GS Paper II 2025 · Q10
10 marks · 150 words Other countries' policies & the diaspora X-Ray · Core #52“With the waning of globalization, post-Cold War world is becoming a site of sovereign nationalism.” Elucidate.
Approach · directive: “elucidate”
What it asks · Explain how and why the post-1991 liberal, globalising order is giving way to states asserting sovereignty over trade, technology, borders and identity — and how far the claim holds.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Elucidate: how globalisation is waning and sovereign nationalism rising, in trade, security, multilateralism and identity, and why
- Elucidate: how far the claim holds, and where India stands
Open with · The 1990s promised a borderless world of open markets and shared rules; today even the WTO's Appellate Body, that order's referee, is unable to hear appeals.
Cover
- Trade walls: tariff wars, including sweeping US tariffs in 2025; Brexit.
- Security-first economics: export controls on chips, friend-shoring, critical-mineral rivalry, sanctions after the Russia–Ukraine war.
- Stalled multilateralism: WTO Appellate Body paralysed since 2019; Security Council deadlock.
- Causes: the 2008 crisis, inequality within nations, China's rise, COVID-19 supply-chain shocks, identity politics.
- Nuance: globalisation reshaped, not reversed; digital trade, services and regional FTAs grow.
- India: Atmanirbhar Bharat with FTAs (UAE, Australia, UK); India–EFTA TEPA in force from 1 October 2025.
Close with · The world is moving to sovereignty-first globalisation, not autarky; India's interest is strategic autonomy with openness and the rules-based trade of SDG target 17.10.
Add value (verified)
- WTO: the Appellate Body cannot review appeals because of vacancies.World Trade Organization: Appellate Body ↗“Currently, the Appellate Body is unable to review appeals given its ongoing vacancies”
- India–EFTA TEPA, signed 10 March 2024, came into force on 1 October 2025.PIB backgrounder (Ministry of Commerce and Industry), 11 October 2025: India–EFTA TEPA ↗“The India–European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), signed on 10 March 2024 in New Delhi, came into force on 1 October 2025”
- SDG target 17.10: a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the WTO.United Nations, Sustainable Development Goal 17: targets and indicators ↗“Target 17.10 Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper II — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 220words · Minimalist IAS
The 1990s promised a borderless world of open markets and shared rules. Today even the WTO's Appellate Body, that order's referee, is unable to hear appeals, as states put national control ahead of integration.
How globalisation is waning
- Trade walls: tariff wars, including sweeping US tariffs in 2025, and Brexit.
- Security-first economics: export controls on chips, friend-shoring, critical-mineral rivalry and sanctions after the Russia–Ukraine war.
- Stalled multilateralism: WTO dispute settlement paralysed since 2019; Security Council deadlock.
Why sovereign nationalism is rising
- Economic anxiety: the 2008 crisis and inequality within nations bred a backlash.
- Strategic rivalry: China's rise turned interdependence into vulnerability.
- Pandemic shock: COVID-19 exposed fragile supply chains.
- Identity politics: anti-immigration and populist nationalism across democracies.
| Aspect | Post-Cold War globalisation | Sovereign nationalism |
|---|---|---|
| Trade | Tariff cuts, WTO rules | Tariffs, export controls |
| Supply chains | Efficiency, offshoring | Resilience, friend-shoring |
| Disputes | WTO adjudication | Unilateral action |
How far the claim holds
- Reshaped, not reversed: digital trade, services and regional FTAs keep growing; supply chains are re-routed, not dismantled.
- India's middle path: Atmanirbhar Bharat alongside FTAs with the UAE, Australia and the UK; the India–EFTA TEPA came into force on 1 October 2025.
The world is moving to sovereignty-first globalisation, not autarky. India's interest lies in strategic autonomy with openness, and in what SDG 17.10 seeks: a 'universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system'.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
