UPSC Prelims 2024 Q87: Argentina, Sudan, Turkey in News — Explained
Consider the following pairs:
| Sl.No. | Country | Reason for being in the news |
| 1 | Argentina | Worst economic crisis |
| 2 | Sudan | War between the country's regular army and paramilitary forces |
| 3 | Turkey | Rescinded its membership of NATO |
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
- Only one pair
- Only two pairs
- All three pairs
- None of the pairs
Answer: (b) Only two pairs
Statement-wise explanation
- 1: correct — In 2023 Argentina went through its deepest economic crisis in decades. The IMF records that annual inflation reached 211 percent by the end of 2023 and that the country was close to a full balance-of-payments crisis. A severe drought cut farm exports, which made it worse. The crisis dominated the run-up to Javier Milei's election as President in November 2023 and the large peso devaluation that followed.
- 2: correct — On 15 April 2023, fighting broke out in Khartoum and Darfur between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Sudan's regular army, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary force. The UN Security Council has been briefed on this conflict many times. India evacuated its citizens from Sudan under Operation Kaveri in April–May 2023.
- 3: incorrect — Turkey has been a NATO member since 1952 and is still one. No country has ever left NATO. Turkey was in the news for NATO enlargement instead: it held up the bids of Finland and Sweden. It approved Finland's accession in 2023, and Sweden's in early 2024. Sweden became the 32nd member in March 2024.
How to eliminate
Pair 3 can be ruled out from basic knowledge. No country has ever left NATO, and Turkey's role in the Finland and Sweden accessions was in the news throughout 2023–24. That rules out the 'all three pairs' option. Pair 2 is easy to confirm if you followed the news in 2023: the SAF–RSF war and India's Operation Kaveri evacuation were front-page stories. Pair 1 is the only one that needs judgement. The word 'worst' looks like a superlative trap, but Argentina's 211 percent inflation in 2023 matches the description. Fact to remember: in 2023 Argentina had triple-digit inflation, Sudan had an army-versus-RSF war, and Turkey stayed in NATO and was the gatekeeper for its enlargement.
Know more
Countries in news: what UPSC tested here
| Country | 2023–24 headline | Key names/facts |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Economic crisis: inflation of 211% in 2023 (IMF), drought, near balance-of-payments crisis | President Javier Milei (took office December 2023); long-running IMF Extended Fund Facility programme |
| Sudan | Civil war since 15 April 2023 | SAF (army) led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan vs RSF (paramilitary) led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ('Hemedti'); India's Operation Kaveri evacuation via Port Sudan and Jeddah |
| Turkey (Türkiye) | Gatekeeper for NATO enlargement | NATO member since 1952; approved Finland's accession (Finland joined April 2023) and Sweden's (Sweden joined March 2024 as the 32nd member) |
Can a country leave NATO? Article 13 of the North Atlantic Treaty lets a member leave one year after it gives notice of denunciation to the United States government. No member has ever used it. France left NATO's integrated military command in 1966 and rejoined it in 2009, but it never stopped being a member. Statements that a member 'rescinded' or 'withdrew from' NATO are classic UPSC traps.
Sudan vs South Sudan. South Sudan split from Sudan in 2011. The UN peacekeeping mission UNMISS is in South Sudan. The SAF–RSF war is in Sudan. UPSC likes to mix up neighbouring states that have similar names.
How to approach 'countries in news' pairs: link each country to its single biggest headline of the past 12–18 months. A pair that claims a dramatic institutional break, such as leaving NATO, the EU or the UN, is usually false unless it was a well-known event like Brexit.
In the news
In 2023 these three countries were in the news for very different reasons. Argentina's inflation passed 200 percent before Milei's election. Sudan's army–RSF war began on 15 April 2023 and led to India's Operation Kaveri evacuation. Turkey's veto power over the NATO bids of Finland and Sweden made headlines until early 2024.