Groupings and agreements
Syllabus: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests.
Current affairs on this topic 23
- Op-ed: In a trade deal with the US, India should value terms that are hard to reverse 5 October 2026
India's concessions would be permanent; America's tariff rate can change overnight. What should India ask for instead?
- No timeline for Sheikh Hasina's extradition, says India's envoy in Dhaka 4 October 2026
Bangladesh wants its former Prime Minister back. Why does India say only its courts can set the clock?
- Explained: First official Indian visit to Pakistan since Operation Sindoor 3 October 2026
India shuns bilateral talks with Pakistan, yet an Indian diplomat went to Islamabad. What does SCO membership demand?
- India and the EU to sign their trade deal on 16 December 24 September 2026
Negotiated for nearly two decades, closed in January. What does India actually get?
- India rejects the OIC contact group's remarks on Kashmir 24 September 2026
Why India engages Gulf states one by one but dismisses the OIC as a bloc.
- India-New Zealand trade deal to take effect on 20 October 22 September 2026
Duty-free access for all Indian exports, and dairy left out.
- Pakistani corvette collides with Indian warship; India cites the 1991 military pact 17 September 2026
Two navies were meant to stay three nautical miles apart. What happens when a 35-year-old safety rule is broken?
- U.S. says it has 'space control' weapons in orbit, exposing gaps in space law 16 September 2026
The Outer Space Treaty bans nuclear weapons in orbit. Why doesn't it stop jammers and interceptors?
- India and Vietnam agree to co-produce Indian defence equipment at 19th Joint Commission 15 September 2026
Vietnam is India's first 'Enhanced' strategic partner in its region. What does building weapons together add?
- Op-ed: India should make the New Development Bank the core of its BRICS finance agenda 14 September 2026
BRICS holds about 40% of world GDP but little say at the IMF. Can a Shanghai-based bank change that?
- India-EU trade deal: a 1.64 million tonne steel quota for India, a car quota for the EU 14 September 2026
India sends about 4 million tonnes of steel to Europe a year. Only 1.64 million tonnes get a quota. What about the rest?
- BRICS adopts a 140-paragraph New Delhi Declaration at its 18th summit 13 September 2026
Eleven members with rival interests agreed on 140 paragraphs. What did India's chairship get in?
- U.S. proposes ending the 60-day grace period for H-1B and other laid-off visa workers 12 September 2026
Lose your job in the U.S. today and you get up to 60 days to find another. What happens if that cushion goes?
- Editorial: What the U.S.-Canada trade rupture teaches India 11 September 2026
Six decades of free trade did not shield Canada from U.S. tariffs. Why should India expect its deal to be safer?
- India-U.S. Army exercise Yudh Abhyas opens its 22nd edition with a counter-drone focus 11 September 2026
Drones have changed modern battlefields. What are India and the U.S. practising together this year?
- Op-ed: India-Japan defence ties move from dialogue to shipbuilding and joint drills 9 September 2026
For years India and Japan agreed on the Indo-Pacific but built little together. Is that finally changing?
- Op-ed: India's BRICS chairship is a chance to put a divided group back together 8 September 2026
BRICS has more than doubled in size. Has it lost the consensus that made it work?
- Why is BRICS exploring its own cross-border payment links? 6 September 2026
Can linking national payment systems make trade cheaper without a showdown over the dollar?
- As India revises its Model BIT, an op-ed seeks consultation and Parliament's scrutiny 5 September 2026
India's investment treaty template is being rewritten. Who gets a say before the Cabinet signs off?
- Mecca defence pact prompts a call for India to add a security role in the Gulf 5 September 2026
Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan now promise to defend each other. Is buying oil and sending workers enough for India?
- India and Belgium sign a defence letter of intent and aim to double trade in five years 4 September 2026
Why is a small European economy becoming a defence and chip partner for India?
- At the SCO summit in Bishkek, Modi calls for dismantling the terror ecosystem 2 September 2026
India wants a firmer SCO line on cross-border terror, and Pakistan now chairs the grouping. What can India gain?
- Hague court says the Indus Waters Treaty is fully in force; India rejects the award 1 September 2026
A tribunal says India cannot suspend the Indus treaty. India says the tribunal itself is illegal. Who is right?
Background from the reference shelf
Previous-year questions 17
- 2026 · GS2 · 10 marks "IPMDA (Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness) bridges the gap between India's SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision and the Quad's collective Indo-Pacific…
- 2026 · GS2 · 10 marks "BRICS acts as a powerful counterweight in global governance, actively amplifying the voice and influence of the Global South." Explain the role of BRICS in projecting itself as an alternative to…
- 2025 · GS2 · 15 marks "Energy security constitutes the dominant kingpin of India's foreign policy, and is linked with India's overarching influence in Middle Eastern countries." How would you integrate energy security…
- 2025 · GS2 · 15 marks "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…
- 2024 · GS2 · 10 marks 'The West is fostering India as an alternative to reduce dependence on China's supply chain and as a strategic ally to counter China's political and economic dominance.' Explain this statement with…
- 2023 · GS2 · 10 marks 'Virus of Conflict is affecting the functioning of the SCO' In the light of the above statement point out the role of India in mitigating the problems.
- 2022 · GS2 · 15 marks How will I2U2 (India, Israel, UAE and USA) grouping transform India's position in global politics?
- 2022 · GS2 · 10 marks Do you think that BIMSTEC is a parallel organisation like the SAARC? What are the similarities and dissimilarities between the two? How are Indian foreign policy objectives realized by forming this…
- 2021 · GS2 · 15 marks Critically examine the aims and objectives of SCO. What importance does it hold for India?
- 2021 · GS2 · 15 marks The newly tri-nation partnership AUKUS is aimed at countering China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region. Is it going to supersede the existing partnerships in the region? Discuss the strength and…
- 2020 · GS2 · 15 marks What is the significance of Indo-US defence deals over Indo-Russian defence deals? Discuss with reference to stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
- 2020 · GS2 · 15 marks 'Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad)' is transforming itself into a trade bloc from a military alliance, in present times. Discuss.
- 2018 · GS2 · 15 marks What are the key areas of reform if the WTO has to survive in the present context of 'Trade War', especially keeping in mind the interest of India?
- 2017 · GS2 · 15 marks The question of India's Energy Security constitutes the most important part of India's economic progress. Analyze India's energy policy cooperation with West Asian Countries.
- 2014 · GS2 · 12.5 marks India has recently signed to become a founding member of New Development Bank (NDB) and also the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). How will the role of the two Banks be different? Discuss…
- 2014 · GS2 · 12.5 marks Though 100 percent FDI is already allowed in non-news media like a trade publication and general entertainment channel, the government is mulling over the proposal for increased FDI in news media…
- 2013 · GS2 · 10 marks The protests in Shahbag Square in Dhaka in Bangladesh reveal a fundamental split in society between the nationalists and Islamic forces. What is its significance for India?