2 MAINSTORMING 2020 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS I (JANUARY 2020 TO AUGUST 2020) 3.2 Killing of General Qassem Soleimani ........ 32 1. INDIA & ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD....... 3 3.3 Israel's New Unity Government ................. 34 3.4 Israel-Hezbollah Tensions .......................... 35 3.5 Israel-UAE-US deal ..................................... 36 NEPAL ..................................................... 3 3.6 U.S.-Taliban Agreement ............................. 37 1.1 India-Nepal - Kalapani Territorial Issue ........ 3 3.7 ICJ’s Ruling for Rohingya .......................... 39 1.2 Nepal's New Map - India's Concerns........... 4 3.8 Hagia Sophia Controversy ......................... 40 1.3 India’s Military Ties with Nepal .................. 5 3.9 Armenian Genocide ..................................... 41 3.10 Referendum in Russia ................................. 42 CHINA ..................................................... 7 3.11 Korean Stand-Off ........................................ 43 1.4 Indo-China Border Disputes .........................7 1.5 India-China Galwan Faceoff ........................ 9 EUROPE ................................................. 45 1.6 Darbuk-Shyokh-Daulat Beg Oldie Road .... 11 3.12 UK’s Citizenship Test ................................... 45 1.7 India Bans Chinese Apps ................................. 12 3.13 Srebrenica Massacre - Ethnic Cleansing of 1.8 Dispute over Paracel and Spratly Islands . 14 Bosnian Muslims ...................................................... 46 3.14 German Court Questioning ECJ ................ 48 PAKISTAN .............................................. 15 3.15 Ireland's Help to Native Americans........... 49 1.9 Ceasefire Violations at LoC with Pakistan . 15 3.16 Ruling in Volkswagen Dieselgate Scandal 50 1.10 Pakistan’s New Map .................................... 16 1.11 Pakistan’s SRO listing .................................. 16 AFRICA .................................................. 52 1.12 Pakistan’s Terrorism Statement .................18 3.17 Somalia’s Challenges ................................... 52 1.13 Terror Funding & Pakistan ......................... 19 1.14 Hafiz Saeed Conviction ............................... 20 AMERICA ............................................... 53 3.18 U.S Aid to Greenland .................................. 53 AFGHANISTAN ....................................... 21 3.19 US Visa Ban Extension - Impact on Indian 1.15 Afghan Peace Process and India ................. 21 IT Companies ............................................................ 55 3.20 US Immigration Visa Guidelines ............... 57 BHUTAN ................................................ 23 3.21 US-Huawei-ZTE Tussle .............................. 58 3.22 Racial Unrest in the U.S .............................. 59 1.16 India-China-Bhutan - Territorial Claims . 23 4. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION . 60 2. BILATERAL ISSUES ........................ 25 4.1 WHO’s Relevance ........................................ 60 2.1 “Developed” Tag for India .......................... 25 4.2 US-WHO Relationship ................................ 61 2.2 Blue Dot Network ........................................ 26 4.3 India to UNSC: A Diplomatic Victory ....... 63 2.3 Modi-Morrison Summit.............................. 27 4.4 India & IMO ................................................. 65 2.4 Indo-Japan Relationship ............................ 29 4.5 OHCHR’s Intervention in CAA Case .......... 66 4.6 Evolution of CTBT ....................................... 67 3. INTERNATIONAL ISSUES ................ 31 4.7 Open Skies Treaty ....................................... 69 4.8 G11 Grouping ................................................ 71 ASIA ........................................................ 31 4.9 Italian Marines’ Case – PCA Ruling .......... 72 3.1 Rethink of Non-Alignment Policy ............... 31 4.10 International Labour Standards ............... 74 www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 3 MAINSTORMING 2020 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS I 1. INDIA & ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD NEPAL 1.1 India-Nepal - Kalapani Territorial Issue Why in news? There is renewed tension between India and Nepal over the Kalapani territorial issue. What is the Kalapani territorial issue? Kalapani lies on the easternmost corner of Uttarakhand‟s Pithoragarh district, between Nepal and India. Both India and Nepal lay claim to Kalapani. The dispute was revived in November 2019 when India published a revised political map showing the newly created UTs of J&K and Ladakh. The map showed Kalapani as part of Pithoragarh district. Nepal protested immediately and drew attention to the issue. Very recently, India inaugurated the Darchula-Lipulekh pass link road, cutting across the disputed Kalapani area. The road is used by Indian pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar. Nepal hit back by summoning the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, to convey a formal protest. What are Nepal's claims based on? The Kalapani region derives its name from the river Kali. Nepal‟s claims to the region are based on this river. The River became the marker of the boundary of the kingdom of Nepal following the Treaty of Sugauli. This was signed between the Gurkha rulers of Kathmandu and the East India Company after the Gurkha War/Anglo-Nepal War (1814- 16). According to the treaty, Nepal lost the regions of Kumaon-Garhwal in the west and Sikkim in the east. The King of Nepal gave up his claims over the region west of the river Kali which originates in the High Himalayas and flows into the great plains of the Indian subcontinent. According to the treaty, the British rulers recognised Nepal‟s right to the region that fell to the east of the river Kali. Here lies the historic origin of the dispute. www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 4 According to Nepal‟s experts, the east of the Kali river should begin at the source of the river. The source according to them is in the mountains near Limpiyadhura, which is higher in altitude than the rest of the river‟s flow. Nepal claims that a land mass, high in the mountains that falls to the east of the entire stretch starting from Limpiyadhura downwards, is theirs. India on the other hand says the border begins at Kalapani which India says is where the river begins. The dispute is mainly because of the varying interpretation of the origin of the river and its various tributaries that slice through the mountains. Is the road new? For India, the Lipulekh pass has always been part of the road to Tibet. Since 1981, when China re-opened the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage route for Indians, they have also used the pass to walk into Tibet. It was mentioned as one of the border passes for trade in a 1954 agreement with China. India's part was also reaffirmed in another trade agreement in 2015. The road built now follows the same alignment, and would essentially cut down their travel time by 3 days each way. [But India and China were in clear violation of Nepal‟s concerns during the 2015 Lipulekh agreement that renewed India‟s Mansarovar pilgrimage connection. Neither side consulted Nepal or sought its opinion before that agreement that boosted pilgrimage and trade to Tibet.] What is the tussle now? Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli took New Delhi by surprise with an aggressive posture on the Kalapani territorial issue. India has been even angered by Nepal‟s strong protests, followed by fiery speeches by Mr. Oli and Nepal's Foreign Minister. The Nepali cabinet also decided to adopt a new political map. That reportedly claims not only Lipulekh but also other areas that are in Indian territory that have been claimed by Nepal. Nepal claims this by invoking the 1816 Sugauli treaty with the British. The move was described by India‟s MEA as “artificial”, “unilateral” and “unacceptable”. But, the struggle within the ruling Nepal Communist Party has probably spurred Mr. Oli‟s more combative posture. 1.2 Nepal's New Map - India's Concerns Why in news? Nepal's Oli government has passed the constitutional amendment ratifying a change in its map which includes India's territories in Uttarakhand‟s Pithoragarh district. What is the dispute over? The new map includes Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura, territories that India controls. [Click here to read on Kalapani territorial issue] www.shankariasacademy.com | www.iasparliament.com 5 The territorial dispute stems from the fact that Nepal claims the land to the east of river Kali, which forms its western border. As per Kathmandu‟s understanding, the river originates from Limpiyadhura in the higher Himalayas. It is thus said to give Nepal access to a triangular-shaped land defined by Limpiyadhura-Lipulekh and Kalapani. India opposes the notion and says the origin of the river is much further down (to the east), which reduces Nepal‟s territorial demand. What is the recent trigger? While the issue is an old one, it resurfaced in 2019. In 2019, New Delhi published new political maps to reflect some changes. This was following the decision on 5 August 2019 to reorganise the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Nepal objected to this depiction of disputed territory. How are the responses? In 2000 and 2014, India and Nepal agreed to hold talks about Kalapani and Susta, without much success. [Susta is a disputed village near Bihar on which both India and Nepal stake a claim.] Matters became worse when India‟s Defence Minister inaugurated a surfaced road over the Kalapani territory. When Nepal protested, Indian Army Chief,