Question 9 from UPSC CSE 2023 - Internatio nal Relations

Question

Consider the following pairs:
1. Donbas - Syria
2. Kachin - Ethiopia
3. Tigray - North Yemen
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: D. None

Strategy: Orient to the principle that the question lists regions and their supposed countries. Systematically evaluate each pair: Donbas is in Ukraine (not Syria), Kachin is in Myanmar (not Ethiopia), and Tigray is in Ethiopia (not North Yemen). As all given pairs are mismatched, the correct answer is 'none of the above'.

Key Info: **Donbas:** A historical, economic, and industrial region in eastern Ukraine, encompassing the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. It has been a focal point of conflict since 2014 due to separatist movements and Russian involvement, escalating into full-scale conflict after Russia's 2022 invasion. Donbas is unrelated to Syria.

**Kachin:** Kachin State is the northernmost state of Myanmar (Burma), bordering China. Predominantly inhabited by the Kachin ethnic group, it has been a site of prolonged conflict between the Kachin Independence Army and Myanmar's military. Kachin has no geographical or political connection to Ethiopia.

**Tigray:** Tigray is a region in northern Ethiopia, historically significant as home to the Tigrayan ethnic group. Since 2020, it has been the epicenter of a major civil conflict involving the federal Ethiopian government, regional militias, and Eritrean forces, leading to humanitarian crises and international concern. Tigray is unrelated to North Yemen.

**North Yemen:** Refers to the former Yemen Arab Republic before unification with South Yemen in 1990. It has a distinct regional and administrative history from Tigray or Ethiopian affairs.

**Ethiopia:** A country in the Horn of Africa known for its ethnic diversity and history of internal conflict, notably in Tigray.

**Syria:** A Middle Eastern nation with ongoing civil conflict, but not associated with Donbas.

**Myanmar (Burma):** A Southeast Asian country frequently in the news for internal conflicts, including in Kachin.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: Only one

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: Only two

IASCODEX · Answer

Option C: All three

Consider the following pairs: Donbas - Syria Kachin - Ethiopia Tigray - North Yemen How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

Consider the following pairs:

Donbas - Syria

Kachin - Ethiopia

Tigray - North Yemen
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?