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UPSC 2026: Top 25 Questions on International Conflicts & Geopolitics

1. The ‘Nine-Dash Line’, often cited in international maritime disputes, is primarily associated with which body of water?

• Answer: South China Sea

• Explanation: This historical demarcation line is used by China to claim sovereignty over the vast majority of the South China Sea, leading to conflicts with neighboring ASEAN nations like the Philippines and Vietnam.

2. Which of the following best describes the ‘Minsk Agreements’ in the context of European geopolitics?

• Answer: A series of international agreements to seek a peaceful resolution to the war in Eastern Ukraine.

• Explanation: Minsk I and II were brokered in 2014 and 2015 to stop the fighting in the Donbas region between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists.

3. The ‘Abraham Accords’ represent a significant shift in Middle Eastern diplomacy by normalizing relations between Israel and which group of countries?

• Answer: UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan

• Explanation: Brokered in 2020, these accords marked the first normalization of ties between Israel and Arab nations in decades, shifting the focus toward economic and regional security.

4. In the context of Central Asian security, the ‘Fergana Valley’ is a flashpoint due to intersecting borders of which three countries?

• Answer: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan

• Explanation: The valley’s complex “enclave” geography and resource scarcity (water and land) lead to frequent border skirmishes between these three nations.

5. The ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’ conflict is a long-standing territorial dispute between which two nations?

• Answer: Armenia and Azerbaijan

• Explanation: The conflict centers on a mountainous region recognized internationally as Azerbaijan but inhabited primarily by ethnic Armenians.

6. What is the primary objective of the ‘Montreux Convention’ (1936) regarding current Black Sea conflicts?

• Answer: To regulate the passage of naval warships through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits.

• Explanation: Turkey uses this convention to limit the entry of non-Black Sea belligerent warships during times of war, directly impacting naval strategy in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

7. The ‘Kuril Islands’ dispute involves a territorial disagreement between which two world powers?

• Answer: Japan and Russia

• Explanation: Japan claims the four southernmost islands as its “Northern Territories,” which were seized by the Soviet Union at the end of WWII.

8. Which term describes the strategy where a state uses economic ‘debt’ to gain political or military leverage over another?

• Answer: Debt-Trap Diplomacy

• Explanation: This term is frequently used by critics to describe China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects in developing nations, such as the Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka.

9. The ‘Tigray Conflict’, which caused a massive humanitarian crisis, occurred in which African nation?

• Answer: Ethiopia

• Explanation: The war broke out in late 2020 between the Ethiopian federal government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

10. India’s ‘Look East’ policy was upgraded to the ‘Act East’ policy in 2014. What is a primary strategic driver for this shift?

• Answer: To counter increasing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific and strengthen ties with ASEAN.

• Explanation: Act East emphasizes proactive engagement, security cooperation, and connectivity with Southeast and East Asian nations.

11. The ‘Chagos Islands’ dispute involves the sovereignty claims of Mauritius against which country?

• Answer: United Kingdom

• Explanation: Mauritius claims the archipelago was illegally detached by the UK during decolonization to host the US military base at Diego Garcia.

12. In international relations, ‘Strategic Autonomy’ is a term frequently used by India to mean:

• Answer: Maintaining the ability to make independent decisions based on national interest without being part of a formal military alliance.

• Explanation: This allows India to engage with diverse powers like the US, Russia, and France simultaneously based on specific issue-based alignments.

13. The ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI) is often compared to which historical trade route?

• Answer: The Silk Road

• Explanation: The BRI is marketed by China as the “New Silk Road,” aiming to connect Asia with Africa and Europe via land and maritime networks.

14. Which agreement aims to ensure that the ‘AUKUS’ partnership does not violate international nuclear norms?

• Answer: Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

• Explanation: AUKUS involves transferring nuclear-propulsion technology, raising concerns about the “loophole” in the NPT regarding non-weapon military reactors.

15. The ‘Houthi’ movement, involved in the Red Sea shipping crisis, is primarily based in which country?

• Answer: Yemen

• Explanation: The Houthis (Ansar Allah) are a Zaydi Shia militant group that controls much of northern Yemen and the strategic coastline near the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.

16. The ‘Nord Stream’ pipelines, which were sabotaged in 2022, were designed to transport natural gas between which two entities?

• Answer: Russia and Germany

• Explanation: These subsea pipelines through the Baltic Sea were intended to bypass transit countries like Ukraine to deliver gas directly to Western Europe.

17. Which geopolitical ‘Quad’ consists of India, the USA, Japan, and Australia?

• Answer: Quadrilateral Security Dialogue

• Explanation: The Quad is an informal strategic forum maintained by summits and information exchanges to ensure a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.”

18. The ‘Senkaku Islands’ (known as Diaoyu in China) are a source of tension between:

• Answer: Japan and China

• Explanation: Japan currently administers the islands in the East China Sea, but China claims them based on historical records and undersea resource potential.

19. What is the primary function of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in global conflicts?

• Answer: To prosecute individuals for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

• Explanation: Unlike the ICJ (which settles disputes between states), the ICC holds individuals accountable for international crimes.

20. The ‘Suwalki Gap’ is a strategically critical corridor for NATO because it connects:

• Answer: Poland and the Baltic States, separating Kaliningrad from Belarus.

• Explanation: If Russia captured this 60-mile strip, it could physically cut off the Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) from their NATO allies.

21. Which country’s ‘Special Military Operation’ in 2022 led to the largest land war in Europe since WWII?

• Answer: Russia

• Explanation: The invasion of Ukraine, termed a “Special Military Operation” by Moscow, has redefined European security architecture and NATO’s role.

22. The ‘String of Pearls’ theory refers to:

• Answer: A network of Chinese military and commercial facilities along its sea lines of communication in the Indian Ocean.

• Explanation: This theory suggests China is trying to encircle India through strategic ports in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.

23. The ‘Peace of Westphalia’ (1648) is considered the foundation of the modern international system because it established:

• Answer: State Sovereignty and the principle of non-interference.

• Explanation: The Westphalian system established that states have exclusive authority over their territory and domestic affairs, ending the era of religious imperial dominance.

24. Which group of islands is the focus of a dispute between the UK and Argentina, leading to a war in 1982?

• Answer: Falkland Islands

• Explanation: Argentina (calling them Islas Malvinas) invaded the islands in 1982, prompting a British military response to reclaim the territory.

25. The ‘Indo-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor’ (IMEC) is seen as a strategic alternative to:

• Answer: China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

• Explanation: Announced at the G20 Delhi summit, IMEC aims to connect India to Europe via the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel through a ship-to-rail transit network.