PYQ Vault · Paper 2 · India & the Global Centres of Power — Part 2
Bhutan has historically been an ally of India, but the China-Bhutan border related issues have become a security issue for India. Discuss.
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes
R1 closest ally, only S. Asian state without China ties > yet India’s security runs through the China-Bhutan border, not its own k2 Bhutan negotiating its own boundary – outcome sets India’s Himalayan exposure — India not at the table
Body flow
five-finger policy > two disputed sectors (Doklam west / Jakarlung-Pasamlung north) > Doklam trivial for Thimphu, decisive for India → trijunction + Siliguri “chicken’s neck” > Doklam 2017 > sharpening: 2021 Roadmap + 2023 talks > “package deal” (west for north) + 2020 Sakteng pressure + swap touching Doklam = Chinese forces above the corridor
Counter-view
Amit Ranjan: Thimphu won't sign a deal that alarms Delhi > 2012 understanding: trijunction fixed only with all three
Conclusion routes
R1 India’s lever is the calibrated special relationship + CBMs, not = a bilateral seat R2 security rests on keeping the corridor secure, so Bhutan ties are handled with care, not pressure
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
