THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- January 31, 2018 - Topic 2
Siege of terror
On Afghanistan's
growing security crisis
With four attacks in 10 days that killed at least
158 people in Afghanistan, terrorists have sent a loud message to the
government and its international backers. Of the four, two were claimed by the
Taliban — the raid on January 20 in Kabul’s tightly-guarded Intercontinental Hotel and the January 27 ambulance bombing in a
busy street.
The Islamic State attacked a British
children’s charity in Jalalabad on January 24 and an army post outside the
capital days later. Though the IS and the Taliban are opposed to each other in
the complex conflict landscape, both share a goal: to destabilise the state
that has been built since 2001, and throw the country into further chaos. In
recent years, despite the government’s claims of cracking down on militants,
threats from the IS and Taliban have only grown. The IS, which lost territory
in Iraq and Syria, is trying to build networks elsewhere, particularly in
war-torn Afghanistan. From an enclave in Nangarhar in eastern Afghanistan, the
group has planned and orchestrated several attacks, mainly targeting Shia
minorities. Last year, the IS claimed at least 15 bombings in Afghanistan,
while the Taliban is steadily expanding its firepower. Earlier, the Taliban had
said it was targeting Afghan military facilities and soldiers, not civilians.
As the ambulance bombing that killed more than a hundred people shows, the
facts are to the contrary.
The Afghan government is caught in a classic
security bind. Over the years, whatever it has done, including stepping up the
military campaign against the Taliban, has only deepened the security crises.
The protracted war and the indiscriminate use of airpower by the U.S. have
turned a substantial portion of the rural population away from Kabul, a
resentment the Taliban has tapped into. The group now controls almost a third
of the country. And as the war drags on, other militant groups such as the IS
have also swept in, making a solution to the crisis even more elusive. The
Taliban is now too strong to be defeated outright, but not strong enough to
unseat the government in Kabul. This is the stalemate the war has entered. When
U.S. President Donald Trump announced more troops for Afghanistan in August,
the plan was to break this logjam. But since that announcement, the Taliban has
increased its attacks, in an apparent message to Washington that a military
solution is not possible. Even the tough line the U.S. has taken vis-Ã -vis Pakistan, which has direct links with the
Taliban and its allies in the Haqqani network, by withholding military aid doesn’t
seem to have had any immediate impact on Islamabad. The problem is the lack of
a cohesive strategy. The U.S. focusses too much on the military aspects of the
problem, while the Afghan government, plagued by corruption and infighting,
remains incompetent in tackling the challenges it faces. In such a scenario,
it’s advantage Taliban.
Vocabulary
Conflict: a serious disagreement or
argument, typically a protracted one.
Example: The eternal conflict between the
sexes
Synonyms: dispute, quarrel, squabble, disagreement, dissension
Antonyms: armistice, concord, peace, suspension
of hostilities
Elsewhere: in, at, or to some other
place or other places
Example: He is seeking employment elsewhere
Synonyms: somewhere
else, in/at/to another place, in/at/to a different place
Enclave: a portion of territory
within or surrounded by a larger territory whose inhabitants are culturally or
ethnically distinct.
Example: Deep suspicions and fears continue
to divide the people into ethnic enclaves
Steady: firmly fixed, supported, or
balanced; not shaking or moving.
Example: The lighter the camera, the harder
it is to hold steady
Synonyms: stable, firm, fixed, secure, fast, safe, immovable
Antonyms: shifting, tottering, tremulous, unsteady, faltering
Protract: 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
Antonyms: abbreviate, abridge, conclude, contract, curtail
Indiscriminate: done at random or without
careful judgment.
Example: The indiscriminate killing of
civilians
Synonyms: nonselective, unselective, undiscriminating, uncritical, aimless
Antonyms: discriminating, discriminate
Substantial: concerning the essentials of
something.
Example: There was substantial agreement on
changing policies
Synonyms: fundamental, essential, basic
Antonyms: aeriform, unreal, insubstantial, unwholesome
Swept: move swiftly and smoothly.
Example: A large black car swept past the
open windows
Synonyms: glide, sail, rush, race, streak, speed, fly, zoom, whiz
Antonyms: unswept
Outright: open and direct; not
concealed.
Example: An outright refusal
Synonyms: out-and-out, absolute, complete, downright, utter, sheer
Antonyms: qualified
Apparent: clearly visible or
understood.
Example: It became apparent that he was
talented
Synonyms: evident, plain, obvious, clear, manifest, visible
Antonyms: unobvious, profound
Cohesive: characterized by or causing
cohesion.
Example: Today I got a real sense that we
were beginning to become a cohesive unit, looking out for each other.
Synonyms: adhesive, glutinous, gummy, sticking
Antonyms: divided, nonadhesive
Plague: cause continual trouble or
distress to.
Example: The problems that plagued the
company
Synonyms: afflict, bedevil, torment, trouble, beset, dog, curse
Antonyms: affection, appreciation, approval, benefit, blessing
Scenario: a written outline of a
movie, novel, or stage work giving details of the plot and individual scenes.
Example: Imagine the scenarios for four
short stories
Synonyms: plot, outline, synopsis, storyline, framework, screenplay
