Questions & explanations
1. The principle of 'discrimination' in jus in bello requires combatants to:
- (a) Use any force necessary to win
- (b) Distinguish between combatants and civilians and not target civilians
- (c) Discriminate among allies
- (d) Avoid all use of force
Answer: (b) Distinguish between combatants and civilians and not target civilians
The principle of discrimination in jus in bello requires fighters to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants (civilians) and to direct force only at legitimate military targets, protecting civilians from deliberate attack. It is a core rule of international humanitarian law.
2. India's principle of 'climate justice' in international relations primarily demands:
- (a) Equal emission cuts by all countries regardless of history
- (b) Fair, differentiated responsibility recognising historical emissions of developed nations
- (c) No action on climate change
- (d) That only India reduce emissions
Answer: (b) Fair, differentiated responsibility recognising historical emissions of developed nations
India's climate-justice stance rests on 'common but differentiated responsibilities' (CBDR), demanding that developed nations, responsible for most historical emissions, bear a greater burden, while developing nations retain space for growth. It is an equity-based ethical position.
3. The Panchsheel principles in India's foreign policy primarily emphasise:
- (a) Aggressive expansion
- (b) Peaceful coexistence, non-aggression and non-interference
- (c) Colonial domination
- (d) Economic isolation
Answer: (b) Peaceful coexistence, non-aggression and non-interference
The Panchsheel (Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence) emphasise mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. They form an ethical basis of India's foreign policy.
4. Which of the following best describes a 'debt trap' in international funding?
- (a) Grants given with no repayment
- (b) Heavy loans that create dependence and give the lender leverage over the borrower
- (c) Aid spent only on health
- (d) Interest-free disaster relief
Answer: (b) Heavy loans that create dependence and give the lender leverage over the borrower
A debt trap occurs when a country takes on heavy loans it struggles to repay, creating dependence and giving the lender political and strategic leverage over the borrower, sometimes leading to control over assets. It is a key ethical concern in international funding.
5. The doctrine 'Responsibility to Protect' (R2P) was formally endorsed at the:
- (a) 2005 UN World Summit
- (b) 1945 San Francisco Conference
- (c) 1648 Peace of Westphalia
- (d) 1919 Paris Peace Conference
Answer: (a) 2005 UN World Summit
The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine was endorsed at the 2005 UN World Summit. It holds that states have a responsibility to protect their populations from atrocities, and that the international community may act if a state manifestly fails to do so.
6. The core ethical dilemma of humanitarian intervention is the tension between:
- (a) Trade and tariffs
- (b) State sovereignty and universal human rights
- (c) Currency and inflation
- (d) Tourism and migration
Answer: (b) State sovereignty and universal human rights
Humanitarian intervention creates a tension between the principle of state sovereignty and non-interference on one hand, and the protection of universal human rights against atrocities on the other. R2P attempts to reconcile these competing ethical claims.
7. The two main components of just-war theory are:
- (a) Jus ad bellum and jus in bello
- (b) Jus naturale and jus gentium
- (c) Habeas corpus and mandamus
- (d) De jure and de facto
Answer: (a) Jus ad bellum and jus in bello
Just-war theory has two principal components: jus ad bellum (the justice of resorting to war, e.g., just cause, last resort) and jus in bello (justice in the conduct of war, e.g., discrimination, proportionality). A modern addition is jus post bellum.
8. 'Tied aid' is considered ethically problematic because it:
- (a) Has no conditions at all
- (b) Requires the recipient to spend the aid on the donor country's goods and services
- (c) Is always interest-free
- (d) Is given only to the poorest people
Answer: (b) Requires the recipient to spend the aid on the donor country's goods and services
Tied aid is ethically problematic because it requires the recipient to spend the funds on the donor country's goods and services, often at higher cost, reducing the real benefit to the recipient and primarily serving the donor's commercial interests.
9. In international relations, the school of thought that holds states act primarily out of self-interest and power is:
- (a) Realism
- (b) Idealism
- (c) Cosmopolitanism
- (d) Pacifism
Answer: (a) Realism
Realism holds that states act primarily out of self-interest and the pursuit of power and security in an anarchic international system. Idealism and cosmopolitanism, by contrast, stress moral duty, cooperation and universal values.
10. The Indian ideal 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' translates to:
- (a) The world is one family
- (b) Strength through power
- (c) Trade above all
- (d) Each nation for itself
Answer: (a) The world is one family
'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' means 'the world is one family'. It expresses an ethical, cosmopolitan vision in India's worldview, emphasising shared humanity, cooperation and concern for all, and has been invoked in India's diplomacy.