UPSC CSEInternational Relations
International Relations for UPSC CSE
India's neighbourhood policy, bilateral and regional groupings, global institutions, and the diaspora.
📊 Very high yield and the most current-affairs-sensitive subject in GS2 — nearly every question is pegged to a recent development
How toppers play this section
IR answers need a stated Indian interest at their core — strategic, economic, or diplomatic — rather than a neutral recounting of a relationship's history; the examiner is testing whether you can assess a development from India's specific vantage point and name the trade-off it presents.
Chapters
Built to the UPSC CSE blueprint — notes, shortcuts, solved PYQ-style examples and practice in every chapter.
Topic-wise weightage in UPSC CSE
Expected question counts from previous-year paper analyses. Topics with an arrow already have a full chapter.
| Topic | Prelims Q | Mains Q | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| India's foreign policy, neighbourhood, and global groupings | ~15 | Very high |
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