INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

MARATHON SESSION
PART II
1.Designating Russia as a
‘State Sponsor of Terrorism’

News
Recently, Ukraine has requested the US to designate Russia as a
“state sponsor of terrorism”.
The designation would activate perhaps the harshest suite of
sanctions available with the US against Russia.
 Terrorist Designation
About:
• The US Secretary of State (the minister primarily in charge of
foreign relations) has the power to designate countries that “have
repeatedly provided support for acts of international
terrorism” as “State Sponsors of Terrorism”.
• The US can place four categories of sanctions on countries that are
on this list:
• Restrictions on US foreign assistance
• A ban on defence exports and sales
• Certain controls over exports of dual-use items
• Miscellaneous financial and other restrictions
• Sanctions can also be placed on countries and persons that engage in
certain trade with designated countries.
 Countries on the List:

As of now, there are four countries on the list of state sponsors

of terrorism.
• Syria (Designated on 29th December 1979)
• Iran (Designated on 19th January 1984),
• North Korea (Designated on 20th November 2017).
• Cuba was redesignated as a state sponsor of terrorism on
12th January 2021
2. 4TH INDIA- US ‘2+2’ DIALOGUE

What is 2+2 Dialogue between India and its Allies?

• The 2+2 Dialogue is a format of the meeting of the
foreign and defence ministers of India and its allies on
strategic and security issues.
• A 2+2 ministerial dialogue enables the partners to better
understand and appreciate each other’s strategic
concerns and sensitivities taking into account political
factors on both sides, in order to build a stronger, more
integrated strategic relationship in a rapidly changing
global environment.
• India has 2+2 dialogues with four key strategic partners:
the US, Australia, Japan, and Russia.
News
Recently, the fourth ‘2+2’ dialogue between India and the United
States took place in Washington DC, US.
India’s External Affairs and Defence Ministers meet with their American
counterparts.
(Rajnath Singh and S. Jaishankar will hold talks with the US Secretary of
Defence Lloyd Austin and US State Secretary Antony Blinken while
participating in different meetings.)

Key Points
• Space Situational Awareness Arrangement: India and the US have
signed a bilateral space situational awareness arrangement.
• This lays the groundwork for more advanced cooperation in space.

• Inaugural Defence Artificial Intelligence Dialogue: They also agreed

to launch an inaugural Defence Artificial Intelligence Dialogue, while
expanding joint cyber training and exercises.
• Military Supply Chain Cooperation: The US asserted
that it supports India as a defence industry leader in the
Indo-Pacific and a net provider of security in the region.
• In this context, new supply chain cooperation measures
were launched that will let both countries more swiftly
support each other’s priority defence requirements.
• Observing Crisis in Ukraine: They agreed to maintain
close consultations on the ongoing crisis in Ukraine
including on humanitarian assistance efforts and echoed
support for an independent investigation into the brutal
violence deployed against civilians.
 India’s 2+2 Dialogue with the US

• The US is India’s oldest and most important 2+2 talks

partner.
• The first 2+2 dialogue between the two countries was held
during the Trump Administration in 2018.
• India and the US have signed a troika of “foundational
pacts” for deep military cooperation:
• Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement
(LEMOA) in 2016
• Communications Compatibility and Security
Agreement (COMCASA) in 2018,
• Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA)
in 2020.
 LEMOA
• The Agreement facilitates the military of both
countries to use each other's bases for refuelling
and replenishment purposes.
• This doesn't mean that U.S. troops will be
stationed in India or vice versa. The agreement is
purely logistical.
• The agreement is useful for Navy-to-Navy
Cooperation between the two countries and allows
India to use the string of U.S. facilities across the
globe for logistical support. Similarly, the US also
can benefit from Indian facilities.
COM M UNICATIONS COM PATIBILITY AND
SECURITY AGREEM ENT (COM CASA)

• The agreement facilitates India to use of the United

States' encrypted communications equipment and
systems. Indian and the US military commanders,
aircraft and ships can communicate through secure
networks in peace and war.
• In addition to the above, it also paved way for the
transfer of communication security equipment from the
US to India to facilitate interoperability.
• The signing of the Basic Exchange and
Cooperation Agreement (BECA) will enable
both countries to share geospatial information on
maps and satellites for defence purposes.

• Geospatial information is required while sailing a

ship, flying an aircraft, fighting wars, locating
targets, etc.
 3 . DE C LA RATIO N F O R U I G H U R
M U SL I M S

News
Recently, 43 countries have signed a
declaration, calling on China to ensure
full respect for the rule of law for
the Muslim Uighur community in
Xinjiang.
About the Declaration:

The declaration was signed by the US and other countries

accusing China of human rights violations and ethnic
cleansing against the Uighur Muslims.
• Similar declarations in 2019 and 2020 condemned China
for its policies in Xinjiang, where the United States has
accused Beijing of carrying out genocide.
• It also called for access to Xinjiang for independent
observers, including the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights.
• It noted the existence of a large network of ‘political re-
education camps in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region,
where over a million people have been arbitrarily detained.
• China’s Stand:
• China has long denied accusations of ethnic cleansing. It
also denounced the declaration and termed it as a plot to
hurt China's image.
• China claims its camps to be ‘educational centres’ where
the Uighurs are being cured of “extremist thoughts” and
radicalisation and learning vocational skills.
• However, in reality, they are brutal incarceration camps.
Uighur Muslims
About:
• The Uighurs are a predominantly Muslim
minority Turkic ethnic group, whose origins can
be traced to Central and East Asia.

• The Uighurs speak their own language, similar

to Turkish, and see themselves as culturally and
ethnically close to Central Asian nations.
• The Uighurs are considered to be one of the 55 officially
recognized ethnic minority communities in China.

• However, China recognises the community only as a

regional minority and rejects that they are an indigenous
group.

• Currently, the largest population of the Uighur ethnic

community lives in the Xinjiang region of China.

• A significant population of Uighurs also lives in the

neighbouring Central Asian countries such
as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
• Xinjiang is technically an autonomous region within
China — its largest region, rich in minerals.
4. G20’S TROIKA
News
India joined the G20, ‘Troika’ and with this India has started the
procedure for taking over the G20 presidency next year.

About ‘Troika’:
It refers to the top grouping within the G20 that consists of the current,
previous and incoming presidencies — Indonesia, Italy and India.
As a Troika member, India will work closely with Indonesia and Italy to
ensure consistency and continuity of the G20’s agenda.

India will assume the G20 presidency on 1st December 2022 from
Indonesia and will convene the G20 Leaders’ Summit for the first time in
India in 2023.
• Italy hosted the G20 summit during October 30-31,
2021 where India had raised the issue of Afghanistan’s
future following the takeover by the Taliban.
• Indonesia took over the G20 presidency on 1st December
2021 and in the coming months, Indonesia will hold rounds of
discussion at various levels among the members of the G20
before convening the G20 Leaders’ Summit scheduled for
October 30-31, 2022.
• Next year’s summit will be organised along the overall theme
of “Recover Together, Recover Stronger”.
G20:
About:

It is an informal group of 19 countries and the European

Union (EU), with representatives of the International
Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

It does not have a permanent secretariat or Headquarters.

The membership comprises a mix of the world’s largest
advanced and emerging economies, representing about two-
thirds of the world’s population, 85% of global Gross
Domestic Product (GDP), 80% of global investment and
over 75% of global trade.
Members: Germany, the United States, Russia,
the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, South Africa
India, Turkey, Argentina, Australia, Brazil,
Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Canada, France,
China, Indonesia, Mexico, and EU.
PHOSPHORUS BOMBS
News
• Ukrainian police have accused Russian forces of
launching phosphorus bomb attacks (chemical weapons) in
the Lugansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine,
collectively known as the Donbas.
• International law prohibits the use of white phosphorus shells
in heavily populated civilian areas but allows them in open
spaces to be used as cover for troops.
 What is Phosphorus Bomb?
• Allotropes: White phosphorus munitions are weapons that use one of
the common allotropes of the chemical element phosphorus.
• Pyrophoric: White phosphorus is pyrophoric (it is ignited by contact
with air), burns fiercely, and can ignite cloth, fuel, ammunition, and
other combustibles.
• Apart from this, it is also used in smoke, illumination, and burning
elements of tracer ammunition.
• Chemical Reaction: In addition to its offensive capabilities, white
phosphorus is a highly efficient smoke-producing agent, reacting with
air to produce an immediate blanket of phosphorus pentoxide vapour.
• Effects: In addition to direct injuries caused by fragments of their
casings, white phosphorus munitions can cause injuries in two main
ways: burn injuries and vapour inhalation.
Good to Know :
Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is a multilateral
treaty banning chemical weapons and requiring their
destruction within the stipulated time

Apart from CWC, Australia Group seeks to check the

proliferation of chemical or biological weapons.
RESOLUTION 2601
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has adopted a
unique first-of-its-kind resolution called “Resolution 2601”.

About the Resolution 2601

• Resolution 2601 calls for the protection of education in armed
conflict. Condemns attacks against schools, children and teachers.
• Urges parties to armed conflict to immediately stop such violence
and to safeguard the right to education.
• Urges the Member States to create domestic legal frameworks that
should include comprehensive measures to prevent attacks and
protect schools, children, teachers as well as related civilians during
armed conflict and in post-conflict phases
Need for Resolution 2601
• As per Education under Attack Report 2020, more
than 22,000 students, teachers, and academics were
injured, killed or harmed in attacks on education
institutions over the past five years during armed
conflict or in areas experiencing political
instability.
KURIL ISLAND DISPUTE
 News
• Recently, Japan described four islands whose ownership it
disputes with Russia as illegally occupied in the latest version
of a diplomatic Bluebook.
• Russia refers to these islands as the Kuril Islands,
whereas Japan calls them Northern territories.
Location:
The Kuril Islands are
stretched from
the Japanese island of
Hokkaido to the southern
tip of Russia's the
Kamchatka
Peninsula separating
the Okhotsk Sea from the
North Pacific Ocean.
 B ACKGROUND

•The Kuril Islands dispute between Japan and

Russia is over the sovereignty of the South
Kuril Islands.

•The South Kuril Islands comprise Etorofu

island, Kunashiri island, Shikotan island and
the Habomai island.

•These islands are claimed by Japan but

occupied by Russia as the successor state of the
Soviet Union.
 TREATIES

• Treaty of Shimoda (1885)

• Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1875)
• Yalta Agreement (1945)
• San Francisco Peace Treaty (1951)
• Japan-Soviet Joint Declaration (1956)
 OTHER IM PORTANT TIT-BITS

International Law Commission (ILC)

Indian professor, Professor Bimal Patel(Member of the
National Security Advisory Board of India) has been
elected to the International Law Commission for a five-year
term starting January 1, 2023.
About ILC
• A United Nations body established by the General
Assembly, in 1947 for the promotion of the progressive
development of international law and its codification. • It
concerns itself primarily with public international law but is
not precluded from entering the field of private international
law. • It consists of thirty -four members who are persons of
recognized competence in international law.
INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL POLICE
ORGANIZATION (INTERPOL)
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special director Praveen Sinha
was elected the delegate for Asia in the executive committee of
INTERPOL.
• INTERPOL is an intergovernmental organization that helps
coordinate the police force of 195 member countries.
• It is headquartered in Lyon, France.
• Each of the member countries hosts an INTERPOL National Central
Bureau (NCB).
• CBI is designated as the NCB of India.
REPORTERS WITHOUT
BORDERS (RSF)
Based in Paris, it is one of the world’s leading NGOs in the defence
and promotion of freedom of information. O It has consultative status
with the United Nations, UNESCO and the Council of Europe.
It publishes annually the World Press Freedom Index.
Recently, RSF has brought out the following findings: o Currently
488 media professionals are imprisoned around the world (highest in
25 Years). o By contrast, the number killed this year was the lowest,
due to the relative stabilisation of conflicts in West Asia.
The most dangerous countries for media professionals are Mexico,
Afghanistan, Yemen and India.
INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM
• India hosted the forum for the first time.
• The theme of the events is ‘Inclusive Internet for Digital
India’
• IGF is an UN-based forum for Internet Governance policy
discussion.
• It brings together representatives from various groups,
considering all at par to discuss public policy issues related to
the Internet.
• It reflects India’s growing influence on international policy
formulation around the internet.
IEA INVITES INDIA TO BE
A FULL-TIME MEMBER
• Recently, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has
invited India, the world’s third-largest energy
consumer, to become its full-time member.
• International Energy Agency
About:
• €It is an autonomous Intergovernmental Organisation
established in 1974 in Paris, France.
• €It mainly focuses on its energy policies which include
economic development, energy security and environmental
protection.
• These policies are also known as the 3 E’s of IEA.
• €IEA Clean Coal Centre is dedicated to providing
independent information and analysis on how coal
can become a cleaner source of energy, compatible
with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• Major Reports:
• €World Energy Outlook Report. €World Energy
Investment Report. €World Energy Statistics. €
World Energy Balances. €Energy Technology
Perspectives. €India Energy Outlook Report.
Background:
€India became an Associate member of IEA in March 2017
but it was in engagement with IEA long before its association
with the organization.
€Earlier in 2021, India also inked a Strategic Partnership
Agreement with the IEA to strengthen cooperation in global
energy security, stability and sustainability.
€As a natural corollary to the India IEA strategic partnership,
IEA invited India to deepen its cooperation with IEA by
becoming a full Member.
 BUILD BACK BETTER
WORLD (B3W) INITIATIVE
• B3W is an international infrastructure
investment initiative announced by the Group of
Seven (G-7) richest democracies in June 2021.

• The B3W initiative is being seen as the US’

initiative to counter China’s Belt and Road
Initiative (BRI).

• The Finance Ministers from the G7 nations also

reached a landmark accord setting a Global
Minimum Corporate Tax Rate (GMCTR).
 Group of Seven (G7)
• It is an intergovernmental organisation that was formed in
1975.
• The bloc meets annually to discuss issues of common interest
like global economic governance, international security and
energy policy.
• The G7 countries are the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy,
Japan and the US.
• All the G7 countries and India are a part of the G20.
• The G7 does not have a formal constitution or a fixed
headquarters. The decisions taken by leaders during annual
summits are non-binding.
 B3W & its Guiding Principles:
• €Goal: The Build Back Better Plan is a Covid-19 relief, future
economic, and infrastructure package proposed by G-7 countries for
developing and lower-income countries.
• €Components of B3W: Through B3W, the G7 and other like-minded
partners will coordinate in mobilizing private-sector capital in four
areas of focus:
• Climate
• Health and health security
• Digital technology
• Gender equity and equality
• Global Minimum Corporate Tax Rate
• About: €G7 would back a minimum global corporation tax
rate of at least 15%, and put in place measures to ensure
taxes were paid in the countries where businesses operate. z
Corporation tax is a direct tax imposed on the net income or
profit that enterprises make from their businesses.
• Applicability:
• € It would apply to companies’ overseas profits. Therefore,
if countries agree on a global minimum, governments could
still set whatever local corporate tax rate they want.
• €But if companies pay lower rates in a particular country,
their home governments could “top up” their taxes to the
agreed minimum rate, eliminating the advantage of shifting
profits to a tax haven.