THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- September 22, 2016- Topic 1
The outcome of Russia’s parliamentary
election was never in question. The United Russia party of President Vladimir
Putin has dominated the political landscape ever since it was founded in 2001.
Even so, the margin of the victory was unexpected. The September 18 elections were held against the backdrop of a protracted
economic crisis, tensions between Russia and the West, and a war of attrition
in the country’s neighbourhood. Lower oil prices and western sanctions have hit
ordinary Russians hard. Russia’s economy contracted by 3.7 per cent last year
and is expected to shrink further by 0.7 per cent this year. Conventional
wisdom suggests that economic hardships trigger anti-incumbency sentiment. But
in Mr. Putin’s Russia just the opposite has happened. When the results were declared,
his party won more than three-quarters of the 450-member Duma. The Communist
Party and the Liberal Democratic Party have retained some presence in the
national Parliament, while the Yabloko and the Parnas, the two liberal parties
critical of the Kremlin, failed to even enter the Duma. This could partly be
because of the lack of a united opposition in Russia. The Communists and
Liberal Democrats are hardly opposition parties, and agree with the Kremlin on
most policy decisions. The anti-Kremlin parties have failed in, or been
hindered from, building a broad base among the electorate. Alexey Navalny, the
leader of the popular anti-government protests of 2011, has been barred from
contesting elections. Boris Nemtsov, another popular opposition leader, was
shot dead last year in Moscow. At present, there is no opposition leader in a
position to challenge the personality cult of Mr. Putin.
In any case, memories of the anarchic
pre-Putin era may still be prompting Russians to stick by him. Mr. Putin is largely
credited with fixing the economy and providing a stable political leadership to
the country. Under his watch, Russia has come out of its self-imposed strategic
retreat and started playing an active global role. Russia’s annexation of
Crimea from Ukraine and a combative foreign policy in Syria and elsewhere have
proved popular among his domestic constituents. But the Russian economy
continues to be heavily dependent on energy exports. If crude oil prices remain
low for long, economic pain will persist. Though the muscular foreign policy is
popular at home, Moscow has had to pay a heavy price for it. Whatever Mr. Putin
had done in his first and second terms to rebuild ties with Europe,
particularly with Germany, lies in a shambles in the wake of the Ukraine
crisis. If Mr. Putin wants to rebuild Russia as a credible global power, a
persistent economic crisis and a stormy neighbourhood are not going to help.
Vocabulary
Protracted: lasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual.
Example: A protracted and bitter dispute
Synonyms: prolonged, long-lasting, extended, long-drawn-out, spun
out
Attrition: sorrow,
but not contrition, for sin.
Example: The council is trying to wear down the opposition by attrition
Synonyms: wearing down, wearing away, weakening, debilitation, enfeebling
Shrink: become or make smaller in size or amount; contract or cause to contract.
Example: The workforce has shrunk to less than a thousand
Synonyms: become/grow smaller, contract, diminish, lessen, reduce
Retained: continue to have (something); keep possession of.
Example: Built in 1830, the house retains many of its original features
Synonyms: keep, keep possession of, keep hold of, hold on to, hang
on to
Hindered: create difficulties for (someone or something), resulting in delay or
obstruction.
Example: Various family stalemates were hindering communication
Synonyms: hamper, obstruct, impede, inhibit, retard, balk, prevent
Cult: a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular
figure or object.
Example: The cult of St. Olaf
Anarchic: an act of moving back or withdrawing.
Example: A speedy retreat
Synonyms: withdrawal, pulling back
Annexation: the action of annexing something, especially territory.
Example: The annexation of Austria
Synonyms: seizure, occupation, invasion, conquest
Combative: ready or eager to fight; pugnacious.
Example: He made some enemies with his combative style
Synonyms: pugnacious, aggressive, antagonistic, quarrelsome, argumentative
Persist: continue firmly or obstinately in an opinion or a course of action in spite
of difficulty, opposition, or failure.
Example: The minority of drivers who persist in drinking
Shambles: a state of total disorder.
Example: My career was in a shambles
Synonyms: chaos, mess, muddle, confusion, disorder, havoc