Topic: India and its neighborhood- relations.
2. Evaluate the key lessons that India can learn from the recent Ladakh crisis with China. (250 words)
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question:
The article accounts in detail the recent Ladakh crisis with China.
Key Demand of the question:
Present a critical assessment of stand-off at Ladakh and how it offers India key lessons in managing strategic competition with China.
Directive:
Evaluate – When you are asked to evaluate, you have to pass a sound judgement about the truth of the given statement in the question or the topic based on evidences. You have to appraise the worth of the statement in question. There is scope for forming a personal opinion here.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start with brief background of the question’s context.
Body:
The answer body must have the following aspects covered:
Present Background on recent India-China relations; Continuing stand-off: After over a year, stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh shows no signs of resolution, disengagement has stalled and talks been fruitless.
Rupture bilateral relationship: Political relations are marked by hostility and distrust. The relationship has been described as conditional on the quietude on the border by Indian External Affairs minister.
Strategic lessons for India: In a recent study published by the Lowy Institute ‘The crisis after the crisis: how Ladakh will shape, offers India three key lessons in managing the intensifying strategic competition with China: Military strategies based on denial are more useful than strategies based on punishment., China more likely to be deterred with threat of political costs rather than material costs, Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is the key, rather than LAC.
Conclusion:
Conclude that rebalancing India’s strategic priorities will require the central government, through the Chief of Defence Staff, to issue firm strategic guidance to the military services. This will define the ability of the national security apparatus to overcome entrenched bureaucratic and organisationalcultural biases.
