GS Paper II — Q20
"The reform process in the United Nations remains unresolved, because of the delicate imbalance of East and West and entanglement…
"The reform process in the United Nations remains unresolved, because of the delicate imbalance of East and West and entanglement of the USA vs. Russo-Chinese alliance." Examine and critically evaluate the East-West policy confrontations in this regard. (Answer in 250 words) 15 marks
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
"पूर्व और पश्चिम के बीच नाजुक असंतुलन और यू० एस० ए० बनाम रूस-चीनी गठबंधन के बीच उलझन के कारण संयुक्त राष्ट्र में सुधार प्रक्रिया अभी भी अनसुलझी है।" इस संबंध में पूर्व-पश्चिम नीति टकरावों की जाँच और आलोचनात्मक मूल्यांकन कीजिए। (उत्तर 250 शब्दों में दीजिए)
Model answer
Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 250-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.
The paralysis in United Nations (UN) reforms reflects an acute structural crisis rooted in great-power rivalry.
East-West Policy Confrontations and Reform Gridlock The expansion of the UN Security Council (UNSC) remains deadlocked within the triangular dynamics of the USA, Russia, and China. While Washington offers conditional support to select allies, Moscow and Beijing resist structural changes that dilute their P5 dominance, frequently leveraging the divide between the G4 nations (India, Japan, Germany, Brazil) and the ‘Uniting for Consensus’ (UfC) coalition.
Veto confrontations further illustrate this ideological divide. Western pushes for humanitarian intervention under the 'Responsibility to Protect' framework consistently clash with Russo-Chinese assertions of absolute state sovereignty, evidenced by paralyzing deadlocks over Syria and Ukraine. Beyond the Security Council, this rivalry stalls actionable peacekeeping mandates, politicises Secretariat appointments, and weaponises scale of budget assessments.
Critical Evaluation: Beyond Bipolarity However, attributing the reform deadlock exclusively to East-West bipolarity is incomplete. Stagnation is equally sustained by:
- Institutional inertia and the rigid amendment threshold under Article 108 of the UN Charter.
- Intractable regional rivalries within the Global South, such as the African Union's Ezulwini Consensus requiring two veto-wielding permanent seats, and regional peers blocking candidate nations.
India’s Position and Verdict India, as a leading G4 contender, navigates this impasse through strategic autonomy, balancing partnerships with the West while maintaining engagement within the Global South and BRICS.
Ultimately, while regional frictions and procedural rigidities complicate consensus, the US vs. Russo-Chinese polarization remains the decisive barrier to structural reform. Without reconciling this great-power deadlock, the UN risks sliding into permanent institutional obsolescence.
How this answer will be evaluated
Framework: GS2 International Relations
What earns full marks: Deep analysis of veto politics and specific reform proposals with critical judgment.
Evaluation rubric
Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.
- The answer Examine how East–West rivalry, especially US vs Russia–China, stalls UN reform, and critically evaluate whether it is the main obstacle. 15 marks · 250 words
critically evaluate— positives → negatives/limits → conditions/safeguards → conclusion
Must cover
- Identify the UN reform issues (Security Council expansion, veto, working methods)
- Explain how US vs Russia–China rivalry blocks reform (veto politics, selective support)
- Critically evaluate other causes: Article 108 threshold, UfC opposition, African Common Position, P5 self-interest
- A balanced judgment on the feasibility of reform and India's stake
Loses marks
- Reciting Cold War history without UN context
- Failing to link rivalry to specific institutional blocks
- Ignoring the Russia–China aspect
Earns more
- Veto use and deadlock (Syria, Ukraine, Gaza) and the 2022 veto initiative (GA debate after each veto)
- G4 proposal vs Uniting for Consensus
- Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) process; Pact for the Future (2024)
- India's position and strategy (G4, L.69, Global South)
Extra mark
- 2005 World Summit Outcome
- Ezulwini Consensus (two permanent seats with veto for Africa)
What "Critically evaluate" is asking you to do
Judge how well something has performed against the standard it set for itself — its stated aim, mandate or promise — and commit to a verdict. Name the yardstick before you judge; an unanchored judgement reads as opinion. “Critically” is not a section added at the end: name the yardstick you are judging by — the evidence, the stated objective, a constitutional principle, a rival explanation — and let a verdict close each part of the body. Where the question quotes a claim, that verdict must land on the claim itself, accepted, qualified or rejected, and not on the theme in general.
Structure that answers it
Name the yardstick — stated aim, mandate or benchmark → performance against it → shortfall against it → why the gap exists → verdict
Where marks are lost
Merits in one paragraph, demerits in the next, and a conclusion calling for a balanced and holistic approach. That is a survey with the judgement left out and it holds the answer in the middle band. The opposite error is reading “critically” as permission to attack — and with the odd pairings, critically describe or critically explain, the exposition still carries most of the marks, the judgement being a layer on it rather than a substitute for it.
Practice this exact question
Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.
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