 when the eight Arctic countries signed the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS).
• The 1996 Ottawa Declaration Established the Arctic Council as a forum for promoting cooperation, coordination, and interaction among the Arctic states, with the involvement of the Arctic Indigenous communities and other Arctic inhabitants on issues such as sustainable development and environmental protection.
• The Arctic Council has conducted studies on climate change, oil and gas, and Arctic shipping.
• Members: The eight countries with sovereignty over the lands within the Arctic Circle constitute the members of the council: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States.
• Observer Status: Observer status in the Arctic Council is open to non-Arctic states, along with inter-governmental, inter-parliamentary, global, regional and non-governmental organizations that the Council determines can contribute to its work. Arctic Council Observers primarily contribute through their engagement in the Council at the level of Working Groups.
• Permanent Participants: In 1998, the number of Permanent Participants doubled to make up the present six, as,the Aleut International Association (AIA),and then, in 2000, the Arctic Athabaskan Council (AAC) and the Gwich’in Council International (GGI) were appointed Permanent Participants.

Q. Consider the following pairs:

Region often in news:   Country

1. Chechnya : Russian Federation
2. Darfur : Mali
3. Swat Valley : Iraq

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a) 1 only

Notes:

Chechnya:

• Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a republic of Russia.
• It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea.

Darfur Region, Sudan:

• The Darfur region constitutes Western Sudan, present-Eastern Chad, and the present-Northern part of the Central African Republic Region. 

Swat Valley:

• Swat District, also known as the Swat Valley, is a district in the Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.
• The valley was a major centre of early Buddhism of the ancient civilisation of Gandhara, mainly Gandharan Buddhism, with pockets of Buddhism persisting in the valley until the 17th century, after which the area became largely Muslim.
• Swat was the centre of Hindu Shahis and the Sultanate of Swat.