republic of india · 2019-11-06 · recently, an international division has appeared on the issue...
TRANSCRIPT
Republic of India
भारतीय गणराज्य
——GENERAL INFORMATION——
GEOGRAPHY & DEMOGRAPHICS SUMMARY
- Located in South Asia, bordering Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, and (according to the Indian government) Afghanistan.
- Member of SAARC, the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, the SCO, the MGC, and the BIMSTEC.
- 72% of the population is Indo-Aryan, with 25% Dravidian and the remaining 3% made of Mongoloid, Turkic, Veddoid, and other groups, but everyone is very mixed.
- Around 80% of Indians are Hindu, 14% Muslim, 2.3% Christian, 1.7% Sikh, and the remaining 2% Jains, Buddhists, etc. The decentralized nature of Hinduism complicates this, however. Cultural beliefs vary wildly across the subcontinent.
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE CASTE SYSTEM!
- Indian history is rooted in mythology and contrasting archeological claims, but here are the most common generalizations:
- The Indus Valley Civilization, or the Harappan Civilization, lasted from 3300 to 1300 B.C.E., and was notable for sophisticated plumbing and city planning.
- Its people are believed by many to have travelled south, becoming the proto-Dravidian people of southern India.
- Here comes the infamous “Aryan invasion” myth.
- With the Indo-Europeans came more standardized versions of Hinduism and the basic caste system.
- The caste system was very useful for some time. Originally, it signified the concept of every job having importance for a functioning society, with each person making up a slice of the societal pie. Priests, soldiers, farmers, and merchants were all equally important, and social mobility was very apparent, with monarchs often marrying merchants and becoming priests.
- But migrations between northern and southern India led to the Manusmṛti, which turned the circular system into a pyramid. The Indo-Aryans came to associate their lighter skin with their “superior” occupations, while darker Dravidians often worked in sanitation due to a shortage of other jobs. Manu, who wrote the Manusmṛti, reasoned that some jobs must be inherently superior, and some families must be inherently better at those jobs. Thus, the caste system became bad.
HISTORY SUMMARY
- India was never truly unified, but there was always a general understanding of a “Bharatavarsha,” or a common subcontinent.
- India’s Golden Age lasted from around 300 to 550, during which mathematics, science, medicine, and theology was expanded greatly. At its peak, India comprised 27% of the entire world’s GDP.
- Southern Indian kingdoms even colonized in this time period, spreading Hinduism to Southeast Asia and Indonesia.
- Over the millennia after the fall of the Indus Valley Civilization, India would be invaded by Greeks, Bactrians, Scythians, Persians, Turks, Mongols, and more. All would be assimilated.
HISTORY SUMMARY 2- The British, Portuguese, and partly the French
succeeded in dividing the ethnolinguistic and religious groups and conquering in the 1700s.
- There was massive resistance, however. It took four Anglo-Maratha Wars and three Anglo- Mysore Wars to subdue these armies with rocket missiles.
- British rule lasted for around 200 years.- It was marked by both massive growth and
massive burden. Education and healthcare improved drastically, but famine, oppression, and use of the caste system strained relations.
- The Indian Rebellion of 1857, or the Sepoy Mutiny, was initially very successful, but it led to greater crackdowns by British officers.
- Events such as the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre became commonplace by the 20th Century
HISTORY SUMMARY 3- Two methods of protest came into being: rebellion, as used by Bhagat Singh and Veer V.D. Savarkar, and diplomatic resistance, as used by Jawaharlal Nehru and Mohandas Gandhi in the Indian National Congress.
- Things got complicated when religious and cultural doctrine became justifications for each method. Savarkar even created Hindutva, the Hindu nationalist ideology used by the BJP today.
- The use of cultural justification also encouraged the creation of a Muslim state under Mohammad Ali Jinnah. This later became Pakistan during the bloody Partition.
- India became independent on August 15, 1947. The princely states all had to choose to accede to either India or Pakistan, and several wars have been fought as a result.
BHAGAT SINGH (LEFT) AND VEER SAVARKAR (RIGHT)
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU (LEFT) AND MOHANDAS GANDHI (RIGHT)
HISTORY SUMMARY 4- India was poor, disunited, and at war upon
independence.
- India joined with Yugoslavia and Indonesia in forming the Non-Aligned Movement. Most members, however, were very much more in favor of the Soviet bloc than the Western bloc.
- After PM Lal Bahadur Shastri’s mysterious death, Indira Gandhi became PM.
- Her rule was marred by ineffective socialism and ethnic strife. In Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and the eastern states, there were multiple conflicts with the army.
- She is most infamous for the Emergency from 1971-1973, which involved many violations of liberties, forced sterilizations, blackouts, and more. In this time, Indira Gandhi changed the Constitution to call India a “sovereign, socialist, secular democratic republic.” This remains.
LAL BAHADUR SHASTRI
INDIRA GANDHI
- Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her bodyguards during her second term.
- The Gandhi-Nehru dynasty continued, but the INC lost a lot of political favor after the Emergency.
- In the 20th Century, India was also involved in the Indo-Pak War of 1947, the Indo-Pak War of 1963, the Sino-Indian War of 1965, the Bengali Liberation War in 1971, and the Kargil Conflict in 1999.
- India and Pakistan both have nuclear weapons now. Yay.
HISTORY SUMMARY 5- In 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ran
Narendra Modi for Prime Minister.
- While India has been improving economically since the 1990s, Modi’s regime has seen the highest rates of GDP growth yet, at almost 7% annually. Foreign investment has soared.
- Modi is controversial for his Hindu nationalist policies and involvement in a massacre between Hindus and Muslims when he was CM of Gujarat.
- India has also come to blows with Pakistan multiple times, both diplomatically and militarily, over Kashmir since 1999, though no formal war has occurred.
- India is a rapidly growing economy.
ECONOMY SUMMARY
GDP PER CAPITA
FROM 1968 TO
PRESENT DAY →
Annual GDP
Growth Rate
FROM 2007 TO
PRESENT DAY →
Exports
Imports
- Diverse Exports and imports — but relies mostly on foreign fossil fuels
- Rapid and Sustained Economic Growth — result of market liberation and opening of trade policies
- GDP Per Capita rising, but at a slower rate than GDP due to high population growth
- Growth slowed in 2008 crisis, but did not post negative growth, rebounded quickly
- Overall: developing economy and potential emerging powerhouse
NATIONWIDE ISSUES
- Kashmir conflict and terrorism from Pakistan
- Ethnolinguistic and religious tensions
- Widespread poverty
- Even more widespread corruption
- Pollution
- Moving to a cashless economy
- Reservation System
- Brain drain
- Competition with China
- Frenemy relation with the U.S.
———OTHER RESOURCES———
- General:
- CIA World Factbook
- BBC Country Profile
- Economics:
- Observation of Economic Complexity (OEC)
- Health & Humanitarian:
- World Health Organization (WHO) Country Profile
- UN FAO Country Profile
- Diplomatic Relations:
- Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Overview
- U.S. State Department's Official Stance on U.S.-Indian Relations
—INDIA & THE PMUNC TOPICS—
Click on your committee’s name for research ideas!
DISEC
SOCHUM
ECOFIN
SPECPOL
WHO
UNHCR
ITU
DISEC - Anti-Nuclear Proliferation & Small Arms and Light Weapons
Anti-Nuclear ProliferationIndia, a nation that possesses nuclear weapons, did not join the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The treaty has three central goals: “nuclear disarmament, nonproliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.” Although India largely focused on implementing a peaceful nuclear energy program between 1947 and 1974, it made a “slow path toward weaponization” from 1974 to 1998. In 1974, India faced backlash (including sanctions from the U.S.) following an early nuclear test; in the following years, overlapping efforts for and against nuclearization slowly brought India to its present state as a nuclear power. Since 1998, tensions with Pakistan, a (conditional) nuclear no-first-use policy, and hopes of joining international nuclear groups have had an influential impact on India’s nuclear program.
Small Arms and Light WeaponsGun ownership is illegal in India. Despite this, the transportation and sale of arms occurs, both legally and illegally. While homicides caused by firearms are rare, terrorist activity has occurred, although terrorist groups typically acquire their arms abroad. In committee, India will likely be most interested in working internationally to limit transportation of arms to high-risk areas.
SOCHUM - Foreign ISIS Fighters Detained in Syria & Detention of Uighur Muslims in China
India has refused to participate militarily (or support a military solution) in the Syrian Civil War, calling upon involved nations to seek a diplomatic solution instead. That being said, India’s relationship with “the Assad government leans more towards support than strict neutrality,” as India maintains a fairly cordial relationship with Assad. Regarding foreign ISIS fighters specifically, India may have to balance its anti-interventionist stance on Syria with safety concerns and international alliances.
Recently, an international division has appeared on the issue of China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims, with 22 countries voicing formal condemnations of China’s actions and 37 nations defending china’s actions. Unlike these countries, India hasn’t formally vocalized a stance on this issue. That being said, some have compared China’s situation to India’s treatment of Muslim-majority Kashmir—be prepared to address concerns about this (an example of such criticism can be found in this article).
ECOFIN - Global Food Insecurity & Restructuring Economic Aid to Indebted Countries
India itself is a developing country facing problems with food insecurity. A massively growing population where more than 20% are at or below the national poverty line is not conducive to a well-nourished nation. The Indian government has not been negligent about the presence of this issue, but it has failed to fully address all its causes. These include unnatural weather patterns that cause droughts in southern Indian farms, generally poor food distribution, and more. For your research, it might help to start at the FAO and see what it has to say about India’s food future.
In terms of economic aid, India is in a peculiar situation. It receives subsidies from several western nations—often to encourage trade—but also provides subsidies to smaller neighbours, such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. This is often a result of soft power struggles with China, and India is usually on the losing end of these struggles. One thing that could be interesting to research is the role of developing nations as “middlemen” in foreign aid distribution.
SPECPOL - Kashmir Conflict & Palestinian Refugees
Have fun!
WHO- Standards for Addressing Mental Health & Maternal Health Post-Labor
In India, mental health is a critical issue. Although a certain stigma surrounds mental illness for some, the people of India generally support social inclusion for those with mental illness, with approximately 68% supporting “providing the best possible care to people with mental illness. As in other health issues, effective health-related resources are critical in resolving the issue.
On a global scale, India accounts for a significant portion of maternal deaths—136,000 out of the estimated 536,000 that take place annually. This number can be explained by a variety of factors, from gender and economic inequality to a lack of medical infrastructure. On an international level, India may seek financial support from wealthy nations to address some of these issues and would likely favor plans that effectively address the issue of health service delivery in developing nations.
UNHCR - Nigerian Boko Haram Refugee Crisis & Yemeni Civil War
While India has had very little to do with either of these conflicts personally, it is intimately affected by the causes. Both Boko Haram and the Yemeni branch of ISIS are Islamic extremist groups, entities that wear at India on a daily basis. Pakistan-sponsored terrorist groups in Kashmir are at constant odds with the Indian army. Just this summer, the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) launched a massive attack on an Indian army base. Many Islamic extremist organizations are actually related, with the Mujahideen and Al-Qaeda being the parent organizations to most of them. While the links between Boko Haram, ISIS, and JeM might not be very obvious anymore, they are certainly a good starting point for India’s policy towards this matter.
The Indian government has had very little involvement in either of these conflicts and would likely wish to keep it that way. Nevertheless, it would be valuable to research and concoct ideas surrounding the prevention of spillover of related terrorist organizations from one nation to another. Look on the Indian government’s website to see if there is any official policy in this regard, and take off from there.
ITU - Cyber Security & Computer Science Education in Developing Nations
NERDS