PYQ Vault · Paper 2 · India & the Global Centres of Power — Part 2
Explain India’s relations with the European Union in the context of Brexit.
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 paradox: dense economic ties, thin strategic depth — Britain as India’s familiar bridge > Brexit removes it, two tracks R2 “natural partners” (Wagner) but underused — Britain the comfortable gateway into Brussels > Brexit forces a rethink
Body flow
paradox (Wagner “natural partners” > Pant, late 2004) → Britain = familiar interlocutor inside EU > Brexit removes bridge > immediate concerns (diaspora / moving population / student- visa curbs) → strategic pivot (Jaishankar: under-attended Brussels — engage all 27 directly) > direct-track payoff (FTA resumed 2021 > concluded Jan 2026 + Security & Defence Partnership) — bilateral track (UK freed from EU trade policy > CETA 2025 + AUKUS) — widened Europe (Nordic Summit, Baltics/Balkans missions)
Counter-view
Brexit-as-loss (EU weakened, familiar interlocutor gone, diaspora + visa strain) vs Brexit-as-opportunity (bilateral room, direct Brussels engagement, deeper partnership)
Conclusion routes
R1 net loss for EU’s global weight; mixed for India — lost bridge, _ gained bilateral space R2 Brexit as catalyst > from bridge- dependence to a direct, deeper Union partnership (FTA + defence) plus a standalone UK track
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
