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Recently, the USA decided to support India's membership in multilateral export control regimes called the "Australia Group" and the "Wassenaar Arrangement". What is the difference between them? 1. The Australia Group is an informal arrangement which aims to allow exporting countries to minimize the risk of assisting chemical and biological weapons proliferation, whereas the Wassenaar Arrangement is a formal group under the OECD holding identical objectives. 2. The Australia Group comprises predominantly of Asian, African and North American countries, whereas the member countries of Wassenaar Arrangement are predominantly from the European Union and American continents. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 

Recently, the USA decided to support India's membership in multilateral export control regimes called the "Australia Group" and the "Wassenaar Arrangement". What is the difference between them? 1. The Australia Group is an informal arrangement which aims to allow exporting countries to minimize the risk of assisting chemical and biological weapons proliferation, whereas the Wassenaar Arrangement is a formal group under the OECD holding identical objectives. 2. The Australia Group comprises predominantly of Asian, African and North American countries, whereas the member countries of Wassenaar Arrangement are predominantly from the European Union and American continents. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?  Correct Answer 1 only

The correct answer is 1 only.

Key Points

  • Australia Group:
    • ​Established in 1985 (after the use of chemical weapons by Iraq in 1984), the Australia Group (AG) is an informal group of countries (now joined by the European Commission) to help member countries identify those exports which need to be controlled, making sure that they do not contribute to the spread of chemical and biological weapons. 
    • Coordination of national export control measures assists Australia Group participants to fulfil their obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention to the fullest extent possible.
    • It now has 43 members, including all Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) members, the European Commission, all 28 member states of the European Union, Ukraine, and Argentina. The name comes from Australia’s initiative to create the group. Australia manages the secretariat. 
  • Wassenaar Arrangement:
    • ​The Wassenaar Arrangement is a body responsible to contribute to security and stability at the regional and international level by promoting transparency and greater responsibility in the transfer of dual-use good and technologies and conventional arms. It is one among the International grouping responsible for the export and transfer of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and equipment.
    • The Arrangement is seen as a successor to the former Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (COCOM). COCOM was terminated by its members due to its drawbacks in export control methodology and ceased to exist in 1994.
    • The participant countries are responsible to ensure that the National policies for the transfer of any such product are carried out peacefully and does not harm any other Country or its citizens. A total of 42 countries are a member of this Arrangement and India is one of them.
  •  The Australia Group is an informal arrangement which aims to allow exporting countries to minimize the risk of assisting chemical and biological weapons proliferation, whereas the Wassenaar Arrangement is a formal group under the OECD holding identical objectives. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
  • Both groups comprise the Dominantly European Commission and the European Union. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

Related Questions

In the context of bilateral trade negotiations between India and the European Union, what is the difference between European Commission and European Council? 1. European Commission represents the EU in trade negotiations whereas the European Council partici­pates in the legislation of matters pertaining to economic policies of the European Union. 2. European Commission comprises of the Heads of State or government of member countries whereas the European Council comprises of the persons nominated by European Parliament. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements with reference to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): 1. OECD is an official Permanent observer to the United Nations and is referred to as a think-tank or as a monitoring group. 2. India is not a member of OECD. 3. OECD is funded by its member countries. Which of the statement given above is/ are correct?
The Weberian model of bureaucracy has been criticised from a variety of stand points.
Consider the following points in this regard:
1. The Weberian model appears to be a 'machine theory' and a closed system model taking little account of organisational interactions with the environment.
2. The structural features of bureaucracy as laid down by Weber might be suitable for routine and repetitive tasks but these would produce dysfunctional consequences in terms of human behaviour if the jobs would involve innovation and creativity.
3. Weberian model has not been found to respond adequately to the tasks of socioeconomic transformation in the developing countries. These tasks require quick changes whereas the capacity of the Weberian model for adaptation to change is rather slow.
4. Weber's model is confined to the study of formal bureaucratic structure and fails to take notice of the informal structure of bureauracy such as informal relations, informal norms and values, an informal power hierarchy and informal power struggles.
Which of the above points make a valid criticism of the Weberian model? Select the correct answer from below:
With reference to 'Organization for the Prohibitions of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)', consider the following statements: 1. It is an organization of European Union in working relation with NATO and WHO. 2. It monitors the chemical industry to prevent new weapons from emerging. 3. It provides assistance and protection to States (Parties) against chemical weapons threats. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to 'Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)', consider the following statements :
1. It is an organization of European Union in working relation with NATO and WHO.
2. It monitors chemical industry to prevent new weapons from emerging.
3. It provides assistance and protection to States (Parties) against chemical weapons threats.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives. The conclusion of World Trade Organizations 11thbiennial ministerial conference at Buenos Aires was worrisome. From an Indian standpoint, there was no loss asstatus quo continues in the most important issue: the right to continue the food security programme by using support prices. But the inability of the negotiators toreach even one substantive outcome suggests that WTOs efficacy is under question. As a 164-country multilateral organisation dedicated to crafting rules of tradethrough consensus, WTO represents the optimal bet for developing countries such as India. Strengthening WTO is in Indias best interest. Perhaps the biggest threat to WTOs efficacy today is the attitude of the US. The worlds largest economy appears to have lost faith in the organisation and hasbegun to undermine one of its most successful segments, the dispute redressal mechanism. This is significant as the US has been directly involved in nearly half ofall cases brought to WTO. Separately, large groups of countries decided to pursue negotiations on e-commerce, investment facilitation and removal of tradeobstacles for medium and small scale industries. By itself this should not weaken WTO. But it comes at a time when there is growing frustration with gridlock atWTO. India did well to defend its position on its food security programme. The envisaged reform package which will see a greater use of direct cash transfers tobeneficiaries will be in sync with what developed countries do. But its important for India to enhance its efforts to reinvigorate WTO. In this context, Indias plan toorganise a meeting of some countries early next year is a step in the right direction. WTO represents the best available platform to accommodate interests of adiverse set of nations. Therefore, India should be at the forefront of moves to fortify it. Which of the following nation is keen to fortify its interest on WTO platform?
Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives. The conclusion of World Trade Organizations 11thbiennial ministerial conference at Buenos Aires was worrisome. From an Indian standpoint, there was no loss asstatus quo continues in the most important issue: the right to continue the food security programme by using support prices. But the inability of the negotiators toreach even one substantive outcome suggests that WTOs efficacy is under question. As a 164-country multilateral organisation dedicated to crafting rules of tradethrough consensus, WTO represents the optimal bet for developing countries such as India. Strengthening WTO is in Indias best interest. Perhaps the biggest threat to WTOs efficacy today is the attitude of the US. The worlds largest economy appears to have lost faith in the organisation and hasbegun to undermine one of its most successful segments, the dispute redressal mechanism. This is significant as the US has been directly involved in nearly half ofall cases brought to WTO. Separately, large groups of countries decided to pursue negotiations on e-commerce, investment facilitation and removal of tradeobstacles for medium and small scale industries. By itself this should not weaken WTO. But it comes at a time when there is growing frustration with gridlock atWTO. India did well to defend its position on its food security programme. The envisaged reform package which will see a greater use of direct cash transfers tobeneficiaries will be in sync with what developed countries do. But its important for India to enhance its efforts to reinvigorate WTO. In this context, Indias plan toorganise a meeting of some countries early next year is a step in the right direction. WTO represents the best available platform to accommodate interests of adiverse set of nations. Therefore, India should be at the forefront of moves to fortify it. Which of the following is the most successful segments of the WTO mentioned in the passage?
Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives. The conclusion of World Trade Organizations 11thbiennial ministerial conference at Buenos Aires was worrisome. From an Indian standpoint, there was no loss asstatus quo continues in the most important issue: the right to continue the food security programme by using support prices. But the inability of the negotiators toreach even one substantive outcome suggests that WTOs efficacy is under question. As a 164-country multilateral organisation dedicated to crafting rules of tradethrough consensus, WTO represents the optimal bet for developing countries such as India. Strengthening WTO is in Indias best interest. Perhaps the biggest threat to WTOs efficacy today is the attitude of the US. The worlds largest economy appears to have lost faith in the organisation and hasbegun to undermine one of its most successful segments, the dispute redressal mechanism. This is significant as the US has been directly involved in nearly half ofall cases brought to WTO. Separately, large groups of countries decided to pursue negotiations on e-commerce, investment facilitation and removal of tradeobstacles for medium and small scale industries. By itself this should not weaken WTO. But it comes at a time when there is growing frustration with gridlock atWTO. India did well to defend its position on its food security programme. The envisaged reform package which will see a greater use of direct cash transfers tobeneficiaries will be in sync with what developed countries do. But its important for India to enhance its efforts to reinvigorate WTO. In this context, Indias plan toorganise a meeting of some countries early next year is a step in the right direction. WTO represents the best available platform to accommodate interests of adiverse set of nations. Therefore, India should be at the forefront of moves to fortify it. According to the passage, which of the following statement is NOT true?
Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives. The conclusion of World Trade Organizations 11thbiennial ministerial conference at Buenos Aires was worrisome. From an Indian standpoint, there was no loss asstatus quo continues in the most important issue: the right to continue the food security programme by using support prices. But the inability of the negotiators toreach even one substantive outcome suggests that WTOs efficacy is under question. As a 164-country multilateral organisation dedicated to crafting rules of tradethrough consensus, WTO represents the optimal bet for developing countries such as India. Strengthening WTO is in Indias best interest. Perhaps the biggest threat to WTOs efficacy today is the attitude of the US. The worlds largest economy appears to have lost faith in the organisation and hasbegun to undermine one of its most successful segments, the dispute redressal mechanism. This is significant as the US has been directly involved in nearly half ofall cases brought to WTO. Separately, large groups of countries decided to pursue negotiations on e-commerce, investment facilitation and removal of tradeobstacles for medium and small scale industries. By itself this should not weaken WTO. But it comes at a time when there is growing frustration with gridlock atWTO. India did well to defend its position on its food security programme. The envisaged reform package which will see a greater use of direct cash transfers tobeneficiaries will be in sync with what developed countries do. But its important for India to enhance its efforts to reinvigorate WTO. In this context, Indias plan toorganise a meeting of some countries early next year is a step in the right direction. WTO represents the best available platform to accommodate interests of adiverse set of nations. Therefore, India should be at the forefront of moves to fortify it. Why was the WTOs 11th binennial ministerial conference worrisome?
Read the passage carefully and select the best answer to each question out of the given four alternatives. The conclusion of World Trade Organizations 11thbiennial ministerial conference at Buenos Aires was worrisome. From an Indian standpoint, there was no loss asstatus quo continues in the most important issue: the right to continue the food security programme by using support prices. But the inability of the negotiators toreach even one substantive outcome suggests that WTOs efficacy is under question. As a 164-country multilateral organisation dedicated to crafting rules of tradethrough consensus, WTO represents the optimal bet for developing countries such as India. Strengthening WTO is in Indias best interest. Perhaps the biggest threat to WTOs efficacy today is the attitude of the US. The worlds largest economy appears to have lost faith in the organisation and hasbegun to undermine one of its most successful segments, the dispute redressal mechanism. This is significant as the US has been directly involved in nearly half ofall cases brought to WTO. Separately, large groups of countries decided to pursue negotiations on e-commerce, investment facilitation and removal of tradeobstacles for medium and small scale industries. By itself this should not weaken WTO. But it comes at a time when there is growing frustration with gridlock atWTO. India did well to defend its position on its food security programme. The envisaged reform package which will see a greater use of direct cash transfers tobeneficiaries will be in sync with what developed countries do. But its important for India to enhance its efforts to reinvigorate WTO. In this context, Indias plan toorganise a meeting of some countries early next year is a step in the right direction. WTO represents the best available platform to accommodate interests of adiverse set of nations. Therefore, India should be at the forefront of moves to fortify it. What is the biggest threat to WTOs efficacy today?