PYQ Vault · Paper 2 · India & the Global Centres of Power — Part 2
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) performs an important role in India’s strategic balancing act to withstand the dominance of China in Asia. 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 four Indo-Pacific democracies in dialogue — India’s balancing instrument, but indirect, no alliance r2 2004 tsunami origins > dormant — revived 2021 as China encircles ~ Quad as India’s answer
Body flow
tsunami ‘core group’ / Shyam Saran – 2021 leaders’ revival / South China Sea militarisation + BRI encirclement > Pant: counterbalance, rise above middle-power, ‘like-minded’ defence + info links, Vaccine Maitri + supply chains > maritime edge (domain awareness, coast guard) > Tarapore: “zone balancing” — shape the region, build partners’ resilience, not a direct race > limited hard balancing after Galwan
Counter-view
Beijing = AUKUS clique / Lavrov “Asian NATO” vs no treaty obligation — suits strategic autonomy + Japan’s pacifist constitution
Conclusion routes
R1 balance without entanglement — value lies in coalition, not ere alliance R2 withstand Chinese dominance while keeping the freedom to choose
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
