THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- November 28, 2016- Topic 2
The life of Fidel Castro, Latin America’s last revolutionary leader and
towering and charismatic anti-imperialist torch-bearer, came to signify the
high point of Cold War ideological hostilities of the 20th century. At home,
his policies to promote affordable and accessible health care, housing and
education, as well as his standing up to global hegemony, endeared him to the
majority, even as his record on human rights came in for serious scrutiny. But
these domestic issues played out in the larger shadow of his defiance of
American power, which has outlasted that of the Soviet Union. When Castro
captured power in 1959, there were few signs that the Marxist radical would
emerge a global champion of Third World countries in his nearly fifty-year
rule. But the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, by Cuban exiles trained by the
U.S., to overthrow his regime began a pragmatic partnership between Castro and
the Soviet Union, bringing the Cold War into the western hemisphere. This was
the context to Russian preparations to house nuclear missiles in Cuba to
threaten the U.S., which took the world to near-catastrophe in 1962. The U.S.
misperception of the threat posed by Castro led to CIA plots to assassinate
him. As it turned out, he lived long enough to see the rollback of Washington’s
decades-long sanctions that
crippled the Cuban economy.
The
clearest example of Castro’s global standing was the clout he
commanded in the Non-Aligned Movement. In more recent times, his slogan of
“socialism or death” inspired the nationalisation of natural wealth by
governments across Latin America as a counter to the appropriation of oil and
mineral resources by corporations. Changes in the global economic climate may
have exposed the deficiencies of an economic model reliant on riding the
commodity cycle. But the process of resumption of diplomatic ties between
Havana and Washington under the stewardship of his designated successor and
brother, Raúl, is still fragile. U.S. President Barack Obama, who undertook a historic visit to the
Caribbean nation earlier this year, sought to build the new rapprochement
between Washington and Havana based on the relative distance of current
generations in both countries from the painful
memories of the past. Clearly, this is the path for President-elect Donald
Trump to pursue, assuming that his pre-poll rhetoric would make way for a more
reasoned approach once in office. Meanwhile, with incumbent Raúl Castro having
announced his intention to step down by 2018, it will be a long transition in
Havana.
Vocabulary
Towering: rise to or reach a great
height.
Example: He seemed to tower over everyone else
Synonyms: soar, rise, rear, loom, overshadow, overhang, hang
over
Charismatic: exercising a compelling
charm that inspires devotion in others.
Example: A charismatic leader
Synonyms: charming, fascinating, strong in
character, magnetic, captivating
Imperialist: of, relating to, supporting,
or practicing imperialism.
Example: An imperialist regime
Bearer: a person or thing that
carries or holds something.
Example: I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings
Synonyms: messenger, agent, conveyor, carrier, emissary
Affordable: inexpensive; reasonably
priced.
Example: Affordable housing
Hegemony: leadership or dominance,
especially by one country or social group over others.
Example: Germany was united under Prussian hegemony after 1871
Synonyms: leadership, dominance, dominion, supremacy, authority, mastery, control
Scrutiny: critical observation or
examination.
Example: Every aspect of local government was placed under scrutiny
Synonyms: examination, inspection, survey, study, perusal, investigation, exploration
Outlasted: live or last longer than.
Example: The kind of beauty that will outlast youth
Synonyms: outlive, survive, live/last longer than, ride
out, weather
Invasion: an instance of invading a
country or region with an armed force.
Example: The Allied invasion of Normandy
Synonyms: occupation, capture, seizure, annexation, annexing, takeover
Clout: a heavy blow with the hand
or a hard object.
Example: A clout on the ear
Synonyms: smack, slap, thump, punch, blow, hit, cuff, box, clip, whack
Deficiency: a lack or shortage.
Example: Vitamin A deficiency in children
Synonyms: insufficiency, lack, shortage, want, dearth, inadequacy, deficit, shortfall
Self-Reliant: reliant on one's own powers
and resources rather than those of others.
Example: A self-reliant little girl
Synonyms: self-sufficient, self-supporting, self-sustaining
Fragile: 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
Rapprochement: an establishment or
resumption of harmonious relations.
Example: There were signs of a growing rapprochement between the two countries
Synonyms: reconciliation, increased
understanding, détente, restoration of harmony
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