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PSIR - Strategy, resources & discussion

Hi peeps. Let’s do this!

1. Previous papers from 2009 (both papers are in the same PDF):here

2. Topic-wise PYQs: here 

3. Look for PDFs of books here: b-ok.cchttp://libgen.rs/archive.org

4. Model answers from SR:here 

5. OnlyIAS notes, if you need extra matter for a few topics:here 

6. SR notes, typed:politicsforindia.com

Bajrang Lonikar,Saloni2607and92 otherslike this
506.4k views

1.3k comments

PSIR peeps, help me get this.

Does MEA while deciding on foreign policy decisions think along the lines of these IR theories thought out by think tanks or take inputs from them. Or does any other country for that matter.

Or it is other way round. That is, think tanks try to undertand these foreign policy decisions made by govt and postulate such IR theories. 


whatonly,
4.1k views
Constructivism is NOT positivist. They say objective reality don’t exist it is socially constructed. 

Yeah that was totally wrong. Very embarrassing. I'll just curl up in a corner and wish to die now.

whatonly,
4.1k views

Arsenesaid

PSIR peeps, help me get this.

Does MEA while deciding on foreign policy decisions think along the lines of these IR theories thought out by think tanks or take inputs from them. Or does any other country for that matter.

Or it is other way round. That is, think tanks try to undertand these foreign policy decisions made by govt and postulate such IR theories. 


MEA is known for its closed-shop and elitist nature. Traditionally, it gave little little regard to academic theories. This is gradually changing with the rise of Track 2/Track 1.5 fora where policymakers can discuss issues with academics. National Security Advisory Board is also emerging as a forum for seeking expert opinion.

On the other side of it - Interpretation- there is a lack of policy information due to Official Secrets Act, lack of systematic timelines for de-classifying diplomatic archives, reluctance of diplomats/bureaucrats to talk candidly. Scholars, dependent upon the state for information, rarely take critical stances on official policies due to a fear of facing sanctions and professional disadvantage.


TL;DR- I would say NEITHER; they are neither heard, nor do they have enough info and independence to critically analyse policy. As a result Indian academia distances itself from hard realities of foreign policy.

Arsene,
4.1k views

Arsenesaid

PSIR peeps, help me get this.

Does MEA while deciding on foreign policy decisions think along the lines of these IR theories thought out by think tanks or take inputs from them. Or does any other country for that matter.

Or it is other way round. That is, think tanks try to undertand these foreign policy decisions made by govt and postulate such IR theories. 


i think both influence each other. for instance for a long time scholars were suggesting USA to strenghten its alliance system and reassure its allies and at G7 we saw a glimpse of that. Similarly, to check china many experts suggested offshore balancing and Quad is an example of that materialising.
In india's context, Nehru's policy was heavily influenced by Wilsonianism. And India's policy towards china can be understood from lenses of defensive realism, and with Pak as structuralism as regardless of who stays in power they are stuck in an intractable rivalry.
The reverse interactions are also prevalent, Thucydides' peloponnesian war being the prime example. Kautilyan thought may also have been influenced by the geopolitics of a fractured mahajanpada india.
so both theory and practice weigh on each other in the form of a feedback system.
Villanelle,TambourineManand3 otherslike this
3.6k views
Thanks for your input guys, definitely got a lot more clarity!
3.9k views

Does anybody here know what is the career path that one can take to become a foreign policy/strategic analyst? 

Which universities in the world offer the most recognized courses in geopolitics/strategic studies? 

A call to Bodhisattvas : If someone here is already engaged in this endeavor, could you please DM. I need a mentor for guidance.  


Villanelle,Jurgen_kloppand4 otherslike this
4.1k views
@KropotkinSchmopotkin @D503 Thanks. Appreciate it for sharing your views


D503,
3.6k views
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TambourineMan,Arseneand1 otherslike this
3.1k views
Anyone got SR maam Crash course latest videos and notes ? I can pay.

Jai Shree Ram !


3.4k views

D503said

Unlike lending from China—and even from IMF and World Bank—Indian lines of credit are demand-driven, consultative, transparent, andnonconditional- Harsh pant

As a rule goods and services forminimum 75%value of contracts covered under Exim loans must be sourced from India - finance ministry


To my understanding the kind of conditions that India imposes involve mostly procurement quotas. Technically these do make the loans conditional, but it’s what we call “tied aid”, and it’s pretty common. In international lending, whether bilateral or multilateral, when we say conditional loans it does not usually refer to this tied aid, but to conditions which go beyond the loan projects themselves, such as democratic reforms, progress on environmental parameters, and in China’s case, access to natural resources and keeping other countries out of the playing field. So I don’t think the two statements are really inconsistent :)

D503,Villanelleand3 otherslike this
5.4k views

D503said

Unlike lending from China—and even from IMF and World Bank—Indian lines of credit are demand-driven, consultative, transparent, andnonconditional- Harsh pant

As a rule goods and services forminimum 75%value of contracts covered under Exim loans must be sourced from India - finance ministry


Exim loans are given to companies and corporations dealing with imports and exports right? I think Harsh Pant was talking about loans given to foreign governments but to be really sure I would have to look at the article in which he says this to understand the context.

3.2k views

D503said

Unlike lending from China—and even from IMF and World Bank—Indian lines of credit are demand-driven, consultative, transparent, andnonconditional- Harsh pant

As a rule goods and services forminimum 75%value of contracts covered under Exim loans must be sourced from India - finance ministry


Exim loans are given to companies and corporations dealing with imports and exports right? I think Harsh Pant was talking about loans given to foreign governments but to be really sure I would have to look at the article in which he says this to understand the context.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2021/06/17/india-china-africa-development-aid-investment

india extended $200mn LoC to rwanda , all this is handled by exim

https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?ID=11539



2.9k views
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whatonly,
2.9k views

D503said

D503said

Unlike lending from China—and even from IMF and World Bank—Indian lines of credit are demand-driven, consultative, transparent, andnonconditional- Harsh pant

As a rule goods and services forminimum 75%value of contracts covered under Exim loans must be sourced from India - finance ministry


To my understanding the kind of conditions that India imposes involve mostly procurement quotas. Technically these do make the loans conditional, but it’s what we call “tied aid”, and it’s pretty common. In international lending, whether bilateral or multilateral, when we say conditional loans it does not usually refer to this tied aid, but to conditions which go beyond the loan projects themselves, such as democratic reforms, progress on environmental parameters, and in China’s case, access to natural resources and keeping other countries out of the playing field. So I don’t think the two statements are really inconsistent :)

i am not sure about what counts as conditional aid. I was reading a chapter on india's developmental aid in oxford handbook , and the author doesnt own india's argument of altruistic, benign aid policy. According to the author from the very beginning India's aid was geopolitically driven. In case of nepal and bhutan, the majority of indian aid projects were concentrated on developing road infra as per indian military priorities. The ITEC program  commenced in backdrop of '62 war in order to rival china's aid and development assistance. The writer finds a positive correlation between Indian and chinese assistance and negative one between indian and soviet, reflecting the alliances of the time.

In another chapter, constantino xavier puts question mark on India's diplomatic jargon of demand driven, non prescriptive aid to africa. According to him there's not much difference between so called neo-mercantilist and rapacious chinese approach and altruistic Indian approach.

hence the confusion

Haan. I was just speaking about the technicality. The motives and planning of the aid/loans can be debated. Even I have to read more on this.

D503,
5.4k views

D503said

Unlike lending from China—and even from IMF and World Bank—Indian lines of credit are demand-driven, consultative, transparent, andnonconditional- Harsh pant

As a rule goods and services forminimum 75%value of contracts covered under Exim loans must be sourced from India - finance ministry


The access to credit is non-conditional, right? The 75% rule is one of the requirements under the loan agreement(much like interest rate, tenure). Under Indian LoC, the beneficiary nation does not have to fulfill any pre-credit condition. Not sure though, just an interpretation. 

3.2k views
Deleted
@Inselberg Hey there! I'm pursuing Masters in Strategic Studies from a not so popular university but decent faculty ( ex NTRO, NSCS profs). From whatever I've seen and found out by talking to professors, there is no fixed career path. Much of it comes to your skills and what you want out of it. That being said, one thing I must clarify is- you are not going to be wanted suddenly in policy circles, think tanks or intel agencies. Since MPhil has been done away with, most people go for PhD as that is the minimum qualification you need to have to work in decent think tanks like IDSA, CLAWS, CAPS, IPCS, ICWA, NMF, Gateway House etc. You need to have excellent writing skills as they ask for original writing samples of around 3k words even to apply for internships. You build your profile slowly by doing unpaid internships and reading more and more in your area of interest.  Please don't enter this field expecting good monetary rewards. Even after PhD, think tanks pay you just enough for survival. 
JHU, KCL, Princeton, Sciences Po, SIPA Columbia, NTU are some institutes you can explore. In India, best place undoubtedly is SIS JNU. 



Inselberg,whatonly
3k views

indias contribtion to peacekeeping, any one stop solution for this.

edit: resolved. subra ranjan notes 2019 wala have a few pointers

2.7k views
Deleted
@whatonly thanks, sir!


whatonly,
2.6k views

has anyone read Indian Political System by himanshu roy and MP singh


KropotkinSchmopotkin,
2.5k views

D503said

has anyone read Indian Political System by himanshu roy and MP singh


It looks relevant judging by the table of contents. I didn't find any reputed names among the authors, so it may lack in quotability value. Let me know if you find out more.


PS It's available on libgen, if you didn't know that already

D503,
2.7k views
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