CSS Forums - View Single Post - FPSC needs to revamp its examining techniques

SikanderHayat007 · #10 Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Quote:

But its not too bad an idea for the examiners to reveal what exactly they want out of us.

As an example,lets look at the 2010 Current Affairs paper.There is a question that goes:"President Obama's extended hand of friendship towards China ushers in a new era of realist diplomacy in Washington.Highlight the new dimension of US foreign policy towards China."

Apparently,it seems simple enough.We all know about this new dimension.We know there is the much hyped US-China Strategic Economic Dialogue,there is the idea of G-2 thats gaining prominence,there is an increasingly assertive China thats taking global centre stage and an increasingly accomodative US that understands the gravity of Beijing's efforts to push the yuan as a rival to the dollar and that understands the implications of upsetting China which is by far the largest holder of US Treasury Bills($895billion,to be precise).

So where does all this lead??To the conclusion that the US can no longer "contain" China.Gone are the days of George Kennan's containment policy.China is just not Soviet Union.It is far different from SU in far too many ways.Whereas Moscow sought security through expansion,China takes quite another path.The Chinese seek clout through their largest foreign exchange reserves,massive investment in energy exploration from Africa to East Asia,investment in high-tech and the space race.They are impossible to "contain".....That leaves policy-makers in Washington with one option and that is "engaging" the Chinese.

Anyone familiar with International Relations jargon knows that realist diplomacy(which is predicated on realism) is about capturing power and more power.Its about overriding concern for national interest,much less about practicability.

Clearly,the US foreign policy towards China in the days to come is more a question of PRAGMATISM than REALISM.There is a thin line of difference.Technically speaking,you cannot equate the two.President Obama is widely dubbed a PRAGMATIST because he is concerned more with "what works best" and less with what "serves national interest best".So here comes the policy of CO-EVOLUTION with China,that is cooperating with China in some areas while competing with it in others.It was HEnry Kissinger who was the realist,Obama is certainly the pragmatist.

I am interested in how the examiner perceives realist diplomacy and even more interested in how he aligns the current US policy towards China with realism.

Now do u see the utility of detailed reports?

@ Black Coffee

after reading your post i have grasped this idea:you want the examiner to pen down all the questions and their answers as well and provide to the candidates.Just like GMAT in which the examiners provide the answer ke and sample answers every year.

And i have also understood from your detailed post that you want the examiners to give you the criteria which they use to check a paper.this is just like spilling their beans.what then is the necessity to give CSS and ask the examiners to check our papers?why not go to the examination center give the paper and check the papers according to the answer key(checking criteria) and write our score on the paper and deliver it to the invigilator.I bet that almost 99% candidates would get a perfect score because they will assess according to their own calibre not according to the one demanded by the examiner.This i think you meant. i don't mean any offence.please correct me if i didn't infer correctly.

Regards,

Sikander