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World Politics Class Notes and Reading Summaries (2024) Extensive and Detailed: Part 2/2 including Weeks 6-12 CA$12.23
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World Politics Class Notes and Reading Summaries (2024) Extensive and Detailed: Part 2/2 including Weeks 6-12

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  • Course
  • World Politics 4022157ENR (4022157ENR)
  • Institution
  • Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)

A detailed summary of notes from all information from lectures, slides, and class discussion, as well as additional information that provides context and facts about all information on slides. Reading summaries for the assigned readings of each week, as well as takeaways, reflections, and conclusio...

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Document information

  • May 31, 2024
  • 79
  • 2023/2024
  • Class notes
  • Unknown
  • All classes

Subjects

  • world politics
  • holslag
  • russia
  • africa
  • brics
  • india
  • brazil
  • conclusions
  • international relations
  • iran
  • iraq
  • turkey
  • saudi arabia
  • middle east
  • middle powers
  • regional powers
  • baltics
  • international organisations

Written for

  • Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
  • Political Science: EIG
  • World Politics 4022157ENR (4022157ENR)
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World Politics
Course Notes February – May 2024
Professor: Jonathan Holslag
Each week includes:
- Lecture notes from slides and own handwritten notes
o Graphs and other relevant visuals from slides
- Readings summaries
- Reflections, takeaways, and conclusions
- Questions (if applicable)

Legend:
- Grey text: own research done to supplement information on slides. Not mentioned in class, but to provide
context/understanding of slides.
- Grey highlighting: on slides, but not discussed in class.
- **EXAM QUESTION**: to point out Holslag’s points of interest and specific exam-testables
- Bolded text: highly emphasised points/conclusions



Week 6 Global South – India
Lecture:
6. 1 Introduction:
- Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – the biggest boy scout movement on earth
o Of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) main Hindu political party
 Right-wing Hindu nationalist
o Displays Modi’s commitment to return of Hinduism to India
 Hindu nationalism returns as “social glue” again central to Indian politics
 In contrast to secular, multi-ethnic India it once was
 Historically used inclusive nationalism
o Now a threat to minorities in India Difficult to reconcile this position with commitments
to opening its economy to the much-needed foreign investment
 Exclusionary policies become off-putting to investors
- “Lotus in a Mud Pond” of the Global South
o Image that the government asserts on the global stage
o Not an easy environment, but not yet looming
 Surrounded by regional tensions and nuclear power tensions
- Thus, how do we assess the capacity of this Hindu national government to rise to the position of
a power?


6.1 Policy Organisation
- “Merely saying that democracy will solve all problems is utterly wrong. Problems are solved by
intelligence and hard work." – Jawaharlal Nehru (1947)
o Founding prime minister of India

, o Aware of benefits of democracy, but thought that it requires more than just having it
institutionally, to preserve it and let it be helpful
o Today, some practical issues with Indian elections
 Dispersed rural and unconnected societies without infrastructure
 1.4 million people
 Fragmented and paternalistic society
 Women can vote, but often only in theory
o Overall, Indians are proud and take democracy seriously
 Historical culture of debate
- Historically, many of the states of India have been quite autonomous
o Unconnected and divided regions
o Clear north-south divide, where the BGB is much less influential in the south
 North = Hinduism and high population
 South = Muslim
o Modi works towards more centralisation today
- Draupadi Murmu
o President of India (2022-current)
 Largely symbolic role
 In charge of state protocol
 Head of State, head of executive
 Constitutionally must sign off on things
 Historically, presidents can act independently or as more of a rubber
stamp
o First Indigenous political leader
 Modi called this a “watershed moment for the poor, marginalised, and
downtrodden”
- Narendra Modi
o Prime Minister (2014-current)
 Holds real power
 For example, would hold the control over a nuclear power
 Leader of parliament, representative in executive
 Legislative
 Executive authority despite president as nominal head
- Foreign policy organisation:
o President
 Murmu: symbolic power
o Prime Minister
 Modi: significant power
 Heads Cabinet (Executive)
 Advised by
o National Security Council (NSC)
 NSA Board
 National Security Advisor (NSA) is chairman
o Joint Economic Council (says JEIC on slides but internet tells
me there is no such thing)
o In principle, must hold confidence of the lower house
 Cabinet ministers head ministries/committees:

, o Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Committee on
Economic Affairs
 Both follow strong bureaucratic culture
 Strong diplomatic power in world
 Powerful entities
o Ministry of Commerce (MOC)
o Ministry of Defence (MOD)
o Committee on Security
 Parliament (Legislature)
 Two levels
o Rajya Sabha – upper house
 Appointed by president and elected by the people
 Permanent, with six-year terms
o Lok Sabha – lower house
 Elected by the people
 Can be dissolved
 Standing Committees
 on External Affairs
 on Defence
 Both have significant influence
o Because of press and the importance of
the public image
 Think tanks, industry, and
public opinion
o Desire to project hard stances to public
sets tones of the debate
o Press is still largely free, but Modi is
lessening that
 Think Tanks have much less
voice and access than
historically
o Is a less industrialised country, so the
few conglomerate companies are very
powerful
 5-10 wealth families
 Increasingly incorporated into
the BJP
 States
 Have own powers, including over external affairs
6.2 History
Graph showing degree of
dynastic control over
Indian land throughout
history

, - Interesting for two reasons: who was in power? And how much power did they have?
o Dynastic control:
 Maurya: Indigenous dynasty which provided the origin of a lot of Indian
mindset/thought
 Kushan: imperial dynasty, non-native
 Delhi Sultanate: central Asian and native dynasty
 Mughal: central Asian dynasty
 Aurangzeb (1658-1707) as emperor
o “Conqueror of the World”
 All alien control in India’s history is being ignored
in today’s view
 They focus on Maurya
o Indian unity is not a given
 Fragmented and competing states
 Even during height of Maurya dynasty
 Rival city states
- Need for strategic thinking and understanding of India as a geopolitical axis of insecurity
o Khyber-Karakoram Pass is the most vulnerable place
 Most important focus strategically
 Big existential threats to India come through here from the North
 E.g. central Asian conquerors
 Most populous region
 Horseshoe of India: northern plateau
 Because of these threats, we can understand India’s focus to this region,
Kashmir, and Afghanistan in its policies today
o Arabian Sea
 Competition with trading states from the west
 Because existential in the 15th and 16th centuries
 Threat from Portuguese, Dutch, and British
o Bay of Bengal
 Centre of two huge economic blocs
 Natural bridge between subcontinent and eastern regions and coast of China
 Historical movements of people, goods, and ideas
o Natu La Pass
 NE cluster of independent states, historically
 Now a threat from China
 Arunashel Pradesh as contested territory, now in Indian control
o Palk
 Tamil population borders here
 India and Sri Lanka
 During Sri Lankan civil war, Tamil’s struggled and traded here
o Laccadive Sea
 Was very important for British trade

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