PSIR with UPSCprep.com

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PSIR - Write & Rise Day 55 Can BIMSTEC replace SAARC as the main vehicle of regional cooperation in South Asia? (10 Marks)

PSIR - Write & Rise Day 54 Why has South Asia failed to become a cohesive region despite its shared history and culture? (10 marks)

Choosing PSIR is one thing. Learning it from the right teacher can make all the difference. With Neelam Bhatia Ma’am, the focus is on building conceptual clarity, connecting current affairs with the syllabus, and learning how to write answers that actually address what UPSC asks. From understanding political theory and Indian politics to international relations, the course takes you through the subject step by step, with live classes, daily answer writing, 1:1 mentorship, exam-ready material and structured evaluation. The new PSIR Optional batch starts tomorrow. If you are preparing for UPSC CSE 2027 or 2028, this is a good time to start with Neelam Ma’am. Know more: courses.upscprep.com/products

PSIR - Write & Rise Day 53 "India's engagement with the Taliban regime has shifted from humanitarian aid to calibrated diplomatic normalisation, driven more by strategic necessity than by shared values."  Critically examine India's evolving Afghanistan policy, with reference to the opportunities and limits of this engagement. (15 marks)

Your optional preparation needs more than just lectures. It needs a complete system that takes you from understanding the syllabus to writing better answers. PSIR Optional brings together live classes, complete syllabus coverage, exam-ready notes, current affairs, daily answer writing, test series and 1:1 mentorship, all in one ecosystem. With the new batch starting in just 2 days, now is a good time to get your optional preparation on track. Explore the PSIR Optional course at courses.upscprep.com.

PSIR WRITE & RISE — ROUND 5 7 October — India & Afghanistan 8 October — India & South Asia 9 October — SAARC 10 October — SAFTA 11 October — Look East Act East Policy 12 October — Impediments to Regional Cooperation: River Water Disputes & Illegal Cross-Border Migration 13 October — Impediments to Regional Cooperation: Ethnic Conflicts & Insurgencies & Border Disputes

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If you’re preparing for UPSC CSE 2027 or 2028, PSIR Optional is an option worth considering. It connects naturally with GS Paper 2, International Relations and Essay, while giving you the opportunity to build depth in a subject that rewards conceptual clarity and current affairs integration. The key is to start early and build your foundation properly. Our PSIR Optional Foundation Course with Neelam Bhatia covers the complete syllabus through live lectures, 3-year recording access, current affairs, daily answer writing, 1:1 mentorship and test series. The new batch starts in just 3 days. Know more: courses.upscprep.com

Webinar starts in 02 Minutes

If you are planning to choose PSIR as your optional you should not miss this session! The session will be taken by Neelam Bhatia Ma’am, PSIR Faculty at UPSCprep.com. In this webinar, she will discuss: • How to approach PSIR as an optional subject • What the syllabus actually demands • How theory and current affairs come together in PSIR • What beginners should keep in mind before starting preparation This session will help you understand the subject with greater clarity before you begin. Click here to register

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Here is a Summary- 1. What's happening: India is the leader (president) of BRICS this year. Next year, China takes over. The writer asks: what is BRICS really building together? 2. Why countries are looking for new options: The world is getting more divided, and big countries often punish others with sanctions (trade bans). After Russia was sanctioned, many countries found new ways to trade. For example, India-Russia trade grew about five times, from $13 billion to $69 billion, mostly because India bought cheap Russian oil. 3. Sanctions only sped things up: Poor and developing countries wanted these changes for a long time. They wanted a bigger say in world matters, more trade with each other (South-South trade), and to trade in their own currencies instead of the dollar. Now these options act like a safety net (insurance) in case of trouble. 4. BRICS is big but not united: BRICS countries are huge together, but they don't share one market, one currency, or the same trade rules. They are very different from each other. So BRICS will never become like the European Union. They only agree on the few things all members accept (the "lowest common denominator"). 5. A web of connections: Instead of becoming one block, BRICS is becoming a network, a web that links different currencies, payment systems, banks and trade routes. India's New Delhi Declaration focused on being strong in crises (resilience), new ideas (innovation), working together (cooperation), and sustainability. 6. More choices is the real goal: Developing countries gain nothing if they just swap one boss for another (like the dollar for another currency). What they need is more choices (called optionality): more currencies, more banks to borrow from, and more trade routes. 7. Three stages of BRICS: • BRICS 1.0: Wanting a voice in world decisions. • BRICS 2.0: Getting more choices (new banks, own currencies). • BRICS 3.0: Connecting systems (interoperability), so that money, digital, technology and factory systems of member countries can work together. 8. China's leader Xi Jinping wants BRICS to work together on AI, smart factories, digital systems and skills. This could slowly lead from shared payments all the way to shared supply chains (how goods are made and moved). 9. The danger: a new dependence: China is very strong in factories, technology and infrastructure, so it can lead this. But if everything ends up depending on one country, BRICS will escape one dependence (on the West) only to fall into another (on China). The writer says this is about designing the system well, not about being against China. 10. India's idea and the solution: India follows strategic autonomy, which means staying friends with everyone (the US, Europe, Russia, Africa and others) without depending on any one side. India and China can complement each other: India brings balance, China brings technology and infrastructure. The writer's suggestions: • Trading in own currencies needs enough money and protection from price swings. • Payment links must keep each country's own rules and cyber safety. • The New Development Bank should bring in private investors and lend in local currencies. • Digital systems should be open, not controlled by one country. • There should be many trade routes, not just one. 11. Stop over-hyping "de-dollarisation": The US dollar is too strong to be replaced soon, and a BRICS currency is not realistic. The real changes will be in day-to-day systems like payments, loans and trade links. BRICS should not become a closed club. It should help the Global South (developing countries) stay connected to the whole world. The real test is simple: does BRICS give poor countries more choices?

PSIR - Write & Rise Day 52 Discuss the significance of West Asia for India's foreign policy, with reference to energy security, diaspora, and strategic interests. (15 Marks)

Don’t Miss this article! Excellent value addition for PSIR Let me know if you need a summary