- Terrorism – Violence to spread fear and force political change.
- Human Rights Violations – Abuse of rights creates insecurity in states.
- Poverty, Population & Inequality – Cause economic weakness and social unrest.
- Migration & Refugees – Wars and disasters force migration, creating tensions.
- Health & Environment – Epidemics and climate change threaten global human security.
Topics
Contemporary World Politics
Cold War Era
- Introduction to the Cold War Era
- The Berlin Blockade (1948-1949)
- Cold War (1945-1991)
- Emergence of Two Power Blocs After the Second World War
- Arenas of the Cold War
- Challenges to Bipolarity
- New International Economic Order
- India and the Cold War
- Disintegration of the Soviet Union and Its Impact Or Consequences on the World Order
The End of Bipolarity
- Introduction to the End of Bipolarity
- What Was the Soviet System?
- Gorbachev and Disintegration
- Why Did the Soviet Union Disintegrate?
- Consequences of Disintegration
- Shock Therapy in Post-communist Regimes
- Shock Therapy and Its Consequenes
- Tensions and Conflicts
- India and Post-communist Countries
- New Entities in World Politics: Russia, Balkan States and Central Asian States
- Introduction of Democratic Politics and Capitalism in Post-communist Regimes
- Overview of The End of Bipolarity
US Hegemony in World Politics
- Introduction of US Hegemony in World Politics
- Ayesha, Jabu and Andrei
- Beginning of the ‘New World Order’
- The Clinton Years
- 9/11 and the ‘Global War on Terror’
- The Iraq Invasion
- Hegemony
- Constraints on American Power
- India's Relationship with the Us
- How Can Hegemony Be Overcome?
- Growth of Unilateralism - Afghanistan, First Gulf War, Response to 9/11 and Attack on Iraq
- Dominance and Challenge to the Us in Economy and Ideology
Alternative Centres of Power
- Introduction to Alternative Centres of Power
- European Union
- Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)
- The Rise of the Chinese Economy
- India-China Relations
- Overview of Contemporary Centres of Power
Contemporary South Asia in the Post Cold War Era
- Introduction to Contemporary South Asia
- What is South Asia?
- The Military and Democracy in Pakistan
- Democracy in Bangladesh
- Monarchy and Democracy in Nepal
- Ethnic Conflict and Democracy in Sri Lanka
- India-Pakistan Conflicts
- India's Relations with Its Neighbours
- Peace and Cooperation
- Impact of Economic Globalization on the Region
- Conflicts and Efforts for Peace in South Asia
- Overview of Contemporary South Asia
International Organizations
- Introduction to International Organisations
- Why International Organisations?
- Evolution of the UN
- Reform of the UN After the Cold War
- Reform of Structures and Processes
- Jurisdiction of the UN
- India and the UN Reforms
- The UN in a Unipolar World
- Restructuring and the Future of the UN
- India'S Position in the Restructured UN
- Rise of New International Actors - New International Economic Organisations, Ngos
- How Democratic and Accountable Are the New Institutions of Global Governance
- Overview of International Organizations
Security in Contemporary World
- Introduction to Security in the Contemporary World
- What is Security?
- Traditional Notions: External
- Traditional Security and Cooperation
- Non-traditional Notions
- New Sources of Threats
- Cooperative Security
- India’s Security Strategy
- Traditional Concerns of Security and Politics of Disarmament
- Non-traditional Or Human Security - Global Poverty, Health and Education
- Issues of Human Rights and Migration
- Overview of Security in Contemporary World
Environment and Natural Resources
- Introduction to Environment and Natural Resources
- Environmental Concerns in Global Politics
- The Protection of Global Commons
- Common but Differentiated Responsibilities
- Common Property Resources
- India's Stand on Environmental Issues
- Environment Movements: One Or Many?
- Resource Geopolitics
- The Indigenous Peoples and Their Rights
- Rights of Indigenous People
- Overview of Environment and Natural Resources
Globalisation
- Political Consequences
- Economic Consequences
- Cultural Consequences
- India and Resistance to Globalisation
- Economic, Cultural and Political Manifestations
- Debates on the Nature of Consequences of Globalisation
- Anti-globalisation Movements
- India as an Arena of Globalization and Struggle Against It
- Name Or Description
- Overview of Globalisation
- Opportunities and Threats of Globalization
Politics in India since Independence
Challenges of Nation-building
- Nehru's Approach to Nation-building
- Legacy of Partition - Challenge of 'Refugee' Resettlement, the Kashmir Problem
- Organisation and Reorganization of States
- Political Conflicts Overlanguage
- Challenges for the New Nation
- Partition: Displacement and Rehabilitation
- Integration of Princely States
- Overview of Challenges of Nation-building
Era of One-party Dominance
- Introduction of Era of One-party Dominance
- Congress Dominance in the First Three General Elections
- Nature of Congress Dominance at the National Level
- Uneven Dominance at the State Level
- Coalitional Nature of Congress
- Emergence of Opposition Parties
- Challenge of Building Democracy
- Overview of Era of One-party Dominance
Politics of Planned Development
- 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017)
- Expansion of State Sector and the Rise of New Economic Interests
- Famine and Suspension of Five Year Plans
- Green Revolution and Its Political Fallouts
- Introduction of Politics of Planned Development
- The Early Initiatives
- Key Controversies
- Major Outcome
- Overview of Politics of Planned Development
India's External Relations
- Nehru's Foreign Policy
- Sino-Indian War
- Pakistan (1948–49, 1965, 1971)
- India'S Nuclear Programme
- Shifting Alliance in World Politics
- International Context
- The Policy of Non-alignment
- Peace and Conflict with China
- Wars and Peace with Pakistan
- India's Nuclear Policy
- Overview of India's External Relations
Challenges to the Congress System
- Political Succession After Nehru
- Non-congressism and Electoral Upset of 1967
- Congress Split and Reconstitution
- Congress Victory in 1971 Elections
- Politics of Garibi Hatao
- Fourth General Elections, 1967
- Split in the Congress
- The 1971 Election and Restoration of Congress
- Overview of Challenges to the Congress System
Crisis of the Democratic Order
- Search for Committed Bureaucracy and Judiciary
- Navnirman Movement in Gujarat and the Bihar Movement
- Emergency - Context, Constitutional and Extra-constitutional Dimensions, Resistance to Emergency
- 1977 Elections and the Formation of Janata Party
- Rise of Civil Liberties Organisations
- Background to Emergency
- Declaration of Emergency
- Controversies Regarding Emergency
- Politics After Emergency
- Overview of Crisis of the Democratic Order
Rise of Popular Movements
- Farmer's Movements
- Womens’ Movement in India
- Environment and Development - Affected People'S Movements
- Implementation of Mandal Commission Report and Its Aftermath
- Nature of Popular Movements
- Dalit Panthers
- Bharatiya Kisan Union
- Anti Arrack Movement
- Narmada Bachao Aandolan
- Lesson from Popular Movements
Regional Aspirations
- Rise of Regional Parties
- Punjab Crisis and the Anti Sikh Riots of 1984
- The Kashmir Situation
- Challenges and Responses in the North East
- Region and the Nation
- Accommodation and National Integration
- Dravidian Movement
- Overview of Regional Aspirations
Recent Developments in Indian Politics
- Participatory Upsurge in 1990s
- Rise of the JD and the BJP
- Increasing Role of Regional Parties and Coalition Politics
- Coalition Governments - NDA (1998 - 2004) UPA (2004 - 2014) NDA (2014 Onwards)
- Context of the 1990s
- Era of Coalitions
- Political Rise of Other Backward Classes
- Communalism, Secularism, Democracy
- Emergence of a New Consensus
- Overview of Recent Developments in Indian Politics
Estimated time: 25 minutes
CBSE: Class 12
Key Points: What is Security?
- Security means freedom from serious threats to a country’s core values.
- Not every problem is a security threat; only extreme dangers qualify.
- Security focuses on threats that can cause irreparable damage.
- An overly broad view of security would make life fear-driven and paralysed.
- Ideas of security change over time and differ across societies.
CBSE: Class 12
Key Points: Traditional Notions of Security (External)
- Focuses mainly on military threats from other countries.
- The main danger is to a nation’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.
- War and military action directly endanger soldiers and ordinary citizens.
- Governments respond through deterrence (preventing war) and defence (fighting war).
- Balance of power is maintained.
- Alliance building helps states increase military strength and security.
- Security threats are seen as external.
CBSE: Class 12
Key Points: Internal
- Focuses not only on external threats but also internal peace and order.
- A country cannot be secure if it faces violence or instability within its borders.
- After World War II, internal security seemed less important for major powers like the US and USSR.
- Newly independent countries in Asia and Africa faced serious internal threats.
- These included civil wars, separatist movements, and ethnic conflicts.
- Internal and external threats often overlapped, with neighbours sometimes supporting internal rebels.
- Since 1945, most armed conflicts worldwide have been internal.
CBSE: Class 12
Key Points: Traditional Security and Cooperation
- Traditional security accepts that cooperation can limit violence and war.
- War should be used only as a last resort.
- Force must be limited and civilians/non-combatants should not be harmed.
- Disarmament and arms control are key forms of cooperation.
- Major arms control treaties include ABM Treaty (1972), SALT, START, and NPT (1968).
- NPT limits the spread of nuclear weapons.
- Confidence-building measures.
CBSE: Class 12
Key Points: Non-Traditional Notions of Security
- Security goes beyond military threats to include threats to human life and dignity
- It questions the state-centric idea of security and asks “Security for whom?”.
- The focus shifts from protecting states to protecting individuals and communities.
- This approach is called human security or global security.
- This approach is called human security or global security.
- Many deaths in history have been caused by governments themselves, not foreign armies.
- Global problems like climate change, terrorism, and epidemics require international cooperation.
CBSE: Class 12
Key Points: New Sources of Threats
CBSE: Class 12
Key Points: Cooperative Security
- Cooperative Security need cooperation, not military force.
- Military force has a limited role and may worsen problems.
- Can be bilateral, regional, or global, depending on the threat.
- Can be bilateral, regional, or global, depending on the threat.
- Use of force, if needed, should be collective and internationally sanctioned, not unilateral.
CBSE: Class 12
Key Points: India’s Security Strategy
- India faces both traditional (military) and non-traditional (internal & economic) security threats.
- Strengthening military power is vital due to conflicts with Pakistan (1947, 1965, 1971, 1999) and China (1962).
- India conducted nuclear tests (1974, 1998).
- India supports international institutions and norms like the UN, disarmament, and non-alignment.
- It promotes global cooperation through peacekeeping missions, climate agreements, and arms control.
- Internal security challenges include separatism, militancy, and regional insurgencies, tackled through democracy.
- Economic development and social justice are key to long-term security.
