THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- October 13, 2016- Topic 1
Saudi Arabia’s 18-month-long military
operation in Yemen has been replete
with attacks on civilian centres and mass casualties. But even by recent
standards, the horrific strike on a mourning hall in Sana’a on October 8 that
left at least 140 people dead and more than 500 injured, most of them
civilians, was unprecedented. Since its start in March 2015, the brutal
military campaign in one of the poorest Arab countries has evoked international
criticism against the Saudis for the use of excessive force, even allegations
of war crimes. But Saudi Arabia has appeared to pay no heed. Riyadh claims it
is defending the internationally recognised regime of President Abd-Rabbu
Mansour Hadi, which operates out of the southern city of Aden, against Shia
Houthi rebels. But while “defending” a government that doesn’t seem to enjoy
any legitimacy at home, Riyadh and its allies have turned Yemen into a
humanitarian catastrophe. The UN estimates that over 10,000 people, mostly
civilians, have so far been killed and millions displaced since the Saudi
intervention. Besides, the country’s already poor healthcare system has crumbled
and its economy is in a shambles. More than half of Yemen’s 28 million people
do not get enough food, while close to 400,000 children endure severe
malnutrition. Even from a strategic point of view, the Saudi intervention is a
disaster. After 18 months of incessant bombing, the Houthis are still defending
their bases, including the capital city, while the Hadi administration operates
out of some pockets. Neither the human suffering nor the futility of the
campaign has compelled Saudi Arabia to look for other solutions.
This is because Riyadh sees this war as
part of its rivalry with Iran. It considers the Houthis to be agents of Iran,
and does not want Tehran to have a proxy presence in its backyard. But Saudi
Arabia cannot be allowed to destroy Yemen further to defend its narrow
geopolitical ambitions. Washington supports the campaign through
intelligence-sharing and by vetting targets. Moreover, the Obama administration
announced a $60-billion arms deal for Riyadh months after the Yemen operation
began. It expressed “deep concern” after the Sana’a bombing, but stopped short
of taking any action. The U.S., which recently pulled out of the Syria peace
talks citing Russia’s bombing of Aleppo, should ask similar questions of the
Saudis, and use its ties with Riyadh to find a diplomatic solution to the Yemen
crisis. What Yemen needs is an immediate ceasefire between the Houthis and the
Saudis, followed by talks involving all parties, not more bombings.
Vocabulary
Replete: filled or well-supplied with something.
Example: Sensational popular fiction, replete with adultery and sudden death
Synonyms: full, well-stocked, well-supplied, crammed, packed, jammed, teeming
Casualty: a person killed or injured in a war or accident.
Example: And as we get more and faster trains on to the rails we can expect more
deaths, so the casualty figures coldly used in cost benefit studies are all
going to be out of date anyway.
Mourn: the expression of deep sorrow for someone who has died, typically involving
following certain conventions such as wearing black clothes.
Example: She's still in mourning after the death of her husband
Synonyms: grief, grieving, sorrowing, lamentation, lament, keening
Unprecedented: never done or known before.
Example: The government took the unprecedented step of releasing confidential
correspondence
Synonyms: unknown, new, novel, groundbreaking, revolutionary, pioneering,
Evoke: bring or recall to the conscious mind.
Example: The sight of American asters evokes pleasant memories of childhood
Excessive: more than is necessary, normal, or desirable; immoderate.
Example: He was drinking excessive amounts of brandy
Synonyms: immoderate, intemperate, imprudent, overindulgent, unrestrained
Catastrophe: an event causing great and often sudden damage or suffering; a disaster.
Example: A national economic catastrophe
Synonyms: disaster, calamity, cataclysm, holocaust, havoc, ruin, ruination, tragedy
Crumbled: break or fall apart into small fragments, especially over a period of time
as part of a process of deterioration.
Example: The plaster started to crumble
Synonyms: disintegrate, fall apart, fall to pieces, fall down, break
up, collapse, fragment
Endure: remain in existence; last.
Example: These cities have endured through time
Synonyms: last, live, live on, go on, survive, abide, continue, persist, persevere
Incessant: of something regarded as unpleasant continuing without pause or
interruption.
Example: The incessant beat of the music
Synonyms: ceaseless, unceasing, constant, continual, unabating, interminable, endless