THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- November 15, 2016- Topic 2
The fresh peace deal announced by Bogota and the rebels of the Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) may
look no less fragile than the previous accord that Colombians rejected in a
referendum in October. But signs that the gathering economic momentum depends
on lasting reconciliation could trump other outstanding concerns. The current
endeavour to secure peace has been four years and more in the making. It
involved political heavyweights in Latin America and beyond, whose influence
should make a reversal of recent gains especially difficult. The Nobel Peace Prize, awarded days after the
referendum reversal, has enhanced the stature of President Juan Manuel Santos
as a relentless crusader for peace in the midst of formidable if not
insurmountable hurdles. But it is not inconceivable that having had the earlier
accord rejected in a vote, the risks of a repeat referendum, or alternatively
the moral and political deficit likely to arise from dispensing with one in
this instance, will cast a shadow over the current effort. Foremost is the
question whether the leaders of the FARC should be allowed to participate in
the political process. President Santos has defended the retention of the
provision in the revised deal, arguing that the promise of a legitimate route
to politics for rebel groups has been the hallmark of any peace process the
world over. Those opposed to the deal contend that according political
eligibility to criminals who have not been brought to justice amounts to a
violation of the rule of law.
In fact, the popular perception that the
government was seeking to reward top FARC leaders with public office had
decisively tilted voter sentiment against the deal in the October vote. The
mere provision to obtain an inventory of the assets of rebels, with a view to
compensate victims, or to elicit disclosures on the drug mafia, may not be
enough to placate the people. Former President Alvaro Uribe, who spearheaded
the No campaign, has yet to pronounce on the new agreement. But Mr. Santos and
Mr. Uribe, erstwhile allies, must be acutely sensitive to the economic
implications of continued political instability, in their search for a
reasonable compromise. The commodities downturn has hit Colombia’s economy
hard, and the government has already scaled down expectations of a boost to the
tourism and agriculture sectors from the peace accord. Yet, the President’s proactive
engagement with the international community to attract investment, and
Washington’s backing for the peace accord, hold out the promise of a return to
prosperity. A peace deal would help win over investors.
Vocabulary
Fragile: (of an object) easily broken or damaged.
Example: Tourists also damage the fragile ecosystem by dumping plastic waste and
driving over the grasslands.
Synonyms: breakable,
delicate, dainty, fine, flimsy, eggshell, frangible
Reconciliation: the restoration of friendly relations.
Example: His reconciliation with your uncle
Synonyms: reuniting, reunion, bringing together,
conciliation, reconcilement
Endeavour: an attempt to achieve a goal.
Example: An endeavor to reduce serious injury
Synonyms: attempt, try, bid, effort, venture, go, crack, shot, stab
Stature: a person's natural height.
Example: A man of short stature
Synonyms: height, tallness, size, build
Crusader: a fighter in the medieval Crusades.
Example: Participation in the Crusade was said to have great spiritual value for the
individual crusader .
Synonyms: campaigner, fighter, champion, advocate, reformer
Retention: the continued possession, use, or control of something.
Example: The retention of direct control by central government
Perception: the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.
Example: The normal limits to human perception
Elicit: evoke or draw out (a response, answer, or fact) from someone in reaction to
one's own actions or questions.
Example: They invariably elicit exclamations of approval from guests
Synonyms: obtain, draw out, extract, bring
out, evoke, call forth, bring forth, induce
Placate: make (someone) less angry or hostile.
Example: They attempted to placate the students with promises
Synonyms: pacify, calm, appease, mollify, win over, conciliate, propitiate