Kalam IAS Academy was founded by a team of committed individuals who believe that the traditional way of UPSC preparation needs to be changed.
Current Edge Daily Brief 8th October 2025
Quote of the Day
“What we know is a drop, what we don’t is an ocean.” – ISAAC NEWTON
What the Others Say
“Hamas terrorists are the ones who perpetrated the brutal massacre of October 7, 2023, but this failure happened on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s watch. He didn’t resign, he didn’t even beg for forgiveness, and for two years, he has also blocked the establishment of a state commission of inquiry” – HAARETZ, ISRAEL
Table of Contents
THE BIG PICTURE
- TH Opinion: C Raja Mohan writes: In a multi-polar West, India’s opportunity
- IE Explained: Physics Nobel 2025: How winners revealed quantum physics in action (Amitabh Sinha)
NEWS IN SHORT
- Indian Coast Guard NATPOLREX-X Exercise
The Big Picture
TH Opinion: C Raja Mohan writes: In a multi-polar West, India’s opportunity
Syllabus: Pre/Mains – International Relations
Why in News?
Europe’s growing strategic autonomy amid Trump-era US nationalism creates new openings for India to deepen ties with a “multipolar West.”
Shifting Western Order
- Post–WW2 unity → US-led “collective West” vs USSR; Western solidarity during Cold War.
- Post–Cold War → Brief unipolarity (G7 expansion, “end of history”) → eroded by Russia’s assertiveness & China’s rise.
- Now → “Multipolar West” emerging — internal divisions in US-Europe-Japan alliance.
Trump’s America First & Western Fragmentation
- Nationalism ↑ → US retrenchment, alliance scepticism, unilateralism.
- Allied unease → EU, Japan feel Washington treats allies ↓ than adversaries.
- Debate on “strategic autonomy” → Triggered by US unpredictability.
- Result → Europe, Asia recalibrating strategies to hedge against US policy shifts.
Europe’s Strategic Reawakening
- Leadership signals → Macron’s “Europe Puissante”; Scholz’s Zeitenwende.
- Von der Leyen (2025) → Europe must stand “on its own feet” (economic, tech, defence).
- Actions → EU rearmament, defence cooperation (UK, Canada, Japan, SK).
- Economic diversification → Beyond Atlantic → Indo-Pacific, Latin America.
- Goal → Self-reliant, cohesive “plural West” balancing US influence.
India–Europe Convergence
- Recent momentum → Starmer’s Mumbai visit, EFTA pact, EU trade talks.
- EU Joint Communication (Sep 2025) → Mutual success doctrine (“India’s success = EU’s success”).
- Focus areas → Trade, defence, digital infra, resilient supply chains, Global Gateway connectivity.
- Shift → From China-centric Indo-Pacific to India as pivotal partner.
India’s Strategic Calculus
- Opportunity → Multipolar West → multiple engagement vectors, ↑ manoeuvrability.
- Risk → Fragmented West → ↓ collective response vs authoritarian powers.
- Diplomatic agility → Balanced ties (US–Europe–Russia–China).
- Constraint → Domestic reform lag; institutional inertia ↓ external leverage.
- Need → Economic modernisation, faster policy execution to capitalise on Western pluralism.
Conclusion: A fragmented yet plural West offers India new strategic and economic openings — but seizing them depends on Delhi’s internal dynamism matching the external flux.
Test Your Knowledge 01
Q.The Global Gateway programme of the EU aims to:
(a) Fund digital infrastructure in Africa and Asia
(b) Counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative through sustainable connectivity projects
(c) Facilitate internal EU migration and labour mobility
(d) Provide aid to conflict-ridden states in the Indo-Pacific
Hint: EU’s flagship connectivity initiative (2021) → sustainable, transparent, rules-based alternative to China’s BRI.
IE Explained: Physics Nobel 2025: How winners revealed quantum physics in action
Syllabus: Pre/Mains – Science & Tech
Why in News?
2025 Physics Nobel → John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret & John Martinis ✦ awarded for demonstrating macroscopic quantum tunnelling & energy quantisation in electric circuits.
Quantum Behaviour in Large Systems
- Quantum → governs atomic/subatomic particles (superposition, tunnelling)
- Classical vs Quantum → macrosystems rarely show quantum effects
- Nobel work → proved large systems (billions of particles) can show quantum traits under controlled isolation
Core Discovery
- Experiments (1984–85, UC Berkeley) → Clarke (Prof), Devoret (Postdoc), Martinis (PhD)
- Used Josephson Junction → 2 superconductors + thin insulator barrier
- Normally no current → but superconductivity allows quantum tunnelling
- Observed → circuit shows discrete energy levels (quantised states)
- Quantum jump between states → macroscopic quantum tunnelling confirmed
Theoretical & Historical Link
- Based on Brian Josephson’s (1973 Nobel) supercurrent tunnelling principle
- Influenced by Tony Leggett’s prediction → macroscopic quantum behaviour possible
- Set-up isolated from environment → avoids decoherence (external disturbance destroys quantum state)
Significance
- 1st proof → entire electric circuit (not just electrons) can act as a quantum system
- Answered → “How large can a system be & still show quantum effects?”
- Foundation → key precursor for quantum computing
- Modern qubits → built on superconducting circuits (legacy of this work)
- Applications → precision metrology, quantum sensors, fundamental constant measurements
Broader Impact
- Bridged micro–macro divide in physics understanding
- Inspired development of scalable qubit architectures
- Shifted focus of condensed matter physics → from microscopic particles to engineered quantum devices
Conclusion:
Their 1980s breakthrough turned quantum theory from microscopic curiosity to macroscopic engineering reality, laying the groundwork for today’s quantum technologies.
Test Your Knowledge 02
Q. Which among the following phenomena best characterises macroscopic quantum tunnelling?
(a) Transmission of electrons across a semiconductor junction
(b) Supercurrent flow across an insulating barrier between superconductors
(c) Energy loss during current flow in resistive circuits
(d) Collapse of wave function due to measurement
Hint: Supercurrent tunnelling through an insulating barrier (Josephson junction) is a hallmark of macroscopic quantum tunnelling.
News in Short
Indian Coast Guard NATPOLREX-X Exercise
Why in News?
Indian Coast Guard conducted the 10th National Level Pollution Response Exercise (NATPOLREX-X) on October 5-6, 2025, off Chennai coast, featuring India’s first-ever shoreline cleanup drill at Marina Beach.
Exercise Overview:
- Biennial flagship exercise to test India’s marine oil spill response capabilities
- Conducted alongside 27th National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP) meeting
- Overseen by DG Paramesh Sivamani, Chairperson NOSDCP and DG Indian Coast Guard
Participation:
- 40 foreign observers from 32 countries
- Over 105 national delegates from ministries, coastal states, ports, and maritime organizations
Key Highlights:
- First-ever shoreline cleanup drill conducted at Marina Beach by Greater Chennai Corporation and Tamil Nadu agencies
- Deployed Pollution Control Vessels, Offshore Patrol Vessels, Fast Patrol Vessels, and aircraft
- Simulated large-scale oil spill scenario with integrated multi-agency response
