Current Affairs – February 20, 2025

{GS2 – IR – Issues} Trumpism and Fragmentation of the Collective West

• Context (IE): The resurgence of Trumpism has intensified divisions between the US and Europe, raising questions about the future of the “Collective West.”

Concept of the Collective West

• The alliance of Western nations sharing liberal values like democracy, capitalism & individual rights.
• Institutionalized post-World War II under US leadership through NATO, UN, GATT, IMF, and World Bank.
• Historically united against external threats like communism but has internal ideological & strategic differences.

Historical Perspective on Western Unity and Conflicts

• The West’s unity since WWII contrasts with its history of internal conflicts like the Renaissance, Reformation, and European wars.
• Past global shifts, such as the Cold War and ideological battles, shaped alliances and rivalries.
• The “warring West” has always competed for political and economic dominance.

Emergence of a Conservative International (Con-Intern)

• Conservative forces across the West align against liberal hegemony, challenging progressive values on issues like migration, identity politics, and censorship.
• Right-wing movements gain traction in European politics, with figures like Elon Musk supporting conservative factions.
• Parallels drawn with earlier global ideological movements like the Communist International (Comintern) and Liberal Internationalism.

Trumpism and the Shift in US Leadership

• Trump challenges traditional US-led global order, prioritizes national interests over collective leadership.
• Seeks to reduce American security commitments in Europe and Asia.
• Advocates direct peace negotiations with Russia, bypassing Ukraine and EU leadership.
• Argues multilateral trade agreements harm American workers, pushes for bilateral trade frameworks.
• Opposes liberal values promoted in Western societies, favoring conservative nationalism.

Impact on US-Europe Relations

• US-Europe divergence on European security, trade policies, and liberal governance principles.
• US Vice President’s criticism of European democracies at Munich Security Conference increased tensions.
• US push to reintegrate Russia into Western institutions like the G7 challenges Europe’s stance on Ukraine.
• European discontent over US retreat from global leadership in security and climate policies.

Russia and China’s Strategic Gains

• Russia benefits from US-EU division, leveraging talks with US to reclaim influence in European order.
• China exploits rifts within the West, testing US commitments to Asian allies.
• Both Moscow and Beijing engage with Washington despite their anti-West rhetoric.

India’s Strategic Approach

• India refrains from aligning with anti-West narratives from Russia and China.
• Prioritizes engaging with Western powers to balance geopolitical interests.
• Seeks strategic autonomy while leveraging contradictions within the West to its advantage.

Future of the Collective West

• The current divisions may deepen into long-term divergence or lead to a restructuring of US-Europe ties.
• Western security, trade, and governance frameworks could undergo significant transformations.
• The extent to which Trumpism reshapes global alliances depends on political shifts in both the US and Europe.

{GS2 – IR – Middle East} India-Qatar Strategic Partnership

• Context (IE): Qatar’s Amir’s state visit to India elevated bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership, boosting trade, investment, and energy cooperation.

Qatar

• Qatar is a country in Western Asia.
• It occupies the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.
• It shares its sole land border with Saudi Arabia to the south.
• The Gulf of Bahrain, an inlet of the Persian Gulf, separates Qatar from Bahrain.
• The capital is Doha, home to over 80% of the nation’s population.
• It is a high-income economy backed by the world’s third-largest natural gas and oil reserves.
• Qatar is well known for its globally expanding media group, Al Jazeera Media Network.
• Qatar hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup, making it the first Muslim and Arab country to host it.
• The 2030 Asian Games were also held in Qatar.

India-Qatar Relations

Evolution and Milestones

• State Visits & Diplomacy: Reciprocal state visits since 2015 strengthened ties focusing on trade, energy, and diaspora welfare.
• Crisis Resolution: India played a key role in resolving bilateral issues, including diplomatic challenges and labor rights concerns.
• COP28 & Navy Veterans Issue: Recent diplomatic efforts secured the release of Indian Navy veterans and enhanced crisis management cooperation.

Economic & Trade Relations

• Bilateral Trade: India is Qatar’s second-largest trading partner, with trade volume reaching $14 billion in 2024. Plans aim to double this to $28 billion in five years.
• Qatar’s Investment in India: Qatar has committed to investing $10 billion in key sectors.
• India–Middle East Economic Corridor (IMEEC): While initially bypassing Qatar, new agreements may integrate Doha into future trade routes.

Energy Cooperation

• LNG Supply Agreements: QatarEnergy secured long-term deals with India’s GAIL and Petronet, ensuring stable energy supplies worth $78 billion.
• Gas Price Revisions: Favorable gas price reductions, saved India an estimated $6 billion.
• Energy Security: Cooperation ensure uninterrupted LNG supply, critical for India’s energy diversification.

Strategic & Regional Cooperation

• Gulf Geopolitics & Diplomacy: Qatar’s mediation in regional conflicts including the Gaza ceasefire and Taliban negotiations, enhances its diplomatic stature.
• India’s Regional Balancing: While strengthening ties with Saudi Arabia and UAE, India has now deepened engagement with Qatar for geopolitical leverage.
• Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT): A new treaty under discussion aims to provide a stable legal framework for Qatari investments.

Diaspora & Labor Relations

• Indian Expatriates in Qatar: Over 800,000 Indians work in Qatar, forming a crucial part of the workforce.
• Labor Rights & Reforms: India has consistently advocated for better working conditions and legal protections for its diaspora.
• Visa & Residency Benefits: Qatar’s reforms, including permanent residency for select expatriates and relaxed visa policies, benefit Indian workers.

Technology & Infrastructure Collaboration

• Infrastructure Development: Qatari investments target India’s infrastructure and technological sectors for long-term growth.
• Joint Business Forums and Business & Investment Agreements between Indian & Qatari business leaders drive bilateral economic expansion.

Way Forward

• Strengthening trade and investment ties through targeted economic policies.
• Expanding energy cooperation beyond LNG to include renewable energy projects.
• Enhancing regional strategic cooperation in security and diplomacy.
• Institutionalizing labor rights agreements for the Indian diaspora.
• Establishing robust legal frameworks to facilitate long-term economic collaboration.

{GS2 – Polity – IC – FRs} SC’s Imposition of Onerous Bail Conditions on Ranveer Allahbadia

• Context (TH | IE): SC imposed stringent bail conditions against influencer Ranveer Allahbadia (passport surrender, complete ban on social media content) raising concerns about fairness of bail restrictions.

Legal Basis for Bail Conditions

• Section 438(2) CrPC allows courts to impose conditions while granting anticipatory bail.
• Common conditions include depositing a passport (to prevent flight risk), monetary bail bonds, periodic police appearances.

Judicial Stand on ‘Onerous’ Bail Conditions

• Bail conditions must balance individual liberty and the investigation’s needs.
• Anil Kumar vs State of Bihar (2012): SC ruled that onerous bail conditions are not required and should not deprive the benefit of bail.
• Amit Nigam vs State of U.P. (2017): Allahabad HC held that excessive conditions virtually amount to denial of bail.
• Satender Kumar Antil v. CBI (2022): SC ruled that conditions impossible to comply with defeat the purpose of bail.
• Frank Vitus v. NCB (2024): SC struck down a bail condition requiring the accused to share a live location, citing privacy violations.

{GS2 – Polity – IC – FRs} SC’s Gag Order on Ranveer Allahbadia

• Context (TH | IE): SC imposed a gag order on influencer Ranveer Allahbadia while granting him interim protection from multiple FIRs, sparking debates on free speech and prior restraint in legal proceedings.
• SC in Parteek Bansal v. State of Rajasthan (2022): Multiple FIRs for the same offense were deemed an abuse of state machinery.

Gag Orders and Free Speech Concerns

• A gag order prevents speech or expression before it occurs, falling under the ‘prior restraint’ doctrine. Indian jurisprudence generally opposes prior restraint except in exceptional circumstances.
• Courts upheld limited speech restrictions, such as barring hate speech but allowing general expression.
• SC in Mohammed Zubair’s case (2022): Rejected a blanket ban on social media use, calling it a ‘chilling effect’ on free speech.

{GS2 – Polity – IC – Local Bodies} Panchayati Raj Movement in Distress

• Context (TH): 73rd Amendment (1992) established the Panchayati Raj System, but systemic and policy challenges hinder its effectiveness.

Panchayati Raj System

• Introduced through the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 as 11th Schedule to the constitution, to establish democratic decentralisation in rural areas, allowing local self-government.
• Three-tier structure: Gram Panchayat (village level), Panchayat Samiti (block level), and Zila Parishad (district level).
• Ensures representation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and women (50% reservation).
• State-specific variations exist, leading to different levels of success.

Powers & Functions of Panchayat (11th Schedule)

Achievements of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs)

• Increased grassroot political participation, espl. among women (14 lakh elected women representatives).
• Elections to PRIs are highly competitive, increasing political awareness.
• Effective implementation of social sector programs, particularly rural development schemes.
• Constitutionally mandated State Finance Commissions allocate financial resources to PRIs.
• Strengthened local governance and inclusion.

Challenges Leading to the Decline of PRIs

• Stagnation in Administrative Decentralisation: States have not fully devolved power, with only 20% transferring all 29 subjects in the Eleventh Schedule.
• Erosion of Fiscal Autonomy: PRIs rely heavily on centrally sponsored schemes, with untied grants reducing from 85% (13th FC) to 60% (15th FC).
• Bypassing PRIs in Welfare Delivery: Digital platforms like JAM and direct benefit transfers reduce PRI involvement in selection and grievance redressal.
• Impact of Urbanisation: Rural population decline (75% in 1990 to 60% in 2024) shifts focus to urban governance, sidelining PRIs.
• Limited Decision-Making Power: PRIs lack authority due to incomplete administrative devolution, restricting local governance.
• Increased Central Control: Direct financial transfers to beneficiaries reduce state and local autonomy over fund allocation.

Ways to Revitalize Panchayati Raj

• Strengthening Administrative and Fiscal Decentralisation: States must devolve administrative control and increase untied grants to enhance PRI autonomy.
• Leveraging Technology for Citizen Engagement: Digital tools can improve transparency, participation, and rural-urban connectivity.
• Reimagining Panchayats’ Role in Rural Development: PRIs can focus on water conservation, renewable energy, and disaster management for sustainability.
• Reviving Public Participation: Community involvement, transparency, and awareness campaigns can restore trust in PRIs.

{GS3 – Envi – CC} Global Sea Ice Cover Declines

• Context (IE): Global sea ice cover dipped to a new record low.

About Sea Ice

• Sea ice refers to the free-floating ice in the Polar Regions. Sea Ice is different from icebergs, glaciers, ice sheets, and ice shelves, which form on land.
• Most sea ice occurs as pack ice, which is very mobile, drifting with wind and currents while rising and falling with tides and waves. While fast ice, remains attached to the coastline or sea floor.
• Sea ice undergoes large seasonal changes in extent. It expands in autumn and winter as the ocean freezes, and melts and retreats in spring and summer.

Significance of Sea Ice

• Regulating Global Temperature: It has high albedo thus it reflects sunlight back to the atmosphere, preventing excessive heat absorption by oceans.
• Supporting Marine Life: It provides habitat for polar species such as polar bears, seals, and penguins.
• Influencing Ocean Circulation: It affects salinity levels by releasing salt when forming and diluting seawater when melting, driving ocean currents.
• Protecting Coastal Areas: Sea ice acts as a buffer against strong waves and coastal erosion.

Recent Changes in Global Ice Cover

• Sea Ice in Arctic is declining by more than 10% every 10 years. The IPCC projects the Arctic will likely experience at least one summer with near-zero sea ice before 2050.
• Antarctic sea ice is also close to a new low, based on satellite records going back to the late 1970s.

Reasons for Declining Sea Ice

• Climate Change: Rising global temperatures, driven by greenhouse gas emissions, accelerate sea ice melting, further warming the oceans and planet.
• Changes in Wind Patterns: Shifts in atmospheric circulation patterns push ice toward warmer regions, leading to melting.
• Changes in Ocean Currents: Disruptions in circulation patterns bring warmer waters to Polar Regions.
• Human Activities: Industrialization, deforestation, and pollution indirectly affect sea ice through increased carbon emissions and global warming.

Consequences of Declining Sea Ice

• Arctic Amplification: Loss of reflective ice leads to increased heat absorption, causing the Arctic to warm at a faster rate than the rest of the world.
• Altered Weather Patterns: Melting sea ice exposes the dark ocean, reducing the albedo effect, and disrupting ocean circulation, that has large effect on global weather patterns.
• Climate Change: Melting ice contributes to thawing permafrost, releasing large amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, further accelerating climate change.
• Disruption of Marine Ecosystems: Species like polar bears, walruses, and seals, which rely on sea ice for survival, face significant threats.

Way Forward

• Sea ice is vital for Earth’s climate, marine life, and coastal stability. Its rapid decline poses severe consequences for both natural ecosystems and human societies.
• Urgent action, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions & adopting sustainable environmental policies, is necessary to mitigate the impacts of declining sea ice & preserve our planet’s delicate balance.

{GS3 – Envi – Conservtaion} Aravalli Safari Park Project

• Context (TH): Haryana’s plan for the world’s largest safari park in Aravallis faces opposition over environmental and legal concerns.

Aravali Safari Park Project

• Aimed at boosting eco-tourism, generating employment & conserving biodiversity.
• Area Coverage: 3,858 hectares spanning 18 villages in Gurugram and Nuh.
• World’s Largest Safari Park: Planned across 10,000 acres to promote eco-tourism and compensatory afforestation for lost tropical forests in Great Nicobar.
• Design and Features: Includes ten wildlife zones, a bird park, nature trails, an underwater world, and facilities like hotels, botanical gardens, and an animal hospital.
• Development Responsibility: Originally under Tourism Department, now transferred to Forest Dept.

Key Concerns

• Threat to the Aravalis: The range prevents desertification and supports rich biodiversity.
• Environmental Risk: Construction and tourism may disrupt aquifers and worsen the water crisis.
• Legal Protections: The proposed site is classified as “forest” under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. Additionally, Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900, restricts land-use changes in the region.
• T.N. Godavarman Judgment (1996): Extends legal protection to all forests, including non-notified Aravali areas.
• NCR Regional Plan-2021: Declares the Aravalis a Natural Conservation Zone, limiting construction to 0.5% of the area.

{GS3 – S&T – Nuclear Energy} India’s Role in ITER

• Context (IE): Indian PM, during his France visit for the AI summit, became the first Head of Government to tour the ITER facility, reaffirming India’s commitment to fusion energy research.

Paris AI Action Summit 2025

• Indian PM co-chaired the third edition of the AI Action Summit in Paris.
• Focused on sustainable AI growth, energy efficiency, and global climate alignment.
• Covered five key themes: Public service AI, Future of Work, Innovation and Culture, Trust in AI, and Global AI Governance.

India’s Perspective and Initiatives

• AI for Global Good: Highlighted AI’s role in healthcare, education & agriculture for achieving UN SDGs.
• Five-Point Agenda: Proposed ethical AI growth through resource pooling, open-source AI, unbiased datasets, democratization, and tackling cybersecurity threats.
• Job Loss Concerns: Emphasized AI as a job transformer rather than a disruptor.
• Skilling and Reskilling: Stressed workforce adaptation to AI-driven changes.

What is ITER?

• ITER is the world’s largest collaborative fusion research project aimed at proving the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale, carbon-free energy source.
• Established in 1985, it involves seven core members, China, India, EU, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the US.
• Under development since 2005, the facility is expected to achieve deuterium-tritium fusion by 2039, generating 500 MW of fusion power.

What is a Tokamak?

• A tokamak is a device that uses magnetic fields to confine plasma for fusion reactions.
• ITER’s tokamak will be the world’s largest, twice the size of existing machines.
• Originally developed in the Soviet Union in the 1950s, it remains the most promising design for controlled fusion energy.

India’s Role in ITER

• India has been a key contributor to ITER for two decades, providing advanced components and expertise.
• Around 200 Indian scientists and companies like L&T, Inox India, TCS, TCE, and HCL are actively involved.

Significance of ITER

• Fusion offers a clean, virtually limitless energy source with no greenhouse gas emissions.
• Small quantity of deuterium & tritium can generate massive energy, reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
• ITER tests “burning plasmas”, self-sustaining fusion reactions that minimize the need for external heating.
• ITER will not generate electricity but will lay the foundation for future commercial fusion reactors.

{Prelims – Envi – Species} Bull Ant (Myrmecia pyriformi)

• Context (TH): Bull ant becomes the second animal to find its way by polarised moonlight.

Credits: Australian Museum

• Also known as inch ant, it is an Australian ant. Guinness World Records listed them as the world’s most dangerous ant due to its extremely aggressive.
• Myrmecia pyriformis is a ‘monogynous ant species’, meaning it has only one queen per colony. However, it is known to survive without a queen.
• They use polarized sunlight and moonlight to navigate. It is the only second animal to find its way by polarised moonlight.
• Distribution: Found in many major cities of Australia, but mostly spotted in the eastern states.
• Habitat: Bull ants live in urban areas, forests and woodland.
• Physical Description: Typically larger, darker in colour and the head and alitrunk (a segment of the body where the wings are attached) are either dark reddish-brown or blackish-brown.

{Prelims – Envi – Species} False Killer Whale (Pseudorca crassidens)

• Context (TH): More than 150 false killer whales stranded on Australia’s Tasmania beach.

• False killer whales are large members of the dolphin family. They are so named because the shape of their skulls is similar to that of killer whales.
• Distribution: Found in tropical and temperate waters between latitudes of 30° and 30° N. 

Credit: IUCN

• Habitat: Occur more frequently in deeper open ocean waters; occasionally move into nearshore areas.
• Physical Appearance: Are dark gray, often appearing black; is large and slender & males are slightly larger than females.
• Diet: Variety of fish and squid, sometimes taking large fish species like mahi-mahi, tuna etc.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: Nearly Threatened CITES: Appendix II.