Topic: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
4. The global multilateral institutions are inherently politicised and have often failed to represent the real multinational issues and changing power dynamics within their grouping. Critically comment. (250 words)
Difficulty level: Tough
Reference: Live Mnt
Why the question:
The observations on the performance of multilateral institutions have highlighted the dominance of China during the Covid pandemic and also the failure of such forums to address the changing security issues.
Key Demand of the question:
To analyse lacunae in the existing multilateral institutions and the need for a course correction.
Directive word:
Critically comment – When asked to analyse, you must examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them in a summary. When ‘comment’ is prefixed, we must express our knowledge and understanding of the issue and form an overall opinion thereupon.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by stating the dormant and ineffective nature of functioning of multilateral institutions such as the UNSC, IMF and world bank in the recent times.
Body:
Mention the changing power dynamics within the multilateral organisations, the dominance of China and the minimal role of under developed countries in policy frameworks in domains such as International security, equitable access to different economies, Climate change etc.
Next, mention the increasing debates around the issue and suggestive reforms and a need for a greater voice of the side-lined countries.
On the other hand, discuss some of the initiatives by these forums to enable relevant functioning in the current times such as enforcing the developed countries to contribute more to the climate financing in preserving the small island nations, bringing in mechanisms to ensure access of smaller economies etc.
Conclusion:
Conclude by stating that new challenges need a new approach to ensure effective functioning of the International forums to address common issues globally.
