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Q67 (IAS/2015) International Relations & Global Affairs › International Organisations & Groupings › Intergovernmental groupings Official Key

With reference to Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC), consider the following statements : 1. It was established very recently in response to incidents of piracy and accidents of oil spills. 2. It is an alliance meant for maritime security only. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

Neither statement is correct.

**Statement 1 is incorrect:** The IOR-ARC (now IORA) was established[1] in March 1997[2], which is not "very recent" in the context of a 2015 question, and there is no evidence it was created specifically in response to piracy or oil spills. The concept was for socio-economic cooperation and other peaceful endeavours[3].

**Statement 2 is incorrect:** The Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) is aimed at economic rather than security cooperation[4]. It is the only pan Indian Ocean economic grouping, though in recent times it has begun to address maritime security issues[5]. This clearly shows it is not "meant for maritime security only" but is primarily an economic organization that has expanded to include some security concerns.

Therefore, the correct answer is option D - Neither 1 nor 2.

Sources
  1. [1] https://www.orfonline.org/research/india-africa-maritime-cooperation-the-case-of-western-indian-ocean
  2. [2] https://www.orfonline.org/research/towards-a-cohesive-maritime-security-architecture-in-the-indian-ocean
  3. [3] https://jurnalmaritim.tnial.mil.id/index.php/IMJ/article/download/80/59
  4. [4] https://www.clingendael.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/Geopolitics%20and%20Maritime%20Security%20in%20the%20Indian%20Ocean.pdf
  5. [5] https://www.ipcs.org/issue_briefs/issue_brief_pdf/1501-IPCSAnnual.pdf
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PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. With reference to Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC), consider the following statements : 1. It was establi…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 3.3/10 · 6.7/10
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This question punishes 'headline readers' who saw IORA discussing piracy in news but missed its 1997 economic birth certificate. The trap is conflating a body's *current agenda* (anti-piracy) with its *founding purpose* (economic). Always separate 'Why it was born' from 'What it does now'.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
When was the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) established?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"which was established in March, 1997."
Why this source?
  • Directly states the organisation and gives an exact establishment date (month and year).
  • Names IOR-ARC and explicitly ties it to the March 1997 founding.
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"The IORA, created in 1997, serves as an important intergovernmental organisation"
Why this source?
  • Confirms the year of creation for IORA/IOR-ARC as 1997.
  • Supports the establishment year given in the primary supporting passage.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 16: India–Political Aspects > Response of the Bordering Countries > p. 73
Strength: 4/5
“The first conference of the Heads of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean was held at Cairo in 1964. Later, the Third Conference of the Non-aligned countries held at Lusaka (Zambia) in 1970 called upon all states to identify the Indian Ocean as a zone of peace.”
Why relevant

Notes an early pattern of Indian Ocean littoral states' meetings (first Heads conference in Cairo, 1964) and subsequent diplomatic framing (NAM calling the Ocean a 'zone of peace' in 1970).

How to extend

A student can use this chronology to see that formal cooperation evolved from conferences in the 1960s–70s to later institutional bodies, and thus look for a formal organization date later than these milestones.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 16: India–Political Aspects > Response of the Bordering Countries > p. 72
Strength: 3/5
“As stated at the outset, there are 47 littoral countries, 7 island countries and 13 landlocked countries in the Indian Ocean. All these countries are, historically, economically and culturally, associated with the Indian Ocean. Moreover, there are 13 landlocked countries which are also included into this ocean as their trade is carried on through the Indian Ocean. With the growing military build up and big power rivalries the littoral states are greatly concerned about their political stability and economic development. All the littoral states want the Indian Ocean to remain a 'zone of peace'. This is imperative considering the socio-”
Why relevant

Gives the scope of the Indian Ocean region (47 littoral, 7 island, 13 landlocked countries) and emphasizes littoral states' desire for regional cooperation and a 'zone of peace'.

How to extend

Knowing the large set of stakeholders, a student could infer the need for a formal multilateral body and search for when such a broad regional association was institutionalized.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 15: Tsunami > India's Preparedness > p. 195
Strength: 3/5
“• The Deep Ocean Assessment and Reporting System (DOARS) was set up in the Indian Ocean post-2004. The Indian government plans to set up a network with Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand etc.• A National Tsunami Early Warning Centre, which can detect earthquakes of more than 6 magnitude in the Indian Ocean, was inaugurated in 2007 in India. Set up by the Ministry of Earth Sciences in the Indian”
Why relevant

Describes post-2004 cooperative technical initiatives in the Indian Ocean (DOARS, 2007 tsunami early warning centre), showing a pattern of issue-driven regional institutionalization after crises.

How to extend

A student might compare such post-crisis institution-building dates with earlier organizational founding dates to judge whether IOR-ARC likely predates or follows these technical/regional initiatives.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 16: India–Political Aspects > India and the Geopolitics of the Indian Ocean > p. 78
Strength: 2/5
“Thus Indian Ocean is termed "Oilline of India." Moreover, the bulk of Indian salt is also obtained from the Indian Ocean.• ♦ The potential tidal energy, especially along the Gulf of Khambat, is enormous.• ♦ India occupies an important geographical position is the central arc of the Indian Ocean.• ♦ India has significant economic and technical co-operation programmes in the littoral states of the Indian ocean. India has been providing technical training facilities, Indian expertise, and consultancy services to the countries around the Indian Ocean.”
Why relevant

Highlights India's long-term economic/technical cooperation programmes with littoral states, indicating sustained bilateral and regional engagement over decades.

How to extend

A student could use this to expect that a multilateral institutional form (like IOR-ARC) emerged as these cooperation patterns matured, and thus seek its founding date within the timeline of growing regional programmes.

Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 18: International Economic Institutions > Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) > p. 550
Strength: 3/5
“• It is a regional economic forum of 21 countries on the Pacific Rim. It was established in ۰ 1989 and aims to promote inclusive growth, greater prosperity and free trade in the Asia-Pacific region.• It is headquartered in Singapore.”
Why relevant

Provides an example pattern: regional Pacific Rim institutions (APEC) were formally established in specific years (APEC in 1989), illustrating that regional forums commonly have clear founding dates in the late 20th century.

How to extend

A student can analogize and check late-20th-century founding dates for Indian Ocean regional bodies (e.g., searching records around the 1980s–1990s) to test the statement about IOR-ARC's establishment.

Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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