Practice MCQs

Explanation: A European Union-backed court convicted former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci of war crimes committed during Kosovo's war for independence from Serbia and sentenced him to 25 years in prison. Thaci was a commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army before entering politics. For CSS International Law, the case illustrates the operation of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, hybrid tribunals and the principle that leadership responsibility extends to both state and non-state armed actors.

Explanation: US drone maker Powerus said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Pakistan Army and received an initial order, with its co-founder declining to provide details citing security sensitivities but confirming the deal falls within the category of unmanned aerial systems. The development signals a deepening of Pakistan-US defence commercial ties. CSS candidates should link this to the drone revolution in modern warfare and Pakistan's efforts to diversify defence procurement beyond China and Turkiye.

Explanation: South Korea ruled out deploying troops for military intervention in Iran, with President Lee also saying that President Trump clearly wants dialogue with North Korea and that preliminary coordination efforts to facilitate talks were continuing. The statement reflects Seoul's attempt to avoid entanglement in a Middle Eastern war while protecting its energy supply lines. For CSS aspirants, it is a useful example of alliance management and the domestic constraints on overseas troop deployment.

Explanation: Rights groups reported that Israel added a tender for 2,167 housing units to its settlement expansion plan in the occupied West Bank, part of a project that would bisect the territory and cut it off from East Jerusalem, fragmenting land Palestinians hope will form the heart of a future state. For CSS International Law, settlement construction engages Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the 2024 ICJ advisory opinion on the occupation.

Explanation: Emmanuel Macron hosted European and Arab military chiefs in Paris to assess the needs of the Lebanese Armed Forces, describing the army as indispensable and saying the talks aimed to strengthen Lebanon's sovereignty and enable it to fully ensure its security. The meeting coincided with the approaching end of the UN peacekeeping mission mandate. For CSS International Relations, this connects to UNIFIL, Resolution 1701 and state monopoly over the legitimate use of force.

Explanation: The Foreign Office confirmed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would head to the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly session, while reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to implementing both the Saudi defence pact and the Makkah agreement. The Iranian delegation was expected to dominate attention at the session. CSS aspirants should remember that the UNGA High-Level Week each September is a standard source of examination questions on multilateral diplomacy.

Explanation: Washington again barred Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from attending the UN General Assembly High-Level Week, the second consecutive year the State Department prevented key Palestinian officials from travelling to New York. The Palestinian Authority warned the decision could hinder the two-state solution. For CSS International Relations, this raises questions about the UN Headquarters Agreement of 1947, which obliges the host state to facilitate access for delegations to the United Nations.

Explanation: The US State Department approved the sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, stating that the proposed sale would improve the Kingdom's capability to deter current and future threats. The approval marks a major shift in US arms transfer policy in the Gulf and has implications for Israel's qualitative military edge. CSS candidates should connect this to the Saudi-US nuclear deal of July 2026, the Makkah pact and the broader restructuring of Middle Eastern security architecture.

Explanation: President Donald Trump told reporters that an end to the Iran war may be near, claiming Iranian leaders wanted a deal and that he had heard directly from Tehran. The remarks lifted investor sentiment at the Pakistan Stock Exchange, which staged a partial recovery on select buying. For CSS aspirants, the linkage between geopolitical signalling and emerging-market asset prices is a useful illustration of how conflict risk premiums transmit into oil, equities and currency markets.

Explanation: The International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran reported reasonable grounds to believe that the United States was behind strikes on a school and a sports facility in Iran in February 2026, and that these constituted war crimes. The mission also concluded that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during their crackdown on anti-government protests. The findings were submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, making this a strong CSS International Law and human rights case study.