Month: November 2022

Difficulties to International Counter-Terrorism Cooperation

Post author By balancedreport
Post date November 10, 2022

One of the events the Indian government has planned to strengthen its counterterrorism diplomacy is the special UN Security Council Counter Terrorism Committee (UNSCCTC) session that was conducted last month in Mumbai and New Delhi and focused on new and emerging technology.

Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC)

A subsidiary body of the UN Security Council is the CTC (UNSC).
To oversee the application of the resolution, the 15-member CTC was constituted at the same time.
The UNSC unanimously approved resolution 1373 in the wake of the terrorist events that occurred in the US on September 11, 2001. This is one of its obligations to all States.

Delhi Declaration on Terrorism

The Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) unanimously approved the Delhi Declaration on preventing the exploitation of new and emerging technology for terrorist purposes on day two of the Special Meeting.

The Declaration outlines a number of decisions, including the intention to continue working on recommendations related to the three special meeting themes and the choice to create a set of non-binding guiding principles to help Member States combat the threat posed by the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes.

The proclamation attempts to address the primary issues surrounding the misuse of crowdfunding, social media platforms, and drones and to establish rules that will aid in addressing the escalating problem.

Challenges for International Consensus on counter-terrorism

Narrow Global War on Terrorism (GWOT): The first issue is that the “Global War on Terrorism” (GWOT), as it was imagined by a post 9/11 United States, has ended, with the last chapter being written last year as the United States negotiated with the Taliban and ultimately withdrew from Afghanistan.

Non-cooperation with India by the USA and the rest of the world: The Global War on Terror was founded on an unequal strategy when India had pleaded for similar assistance to deal with the IC814 hijacking (December 1999), which occurred less than two years before the 9/11 attacks (it is now evident that those whom the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was forced to release were all terrorists who went on to assist in planning, funding, or providing safe havens to the al-Qaida leadership.

The United States and China are escorting Pakistan: Even after the start of the Global War on Terror, Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed were never mentioned in the UNSC designations of those who posed the greatest threat to India because of their involvement in attacks there thanks to Pakistan’s status as a U.S. ally and China’s “iron friend.”

FATF is losing its power: The only real benefit that India saw from international cooperation came from Pakistan being removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF grey )’s list in October, a sign that the will to punish Pakistan for its support of terrorism had waned.

Realpolitik against Global Issue: In addition, the lacklustre response from the international community to the Taliban’s occupation of Kabul and their persecution of women and minorities there shows a growing disinterest in “another country’s problems.”

Ineffective UNSC resolutions: For India, this means that future counterterrorism cooperation will be less cooperative and that counterterrorism regimes like the UNSC Resolutions 1267, 1373, and others will be deemed obsolete and ineffective.

New and emerging technology in terrorism

Drone attacks: New technology and the terrorism-related weaponization of a variety of methods. Currently, drones are used to transfer money, drugs, ammunition, weapons, and even homemade explosive devices.

Potential Biowar Concerns over the use of biowarfare and Gain of Function (GoF) research to alter viruses and vectors that could be unleashed into targeted populations have intensified since the COVID19 epidemic.

Robotic soldiers and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are already being used in the present to make it even simpler to carry out large-scale attacks while remaining undetected.

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are used in terror financing, and social media, the dark web, and even gaming facilities are used for terrorist communications.

Global consensus: India’s place in it

India has long been at the vanguard of the push for international action to combat terrorism, which is more and more becoming a worldwide scourge.

India will host the conference “No Money for Terror” The third “No Money for Terror” (NMFT) conference, which will address potential new means of financing terrorism, will take place in New Delhi.

Making Use of the Global Counterterrorism Architecture: India will host a special briefing on the “Global Counter Terrorism Architecture,” looking at the challenges ahead, in December, when it assumes the United Nations Security Council Presidency for the final time before its two-year term in the Council comes to an end.

@the-end

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the West and the United States have all but abandoned efforts to combat terrorism worldwide. India is working harder than ever to achieve international agreement on cross-border terrorism. India’s diplomatic efforts will find it extremely difficult to combat terrorism.

Environment & Biodiversity

In news—Snow Leopard

Post author By balancedreport
Post date November 9, 2022

The first-ever snow leopard sighting from the Baltal-Zojila region has given the high-altitude regions of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh new hope for the elusive animal.

The number of snow leopards in J&K and Ladakh is unknown.

In Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the Snow Leopard Population Assessment of India (SPAI) has already been completed.

In these two States, there are 50 and 100 great cats, respectively, according to estimates.

Snow Leopard

The hilly areas of Central and Southern Asia are home to snow leopards.

Their geographic range in India includes the UTs of J&K and Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas, as well as a significant portion of the western Himalayas.

In 2009, Project Snow Leopard was established to improve the protection of animals in the high altitudes of the Himalayas.

It seeks to provide a framework for conservation that is knowledge-based, flexible, and fully engages the local populations that share the snow leopard’s range.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List categorises the snow leopard as Vulnerable.

Additionally, the snow leopard is classified in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species along with all other big cats (CITES).

The Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 in India places the snow leopard on Schedule I, providing it the greatest level of protection possible.

Governance

Centre opposes a HC petition challenging Surrogacy Law

Post author By balancedreport
Post date November 9, 2022

A petition contesting specific aspects of the surrogacy legislation, including the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021, and the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, was opposed by the Center before the Delhi High Court.

the CASE

One of the clauses being contested is the prohibition on using surrogacy as a reproductive option for unmarried men and married women who are expecting a child.
It contested the outlawship of corporate surrogacy.
The petitioners claim that the only other option open to them is commercial surrogacy in their argument.

Invoking Article 21

One aspect of the right to privacy protected by Article 21 of the Constitution is the individual decision of one person to have a child through surrogacy, or the right of reproductive autonomy.

Therefore, the petition argued, the right influencing a decision to conceive or beget a child through surrogacy cannot be removed.

According to the rule

A married couple may only choose surrogacy on medical grounds, according to the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act of 2021.
According to the legislation, a couple consists of a married Indian “man” and “woman,” with the lady having to be between the ages of 23 and 50 and the guy having to be between the ages of 26 and 55.
A child of their own shouldn’t be born to the pair.
Despite the fact that surrogacy is legal for unmarried women, they must be between the ages of 35 and 45 and be either widows or divorcees.
The law prohibits unmarried men from becoming surrogates.

Features of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021

It describes surrogacy as a procedure where a woman bears a child for an intending couple with the purpose of giving the kid to the intending couple after the delivery.
regulating surrogacy: Altruistic surrogacy, which pays the surrogate mother nothing except for medical costs and insurance, is permitted but commercial surrogacy is outlawed.
Surrogacy is legal for the following purposes: Surrogacy is legal if it is used for the following reasons: I intended couples with documented infertility; (ii) charitable causes; (iii) not for profit; (iv) not to produce children for prostitution, sale, or other forms of exploitation; and (v) for any condition or disease that has been specifically listed by regulations.
The intended pair must possess “certificates of essentiality” and “certificates of eligibility” issued by the relevant body, such as the District Medical Board.

Eligibility criteria for surrogate mother:

The surrogate mother must meet the following criteria in order to receive a certificate of eligibility from the relevant agency:
a married woman with her own child;
age range of 25 to 35;
She will only ever be a surrogate once; and
hold a certificate proving your physical and mental health for surrogacy.
Additionally, the surrogate mother is unable to donate her own gametes for the procedure.

International Relations

Russia-Ukraine war: India’s role

Post author By balancedreport
Post date November 9, 2022

The horrific war in Ukraine, which is already in its ninth month and has shocked the entire world, is drawing more international attention as external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar makes his bilateral visit to Russia this week.

Ukraine’s war and India’s Strategy so far

India’s balanced approach: There are good grounds for India to be pleased that the West now understands better its position on Ukraine. The Indian response to the problem has been under constant fire from the Western media and think groups in recent months for being lacking in moral clarity and strategic coherence in the face of Russia’s unwarranted aggression.

India refused to expressly condemn Russia’s aggression against Ukraine over the course of the past nine months and pushed on a truce rather than calling for a dialogue between the warring parties. At the same time, India refrained from supporting Russian aggression, emphasised the need to uphold the UN Charter, emphasised the inviolability of territorial sovereignty, cautioned against the use of nuclear weapons, and attempted to raise awareness of the negative economic effects of the conflict on the “Global South.”

America showed sensitivity to India’s position: In the Biden administration there was a measure of understanding of where Delhi was coming from and India’s long-standing equities in the relationship with Russia and the constraints it imposed on India. Official Washington never let the heat of the Ukraine crisis in Europe undermine the longer-term American imperative of engaging India to stabilize the Indo-Pacific. The same can’t be said about Europe, but then the continent was right in the middle of the gravest conflict since the Second World War. The European trauma from a shattered peace is real.

India’s role in the grain shipment and nuclear power station: According to recent reports in the US media, India made diplomatic contributions at a number of pivotal points during the nine-month-long conflict, including helping to resolve disagreements over the grain shipment agreement from Ukraine and lowering the risks of a war aimed at the nuclear power station in eastern Ukraine at Zaporizhzhia.

India’s Role

Indian influence is minimal. South Block is in an intriguing position because of its good ties to both Moscow and Washington. However, communication between the US and Russia is not limited to India. Moscow and Washington are not wholly dependent on other parties.

Efforts by west and Russia

Defence ministers’ communications: The defence ministers of the two nations have frequently spoken with one another, reminding one another of their redlines in the conflict. Winter will gradually reduce the opportunities for military operations in Ukraine, giving all sides a chance to pause, regroup, and re-evaluate their strategy and tactics.

Putin’s approach: Putin’s present emphasis on obliterating Ukrainian cities and his sporadic threats to deploy nuclear weapons highlight Russia’s weakness rather than strength in the Ukraine war. From a military standpoint, Russia cannot easily claim a “win” in this conflict.

Limitations of Putin: Putin may be forced to think about a fair draw that will preserve his political reputation and help Ukraine win some territory. Is it possible to say the same of the other Vladimir? Vladimir or Volodymyr the Great, who lived in the 10th century, is credited by both the Russians and the Ukrainians with founding their countries.

Ukraine’s approach: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, has led the nation’s defence against Russian invasion with astonishing tenacity. The Ukrainian army, in contrast to the Russian troops, are fighting to defend their country from invasion and have dealt the Russians serious military defeats.

Limitations of Ukraine: Can Zelenskyy liberate all of Russia’s occupied areas, including Crimea, which Russia seized forcibly in 2014? Zelenskyy may like to continue fighting until he achieves his objective, but the Western coalition that is supporting him is having second thoughts.

Western sanctions against Russia: The West wagered that the severe economic sanctions it imposed when Moscow began its conflict with Ukraine would bring down the Russian economy. The sanctions’ consequences are starting to have a significant impact on Western cultures, but Russia is still standing.

Cost of energy increasing and sanctions being ineffective Political support for a swift end to the battle is rising across Europe as the economic and energy costs of the war rise. Republicans and Democrats in the US, which has emerged as Ukraine’s main ally, are both questioning the current American “blank cheque” for Ukraine. In this week’s midterm elections for the US Congress, Republicans are predicted to perform strongly, which might exacerbate internal conflict and put a shadow over American foreign policy, especially the Ukraine approach.

Although these events do not necessarily spell the end of US strategy, Washington is starting to reassess. Washington provided Kyiv with crucial private counsel this week, urging more adaptability in Zelenskyy’s approach to talks with Putin.

@the-end

It is essential to put an end to the war in Ukraine since the western economy, particularly, is experiencing an energy and inflation crisis. India’s role as a peace broker for the Ukraine conflict has little effect. West and Russia need to see that their hopeless quest for total victory is actually doing more harm than good. Better for the world if the war ends sooner.