THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- November 19, 2016- Topic 1
Russia’s move to quit the
International Criminal Court (ICC) is the outcome of the political
undercurrents that have of late strained its relations with the
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). More
ominous could be the ramifications of the exit, the fourth within the last two
months, from the established world arbiter. The collective vision of that
global pact was to bring the impunities of political leaders to justice before
a transnational body when all domestic remedies were exhausted. Russia’s
announcement was predictable as a reaction to the court’s report on Tuesday,
stating that the 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine amounted to an
occupation. Moscow has denied any role by its military, maintaining that
Crimea’s accession was authorised in a popular referendum. NATO’s continued
eastward expansion explains at least some of President Vladimir Putin’s belligerent
rhetoric. Not only has the western military
alliance extended into the countries of the former Eastern bloc, it has also brought some member states of the erstwhile
Soviet Union within its fold. Moscow’s approach to the world court is far from
ideal. But the constraints of initiating punitive action against the U.S. and
its allies for the war crimes committed during the Iraq war would have further
eroded Russia’s diminishing faith in the liberal world order.
South Africa’s decision to
walk out of the Hague court in October symbolises its abdication of a regional
leadership role. Africa still remains hostage to the machinations of
traditional tribal warlords, who systematically subvert democratic institutions
and squander the rich natural wealth in league with big corporations. South
Africa’s regressive step came at a time when politicians in neighbouring
countries, faced with legal proceedings for perpetrating heinous crimes, have
successfully projected the impression that the ICC was biased against the whole
continent. The current stance of Pretoria is a far cry from that over a decade
ago when the country incorporated crimes of genocide from the ICC statute into
its domestic laws. When Washington refused at the turn of the century to be
bound by the jurisdiction of the Hague court, there were concerns that the
nascent body would be left sorely wanting in legitimacy and authority. Those
anxieties have, if anything, been amplified by the unprecedented war crimes
being perpetrated in the Syrian conflict and the humanitarian catastrophe being
witnessed there. To enforce justice beyond the barriers imposed by domestic
borders is a noble aim. But its realisation is that much harder when
nationalism is resurgent.
Vocabulary
Strained: of an atmosphere, situation, or relationship not relaxed or comfortable; tense or uneasy.
Example: There was a strained silence
Synonyms: awkward, tense, uneasy, uncomfortable, edgy, difficult, troubled
Ominous: giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen;
threatening; inauspicious.
Example: There were ominous dark clouds gathering overhead
Synonyms: threatening, menacing, baleful, forbidding, sinister, inauspicious
Ramification: a consequence of an action or event, especially when complex or unwelcome.
Example: Any change is bound to have legal ramifications
Synonyms: consequence, result, aftermath, outcome, effect, upshot
Belligerent: hostile and aggressive.
Example: A bull-necked, belligerent old man
Synonyms: hostile, aggressive, threatening, antagonistic, warlike
Rhetoric: the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use
of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.
Example: Born into a rich provincial family, he studied philosophy as well as
rhetoric and law.
Synonyms: oratory, eloquence, command
of language, way with words
Punitive: inflicting or intended as punishment.
Example: He called for punitive measures against the Eastern bloc
Synonyms: penal, disciplinary, corrective, correctional, retributive
Abdication: an act of abdicating or renouncing the throne.
Example: Edward VIII did not marry until after his abdication
Synonyms: resignation, retirement, relinquishment, renunciation, surrender
Regressive: becoming less advanced; returning to a former or less developed state.
Example: The regressive, infantile wish for the perfect parent of early childhood
Nascent: (especially of a process or organization) just coming into existence and
beginning to display signs of future potential.
Example: The nascent space industry
Synonyms: just
beginning, budding, developing, growing, embryonic
Unprecedented: never done or known before.
Example: The government took the unprecedented step of releasing confidential
correspondence
Synonyms: unheard
of, unknown, new, novel, groundbreaking, revolutionary
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
Resurgent: increasing or reviving after a period of little activity, popularity, or
occurrence.
Example: Resurgent nationalism