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Political Science (International Relations and Organisation)
Previous Year Question Paper with Solution
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) · Sem 4
2012 Jun Examination
munotes.in
Mumbai
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) Sem 4 Political Science (International Relations and Organisation) 2012 Jun Question Paper with Solutions
First published on munotes.in on 21 October 2026.
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The question paper reproduced here is the paper as set by Karnataka State Law University at the 2012 Jun examination.
Contents
The questions below are the paper as Karnataka State Law University set it at the 2012 Jun examination, in the order it was set.
MarksPage
MarksPage
The Paper as Set
The questions in this volume are the questions asked at the 2012 Jun examination, reproduced as Karnataka State Law University set them, in the order it set them. Long reading passages are shortened to their first and last lines and our summary; the original paper prints them in full. Only the answers are ours. See the original question paper.
Duration 3 hours · Total marks 100 · 20 questions answered
Instructions printed on the paper
- N.B. (1) Answer all 5 questions. (2) One essay type and one short note question from each Unit have to be attempted which is referred as Part. (a) and (b) in all the Units. (3) Figures to the right indicate marks. (4) Answers should be written either in Kannada or English completely.
How to use this volume
Solve the paper first, under exam conditions and against the clock. Then read the answers here and mark your own. Reading a solution before attempting the question feels productive and teaches very little, because recognising an answer is not the same as being able to write one.
Q1
Unit I
(a)Write an essay on the importance of the study of International relations.[15]
Answer
For full marks, cover: an introduction (what the study of international relations is; why the discipline was founded at Aberystwyth in 1919, to avoid another such war); its importance as ten lessons, each tied to an example: (1) it explains war and how to prevent it, (2) it shows what power can and cannot do (Morgenthau; Dickinson's "flat absurdity"), (3) it guards against illusions (Carr's "wishing prevails over thinking"; Manchuria, 1931; Munich, 30 September 1938), (4) it prepares for interdependence (oil, disease, remittances of about 129 billion dollars in 2024), (5) it equips citizens in a democracy (Wilson's "Open covenants"), (6) it helps a country find its place (India: non-alignment, BRICS, the G20 presidency of 2023), (7) it serves the lawyer (Constitution arts. 51, 73(1)(b), 253; Union List entries 10 to 19; Vishaka, 1997), (8) it addresses global problems (climate; the Pandemic Agreement, 20 May 2025), (9) it builds understanding between peoples (UNESCO's "minds of men"), and (10) it opens careers; the limits of the study ("a very inexact science"); a conclusion.
Introduction
International relations (IR) is the systematic study of how states and other actors deal with one another across borders, in conflict and in cooperation. It became a university subject after the First World War. The department founded at Aberystwyth in 1919, whose Woodrow Wilson Chair was the first professorship in the subject, had a clear purpose. It was to further political understanding of the world in the hope of avoiding such conflicts in the future. That purpose shows why the study matters. Its importance can be set out as ten lessons.
The importance of the study: ten lessons
1. It explains war, and how war might be prevented. War is the oldest and most terrible problem between states. IR asks why wars happen, how they spread and how they end. By comparing many wars, it shows the conditions that make war more likely, such as arms races, rigid alliances and unpunished aggression. It also shows the conditions that make peace last, such as negotiation, institutions and justice. A world with nuclear weapons cannot afford ignorance of these lessons.
2. It shows what power can and cannot do. Hans Morgenthau wrote in 1948 that "International politics, like all politics, is a struggle for power." The study of power explains why states seek strength. It also shows the danger when every state seeks to be strongest. G. Lowes Dickinson, quoted by Palmer and Perkins, said the maxim of peace through strength "becomes a flat absurdity as soon as every nation adopts it". The student learns that power must be balanced, limited and used with judgment.
3. It guards against illusions. E. H. Carr criticised the early study of IR as a stage "in which wishing prevails over thinking". Statesmen of the 1930s believed that public opinion and the League would stop aggression. The League did not stop Japan in Manchuria in 1931. At Munich on 30 September 1938, Britain and France agreed that Czechoslovakia should hand the Sudetenland to Germany. They hoped to buy peace, but war followed within a year. The study of IR teaches students to judge the world as it is, not as they wish it to be.
4. It prepares people for interdependence. What happens abroad now reaches every home. A war in the Gulf raises the price of fuel in India. A disease that begins in one country can reach all others within weeks. Indians working abroad sent home about 129 billion US dollars in 2024, the most of any country. Understanding these links is the first step to managing them.
5. It equips citizens in a democracy. Before 1914, Carr wrote, foreign affairs were left to professionals, and the public took little interest. After the First World War, President Wilson demanded "Open covenants of peace, openly arrived at". In a democracy, citizens elect governments that make war and peace, sign treaties and join alliances. Citizens who understand international relations can judge these choices; those who do not are easily misled.
6. It helps a country find its place in the world. India's history since 1947 cannot be understood without IR. Non-alignment during the Cold War, the economic opening of 1991 and membership of BRICS all make sense only against the international system. So does India's claim to a permanent seat on the Security Council. During its G20 presidency of 2023, under the theme "One Earth, One Family, One Future", India spoke for the Global South. The study of IR helps a nation choose its friends, its partners and its path.
7. It is essential for the lawyer. India's Constitution makes foreign affairs a matter of law.
- Article 51 directs the State to "foster respect for international law and treaty obligations in the dealings of organised peoples with one another".
- Article 73(1)(b) extends the Union's executive power to rights exercisable "by virtue of any treaty or agreement".
- Article 253 lets Parliament make laws "for implementing any treaty, agreement or convention with any other country or countries".
- The Union List includes foreign affairs, the United Nations, treaties, war and peace, citizenship, extradition and passports (entries 10 to 19).
In Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan, AIR 1997 SC 3011, decided on 13 August 1997, there was no Indian law on sexual harassment at the workplace. The Supreme Court read an international convention, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, into the fundamental rights. It then laid down binding guidelines. A lawyer must know the international world to argue such a case.
8. It addresses global problems. Climate change, pandemics, terrorism, refugees and the drug trade cross every border. No state can solve them alone. The study of IR shows how states cooperate without a world government. Examples are the Paris Agreement of 2015 and the World Health Assembly's Pandemic Agreement of 20 May 2025. It also shows why such cooperation is hard, since each state is tempted to let others bear the cost.
9. It builds understanding between peoples. UNESCO's Constitution declares that "since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed". Studying other peoples' histories, interests and fears reduces prejudice and makes compromise possible.
10. It opens careers. The study leads to the foreign service, international organisations, journalism, business, research and, for law students, international law, trade law and arbitration.
| Lesson | Example |
|---|---|
| Explaining war | 1914 and 1939 |
| Limits of power | Dickinson's "flat absurdity" |
| Guarding against illusions | Manchuria, 1931; Munich, 1938 |
| Interdependence | Oil prices; remittances, 2024 |
| Democratic citizenship | Wilson's open covenants, 1918 |
| A nation's place | India's G20 presidency, 2023 |
| Law | Vishaka, 1997 |
| Global problems | Paris, 2015; Pandemic Agreement, 2025 |
The limits of the study
The study of IR has its limits. Palmer and Perkins called international politics "a very inexact science": it deals in probabilities, cannot run experiments and rarely predicts. Its early theories were drawn mostly from European and American experience. These limits do not lessen its importance. They remind the student to use its lessons with care.
Conclusion. The study of international relations matters because the forces that shape every nation's security, prosperity and law now come from beyond its borders. It explains war and the conditions of peace, shows the uses and limits of power, and guards against dangerous illusions. It prepares people for interdependence, equips democratic citizens and helps a country such as India find its place. For the law student it is part of the Constitution itself. Founded in 1919 to help avoid another world war, the study remains one of the best tools humanity has for keeping the peace.
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