PYQ Vault · Paper 2 · India & the Global Centres of Power — Part 2
The tariff threats have pushed India and the European Union closer. Evaluate the India-EU partnership.
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 India-EU long “below potential,” trade-dense / strategy-thin (Wagner) ~ 2025 tariff shock changed tempo → stalled talks close as Jan 2026 FTA R2 US 50% duty + Russia-oil pressure > “mother of all deals” concluded — but tariffs = trigger, not foundation
Body flow
real driver is convergence, not tariffs > “strategic autonomy” + “economic security,’ balancing middle powers in a multipolar order (Gurjit Singh: each a stabilising force) > base already there: FTA 2022, TTC 2023 (semiconductors / 6G), goods trade > USD 137bn — accord read as de-risking vs unpredictable Washington + over-reliance on China ~ IMEC could cut freight time 40%
Counter-view
frictions persist > CBAM + deforestation rules; data adequacy; Mode 4 mobility; EU’s own China exposure; Pant — EU can't speak with one voice
Conclusion routes
R1 convenience — alignment; durability rests on domestic ee reform + investible TTC projects, not the tariff moment Rk2 bond now real, not yet self-sustaining — tariff was catalyst; strategic depth must be earned
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
