International Affairs Notes for UPSC Exam 2023

Jan 12, 2023, 16:45 IST

An essential portion of the UPSC exam is international relations. The UPSC Mains exam's General Studies Paper II contains it. It applies to the UPSC Prelims test as well. You will find an overview of the IAS exam's international relations portion, advice on how to approach it, a list of IR books, and a complete collection of UPSC notes for international relations in this article.

In the GS Paper I section of the UPSC Prelims test, the IR section is titled "Current Events of National and International Importance." It obviously has a connection to the current affairs section.

In the UPSC Mains exam, International Relations (IR) is part of the General Studies Paper II.

Under IR, GS Paper II may have questions based on the following topics:

• India and its neighborhood
• Relations between India and neighboring countries
• Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s Interests
• Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests
• Indian diaspora
• Important international institutions, agencies and fora
• Structure
• Mandate

This page provides free international relations upsc notes for test preparation. These notes may be helpful to exam takers who select international relations as their optional subject.

The notes offered will instruct candidates on how to take notes for the UPSC, which will help them take notes for other general studies topics as well.

For a better understanding, the candidate can review the upsc curriculum and exam pattern.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. What is the importance of IR in Upsc preparation?

Ans. International Relations is a critical subject in all three test stages, including the Prelims, Mains, and Interview. An area devoted to international relations is included in the UPSC Mains General Studies-Il paper. Although the paper is often divided into Polity and Governance, there are questions in the International Relations section that are worth 100 marks or more. As a result, this topic necessitates thorough preparation.

Q2. What are some good books for International Relations?

Ans. Pax Indica by Shashi Tharoor, India's Foreign Policy: Coping with the Changing World - Muchkund Dubey, Challenge and Strategy: Rethinking India's Foreign Policy - Rajeev Siri, India's Foreign Policy Since Independence by V.P. Dutt

Q3. What is the weightage of IR in UPSC?

Ans. In the preliminary round, there are two to three questions on international relations.

In the GS Paper II in the mains stage, the International Relations section comprises about 4-5 questions for 40–50 marks each.