UPSC Mains 2026 PSIR Optional Paper II questions

26 questions from the Civil Services (Main) Examination 2026. Official UPSC paper (PDF) · All PSIR Optional PYQs

1. Criticism of the institutional approach in comparative political analysis has come up in successive waves. Comment.

   10 marks

2. Discuss various methods of Balance of Power.

   10 marks

3. What role does identity and technology play in the conceptualisation of Defensive realism?

   10 marks

4. Discuss the factors responsible for the changing nature of states in contemporary industrial societies and explain its impact.

   20 marks

5. airfare International Human Rights frameworks are hostage to politics among nations. Comment.

   15 marks

6. Diplomacy has always rested on two pillars: Institutional memory and individual craft. Elaborate.

   15 marks

7. NATO, the oldest surviving collective security system, is facing challenge of transactional coercion from its own biggest member. What future does NATO have amidst such developments?

   20 marks

8. Theories of international relations which claim objectivity inevitably harbour subjective biases. Elucidate.

   15 marks

9. Does power transition theory reflect the dynamics of US-China relations?

   15 marks

10. QUAD requires more robust architecture than the summit driven mode to tide over the current challenges. Elaborate.

    20 marks

11. How did the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) reflect geo-political division of the world during the cold war?

    15 marks

12. What is UNCLOS? Explain its salient features.

    15 marks

13. Describe India's objections to agricultural negotiations at the World Trade Organisation.

14. What strategic options can India exercise as a response to the tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan?

    10 marks

15. Discuss the three areas of security co-operation between India and Israel.

    10 marks

16. Discuss the main features of the land-boundary agreement between India and Bangladesh.

    10 marks

17. Analyse the relevance of India-Brazil economic co-operation in strengthening the bilateral relations between the two countries.

    10 marks

18. Accelerating of Chinese influence across South Asia is fundamentally reshaping the region's geopolitical landscape. This is a big foreign policy challenge for India.

19. Critically evaluate the important factors of India-Maldives relations on the eve of sixty years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

    15 marks

20. "The mother of all deals" is a transformative milestone in Indo-EU trade relations. Elaborate on the new Security and Defence partnership.

    15 marks

21. How does illegal cross border migration pose challenges to India's security? Discuss the steps taken by the government in this direction and their effectiveness.

    20 marks

22. The island of Kachchatheevu remains an intractable issue in India-Srilanka relations. Comment.

    15 marks

23. India has adopted multi-alignment to fulfill its core values and interests in International relations. Discuss.

    15 marks

24. Critically evaluate India-Russia relations in the 21st century. How have both the countries responded to America meddling in their relations in the recent times.

    20 marks

25. India has recognised that West Asia is not a single contest, but a tangle of rivalries, bargains and anxieties. Comment.

    15 marks

26. Examine India and South-Africa co-operation through bilateral and multi-lateral forums.

    15 marks