Ir1

 Superpower:

  • A superpower is an all-powerful country whose power cannot be cumulatively balanced even by all other countries coming together.
  • A superpower can be balanced by another superpower only.
  • In the situation of unipolarity, the only option is to bandwagon with the superpower.
  • Bandwagon is a technical term in international politics where weaker powers just align with the stronger power to be safe/benefitted
     

Nation v/s Nation state v/s State Nationv/s Civilisation State:

  • Nation:
  • A nation is more of an emotional concept.
  • The nation comprises a group of people sharing ethnolinguistic similarities and having a sense of belongingness
  • Group of people living together in a common area with a sense of belonging.

Nation-State:

  • Nation-State is a legal concept of people with common cultural traits( religion, language, etc) under an organized state( sovereignty).
  • Its four constituents are- 
  • Population Territory, Government, Sovereignty.
  • It is a group of people with commonality living in a territory that enjoys sovereignty.
  • India is more accurately understood as a nation-state.

State- Nation:

  • Simply speaking, it can be considered as the constituents of a national state- like Gujarat, Maharashtra, etc.

Civilization state:

  • A country that does not merely reflect a historic territory or an ethnolinguistic group, rather it represents a unique civilization.
  • For example- India, China, etc.
  • There is a school of thought that believes that India and China can peacefully coexist today, just as they did for thousands of years.

Mercantilist state:

  •  A state that practices mercantilism- Active government interference in international trade so as to secure a favorable balance of trade.
  • For example- All colonial states, present-day China. 

Actors in international politics:

  • Nation-states.
  • Non-state actors- MNCs, terrorist groups, NGOs, Think tanks, International organizations( EU, UNO, IMF, WTO, UNFCCC, etc).

Foreign policy:

  • Foreign policy is a strategy or a planned course of Action aimed at achieving National Interest in International politics.
  • The Foreign policy of a country is determined by a set of factors referred to as determinants of Foreign policy

The factors are:

  • Geography
  • Economy
  • Politics/Political Party Format.
  • History
  • Culture
  • Social Demography
  • World order

GEOGRAPHY AS A DETERMINANT IN FOREIGN POLICY (7:30 PM):

  • Napoleon considered geography as a prime determinant of a country's foreign policy.
  • Geopolitics as a school studies the importance of geography in determining power politics among nation-states.
  • Prominent geopolitical scholar Alfred Mahan emphasized that those who control the Indian Ocean will rule the world.
  • India's strategic location at the center of the Asian arc extending from Aden to Tokyo makes India a gateway to Southeast Asia, Central, and West Asia.
  • India's strategic location at the head of the Indian Ocean, along with other factors makes India the net security provider in the Indian Ocean region.

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