TOPIC : GS 2 Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India’s interests, Indian Diaspora
What is the news?
US President Joe Biden is preparing to formally acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, the systematic killing and deportation of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire that occurred more than a century ago,
What happened during the Armenian Genocide?
While Turkey disagrees, the consensus among historians is that during the Armenian Genocide, between 1915 to 1922, in the First World War.
It is said that thousands of Armenians perished due to killings, starvation and disease, when they were deported by Ottoman Turks from eastern Anatolia.
It is difficult to estimate the total number of Armenians who died during the genocide, but the Armenian diaspora says that approximately 1.5 million died.
Why is the acknowledgement significant?
Acknowledgement by the US government would have little legal impact on Turkey, other than becoming a cause for embarrassment for the country
It perhaps giving other countries the impetus to also acknowledge the genocide.
India’s Stance
Countries including India, that have not formally recognised the Armenian Genocide have primarily adopted this stance in the interests of their wider foreign policy decisions and because of their geo-political interests in the region
How has Turkey responded?
Turkey have been strained over a range of issues with US government that include Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 defence systems,
Foreign policy differences with regard to Syria, human rights and other intersecting legal issues.
Turkey could also slow non-NATO operations at Incirlik Air Base, located in Adana, that American forces use as a base and a station for equipment in the region.
It is indicates that Turkey could engage in provocation that would result in new sanctions against the country or the reimposition of the ones that had been suspended.
For instance, Turkey could initiate military action against Kurdish fighters allied with US forces in northeast Syria.
Way forward
While the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the US would be symbolic, it would mean much for the Armenian diaspora. But there may be little that Turkey can really do in retaliation without jeopardizing its own interests. American government has been vocal about human rights abuses in countries across the world, including in Turkey, but it hasn’t gone very far beyond his rhetoric. This is a chance for him to stand up on human rights with lower stakes.
Mains Question
Turkey should not live in the denial of the atrocities committed against Armeninas . Discuss
Sources: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/us-biden-prepares-to-recognise-armenian-genocide-heres-why-its-important-7284974/
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/true-name-the-hindu-editorial-on-armenian-genocide/article34424836.ece
PRELIMS PUNCHERS
1. Fujiwhara effect
The Fujiwhara effect, sometimes referred to as the Fujiwara effect, Fujiwara interaction or binary interaction, is a phenomenon that occurs when two nearby cyclonic vortices move around each other and close the distance between the circulations of their corresponding low-pressure areas. The effect is named after Sakuhei Fujiwhara, the Japanese meteorologist who initially described the effect. Binary interaction of smaller circulations can cause the development of a larger cyclone, or cause two cyclones to merge into one. Extratropical cyclones typically engage in binary interaction when within 2,000 kilometres .
When cyclones are in proximity of one another, their centers will circle each other cyclonically about a point between the two systems due to their cyclonic wind circulations. The two vortices will be attracted to each other, and eventually spiral into the center point and merge. It has not been agreed upon whether this is due to the divergent portion of the wind or vorticity advection.When the two vortices are of unequal size, the larger vortex will tend to dominate the interaction, and the smaller vortex will circle around it.
Sources : https://www.orlandosentinel.com/weather/hurricane/os-prem-ne-hurricane-facts-what-is-the-fujiwhara-effect-20210426-egp2nxliyvanxao5ykp3qyb3xe-story.html
2. Genocide Convention
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was unanimously adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 9 December 1948 as General Assembly Resolution 260. The Convention entered into force on 12 January 1951. It defines genocide in legal terms, and is the culmination of years of campaigning by lawyer Raphael Lemkin. All participating countries are advised to prevent and punish actions of genocide in war and in peacetime.
The United Nations Security Council is the organization entitled to mandate the International Criminal Court with investigations relating to breaches of the genocide convention
Sources : https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/explained-what-happened-to-armenians-in-1915/article34406120.ece
3. The Khajuraho Group of Monuments
They are a group of Hindu temples and Jain temples in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh, India, about 175 kilometres southeast of Jhansi. They are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temples are famous for their nagara-style architectural symbolism and their erotic sculptures. The 10th-century Bhand Deva Temple in Rajasthan was built in the style of the Khajuraho monuments and is often referred to as ‘Little Khajuraho’
Most Khajuraho temples were built between 885 AD and 1050 AD by the Chandela dynasty. Historical records note that the Khajuraho temple site had 85 temples by the 12th century, spread over 20 square kilometers. Of these, only about 25 temples have survived, spread over six square kilometers. Of the surviving temples, the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple is decorated with a profusion of sculptures with intricate details, symbolism and expressiveness of ancient Indian art.
Sources : https://indianexpress.com/photos/lifestyle-gallery/express-wanderlust-heres-why-you-should-visit-khajuraho-if-you-havent-already-6254269/
4. Minimum Corporate tax
The development of a ‘global minimum corporate tax rate’ – in essence, setting a minimum rate for corporations all over the world to pay regardless of which jurisdiction they are registered.
It is a move designed to tackle a worldwide phenomenon known as Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), wherein large corporations register in low-tax jurisdictions to avoid paying higher rates of corporate tax prevalent in the countries they actually operate in. A global minimum rate would ensure that companies would have to pay wherever they were registered, with revenues being apportioned according to the extent of their activity in the respective countries. The US Treasury Secretary has urged G20 nations to move towards a global minimum corporate tax.
Sources : https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/global-minimum-corporate-tax-rate-may-benefit-the-us-but-not-india/2237664/
PRELIMS QUESTIONS
1. Consider the following statement with regarding The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
1. All participating countries are advised to prevent and punish actions of genocide in war and in peacetime
2. The United Nations General assembly is the entitled to mandate the ICC with investigations relating to breaches of the genocide convention
Select the correct statement using code given below.
(a). 1only (b) 2 only
(c). Both of them (d). None of the above
Answer : A
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was unanimously adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 9 December 1948 as General Assembly Resolution 260. The Convention entered into force on 12 January 1951. It defines genocide in legal terms, and is the culmination of years of campaigning by lawyer Raphael Lemkin. All participating countries are advised to prevent and punish actions of genocide in war and in peacetime.
The United Nations Security Council is the organization entitled to mandate the International Criminal Court with investigations relating to breaches of the genocide convention
2. Consider the following statement with regarding Minimum corporate tax
1. It is designed to tackle a worldwide phenomenon known as Double taxation
2.Minimum rate would ensure that companies would have to pay wherever they were registered
Select the correct statement using code given below.
(a). 1only (b) 2 only
(c). Both of them (d). None of the above
Answer : B
The development of a ‘global minimum corporate tax rate’ – in essence, setting a minimum rate for corporations all over the world to pay regardless of which jurisdiction they are registered.
It is a move designed to tackle a worldwide phenomenon known as Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), wherein large corporations register in low-tax jurisdictions to avoid paying higher rates of corporate tax prevalent in the countries they actually operate in. A global minimum rate would ensure that companies would have to pay wherever they were registered, with revenues being apportioned according to the extent of their activity in the respective countries. The US Treasury Secretary has urged G20 nations to move towards a global minimum corporate tax.