When two elephants fight, it is the grass that gets trampled.
125 marks · answer in 1200 words · directive: Essay
The core of a good answer
When the powerful clash, whether great powers, governments, institutions or corporations, the cost falls on the weak who had no part in the quarrel. Good governance and world order are judged by how well they protect the grass.
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What the question asks
The proverb is about who pays for conflict between the strong. A good essay applies it at several levels: geopolitics and economics, federal and institutional disputes, and organisations and families. It should give evidence that the weak suffer, and then suggest how to cushion or prevent harm: rules, mediation, institutions and voice for the vulnerable.
Answer outline
Introduction
Open with a picture: a farmer in Africa or Asia paying more for bread or fertiliser in 2022 because of a war thousands of kilometres away.
Great powers and wars
- The Cold War's proxy wars, such as in Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan, killed and displaced civilians in countries that were not the main rivals.
- Russia's invasion of Ukraine from February 2022 halted Ukraine's maritime grain exports and pushed up world food prices, hitting import-dependent developing countries hardest.
- The Black Sea Grain Initiative (22 July 2022 to 17 July 2023) let nearly 33 million tonnes of food move from Ukrainian ports; its end showed how fragile the protection of 'grass' is.
Economic rivalries
- Tariff wars between large economies, such as the US and China from 2018, can disrupt supply chains and affect exporters and workers in third countries.
- Price wars between large firms can wipe out small traders even when consumers gain in the short run.
Disputes within a nation
- Inter-State water disputes: the Cauvery dispute ran from the tribunal set up in 1990 through its award of 5 February 2007 to the Supreme Court's judgment of 16 February 2018; farmers on both sides bore the uncertainty.
- Centre-State or Governor-State standoffs over Bills delay laws meant for citizens; in its advisory opinion of 20 November 2025 the Supreme Court held that prolonged, unexplained and indefinite inaction by a Governor can attract a limited direction to decide within a reasonable time.
- Political deadlock elsewhere: the United States federal shutdown of October to November 2025 lasted a record 43 days, leaving federal workers and benefit recipients waiting.
Organisations and families
- Boardroom fights and union-management standoffs hurt workers and customers more than leaders.
- In a bitter divorce, children are the grass.
Protecting the grass
- Rules and institutions: international humanitarian law, the UN, dispute tribunals and courts.
- Humanitarian corridors and safety nets: food reserves, social protection, insurance for farmers.
- Mediation and diplomacy: dialogue that lets rivals settle disputes before bystanders pay the price.
- Voice for the weak: the grass must have a seat at the table, through the Global South's voice in G20 and the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of the G20 in 2023.
Conclusion
The strength of elephants is measured not by how hard they fight but by whether they spare the grass. Leaders, nations and institutions must count the cost to bystanders before they quarrel.
Examples and data to cite
- Black Sea Grain Initiative signed in Istanbul on 22 July 2022 by Russia, Ukraine, Turkiye and the UN; ended 17 July 2023 after nearly 33 million tonnes of food exports.
- Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal set up in 1990; final award 5 February 2007; Supreme Court judgment 16 February 2018 raised Karnataka's share by 14.75 TMC.
- Cauvery Water Management Authority constituted on 1 June 2018.
- Supreme Court advisory opinion on the Presidential Reference (20 November 2025): no judicially fixed timelines for assent, but prolonged, unexplained inaction can attract a limited direction to decide.
- US federal government shutdown of 2025 ended on 12 November 2025 after a record 43 days.
- African Union admitted as a permanent member of the G20 at the New Delhi Summit, September 2023.
Facts to remember
- Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 provides for tribunals to adjudicate water disputes (Article 262 of the Constitution).
- Proxy war: conflict in which major powers support opposing sides without fighting each other directly.
- Civilians are protected persons under the Geneva Conventions of 1949.