The Hindu – 30 Sept 14 – Fighting the fires they lit

Armed with an overwhelming parliamentary endorsement, the British government has joined the United States-led coalition of countries that have been conducting aerial bombings of regions in Syria and Iraq under the control of the Islamic State (IS). <the status of IS>> The territorial expansion of the regime in Iraq appears to have been halted, at least for the present. < the backgrounder>> Last August the very same Parliament had roundly rejected Prime Minister David Cameron’s proposal that Britain intervene militarily in Syria in retaliation for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s alleged use of chemical weapons against anti-government Syrian forces. Clearly, much has changed in the space of a year. <what have been the changes such that the interventions have again started??>> The<1.> frenetic growth of the latest and most fierceavatar of jihadist terrorism in the Iraq-Syria region, the <2.> rapid export of its ideology to the young and disaffected in Britain and Europe who are joining its fighting forces in droves, < 3.> the barbaric forms of punishment it employs against its critics, and <4.> its access to staggering financial resources — through oil from captured oilfields, and even the plunder and sale of a vast reservoir of antiquities in northern Syria — has given it a presence and strength that poses a direct threat to the region and beyond. <therefore>> Indeed, the protection of the United Kingdom from IS-sponsored acts of terrorism topped the list of reasons Mr. Cameron advanced in his speech to Parliament in justification of British air strikes against IS bases in Iraq. <the finer detail>> Crafted to win the support of the Labour opposition, the carefully worded motion seeking approval for armed intervention promises that British aircraft will not bomb Syria, and there will be no British “boots on the ground”.

< the larger picture>> Of a well-considered military plan, a mission-aim, a pullout strategy and a timeframe there was little evidence in Mr. Cameron’s speech; even less so the signs of any political and diplomatic vision of positive intervention. <the backgrounder>> The brutal instances of beheading by IS activists of western journalists and aid workers captured on video and circulated on social media might well turn out to have been a bait by IS to draw the West into a war which in turn could feed an even more virulent brand of jihadism. < in evolution>> However, Version 2014 of the Iraq story is an outcrop of Version 2003, when the western alliance declared war against Iraq on the concocted premise of the presence of weapons of mass destruction, destroying a once-prosperous society. >> This fanned sectarian and religious divides in the country, and created a bubbling groundswell of popular hatred of western governments. >> Today the same military alliance is struggling to douse the fires that it set 11 years ago — and it may end up stoking them.<< Conclusive Comment>

Q: The British government has sought a massive approval for armed intervention against IS bases in Iraq but ensuring that the British aircraft will not bomb Syria, and there will be no British ‘boots on the ground’. Analyse.  

The carefully worded motion seeking approval for armed intervention promises that British aircraft will not bomb Syria, and there will be no British “boots on the ground”.

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in? –

• Paper -2, Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests
• Paper -4, ethical issues in international relations and funding; moral and political attitudes

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The Hindu – 03 July 14 – Opinion

1) The geo-politics of the Islamic state

TAKEAWAY – neo-ottomanism –  MUST READ for the complete comprehensive analysis of the Middle East.

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in? –

• Paper -1, World History – Cold War
• Paper -2  Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests; India and its neighborhood relations.
• Paper -3, Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
• Paper -4  dimensions of ethics; Ethical issues in International relations; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; moral and political attitudes

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2) Integrating ecology and economy

TAKEAWAY – 5 points: Ecology takes the long view; It is a science of connections; It closes the loop; Ecological processes transcend political boundaries; Humans are not external to nature; Ecology and Economics come from the same root – ‘oikos’ – science of our home environment must inform the management of our home resources. MUST READ for the topic Development vs./and Environment

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in? –

• Paper -1, geographical features and their location – changes in critical geographical features (including waterbodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
• Paper -3, Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment; Indian economy; Ministry and Departments
• Paper -4  Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships.; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion

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3) An over-burdened public sector and an exploitative private sector

TAKEAWAY –  the inadequacies of public health, – poor quality of care, long waiting lines, patient maltreatment and neglect,- sector resulting in unending poverty- MUST READ.

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in? –

• Paper -1, Population and associated issues; Poverty and Developmental issues
• Paper -2, Development processes and the development industry- the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders; Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector or Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
• Paper -3, Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
• Paper -4, role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values; probity in governance;  laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance;

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4) Ecuadoran indigenous people protest against water policy

TAKEAWAY – water sources being controlled by the state of Ecuador which were hitherto managed by indigenous water councils-  CAN READ.

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in? –

• Paper -1, geographical features and their location – changes in critical geographical features (including waterbodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
• Paper -2, Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests;
• Paper -3, Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
• Paper -4

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Indian Express – 06 June 14 – A poll foretold

SUMMARY – Farce of Syrian presidential elections follows the tragedy of its civil war.

The Syrian presidential election held on Tuesday, which incumbent Bashar al-Assad won by an overwhelming majority, is another testament to how intractable the country’s crisis has become. <What points substantiate this comment??>> The results of this election were a foregone conclusion, given that the ragtag coalition of Syrian rebels had boycotted it, and polling was held only in government-controlled areas. Without any serious international effort to mediate the civil war, or nudge its principal actors towards a power-sharing agreement, this election will merely encourage Assad and his foes to dig their heels in.

<The problem with the international order, or even the background>>Just as Iran and Russia continue to back the Assad regime, the US has been tacitly supporting its allies, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as they funnel money and arms to the rebels. If there has been some handwringing in the West recently over supporting the Syrian opposition, it is a belated realisation of the folly of letting weapons end up in the hands of the jihadist groups that are part of it, like the Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The progressive militarisation of this crisis over three years has relegated the possibilities of a political solution. Lakhdar Brahimi, the latest international diplomat to throw in the towel after serving 19 months as the UN Secretary General’s special representative to Syria, has said that his “greatest fear” was the world simply becoming “accustomed to the stream of bad news emanating from Syria”.

<What can still be done is..>> But it is still not too late for the international community to broker a peace deal between Assad and the rebels. The UN’s immediate priority must be to remove the last remaining consignments of chemical weapons from the country. The freeze that has set in between Russia and the US over Crimea must not spill over to Syria: the civil war has killed and displaced far too many for political calculations to continue ignoring this humanitarian catastrophe.

Q: In light of the recent Syrian Presidential Elections, comment on the role of ongoing international efforts to contain the Syrian war. 

In which topic of the CS Mains syllabi, can this article fit in? –

• Paper -2 Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
• Paper -4 Ethical issues in international relations and funding, Moral and political attitudes

BE Consistent!