THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- February 22, 2018 - Topic 2

Fire and fury

On existing violence in Syria's Eastern Ghouta

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has demonstrated once again that his regime cares little about the lives of its own people. The barbaric campaign of airstrikes and bombardments launched by government forces in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of Damascus, have killed at least 270 people in three days. Eastern Ghouta, with an estimated population of 400,000, is one of the last significant areas held by militants fighting the regime. 

It fell into the hands of the rebels in the early stages of the seven-year-long civil war, and repeated government attempts to overrun it were foiled. It was here that chemical weapons were used in 2013, killing hundreds of people. When most other rebel-held parts of Syria, including Aleppo, were recaptured by government troops, militants have moved to Eastern Ghouta and Idlib. Now both areas are under attack. In the use of heavy firepower, the assault resembles the government campaign in Aleppo and elsewhere. In Aleppo, one of Syria’s largest cities, Syrian and Russian jets pounded rebel targets in late 2016; this was followed by a ground attack by government troops and Iran-trained militants. Similarly, Eastern Ghouta, which was under a government blockade for years, appears to have been surrounded by ground forces, which could advance to rebel positions inside the city any time.

There is a wide range of militant groups in Eastern Ghouta, including the Saudi-backed Jaysh al-Islam, the Qatar-funded Faylaq al-Rahman, and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda. The government says the city is occupied by terrorists from these groups and that the few civilians remaining there are used as human shields. The militants in Eastern Ghouta and the jihadist elements amongst them have repeatedly shelled government-controlled neighbourhoods in Damascus. Generally the rebels appear to have lost the momentum against Mr. Assad in the civil war. Nonetheless, the government narrative is problematic as it holds all residents of Eastern Ghouta responsible for the occupation of the area by militants. The years-long blockade of the area that has deprived Eastern Ghouta of food and medicines, and the indiscriminate bombing, killing of unarmed civilians including children, expose the monstrosity of the Assad regime. From the very beginning of the civil war, the regime and its Russian and Iranian backers have paid little attention to human suffering, be it in Hama, Homs, Aleppo or Eastern Ghouta. Given the brutality it has unleashed now, the government could capture Eastern Ghouta as well. But at what cost? After seven years of war and 400,000 deaths, Syria is a broken, bleeding land, thanks to Mr. Assad and his friends and foes. The real tragedy is that none of the parties involved is interested in ending this war.

Vocabulary

Demonstrate: clearly show the existence or truth of (something) by giving proof or evidence.

Example: Their shameful silence demonstrates their ineptitude

Synonyms: reveal, bespeak, indicate, signify, signal, denote, show, display

Regime: a system or planned way of doing things, especially one imposed from above.

Example: Detention centers with a very tough physical regime

Synonyms: system, arrangement, order, pattern, method, procedure

Barbaric: primitive; unsophisticated.

Example: The barbaric splendor he found in civilizations since destroyed

Synonyms: brutal, barbarous, brutish, bestial, savage, vicious

Antonyms: civilized, civilised, tasteful

Bombardment: a continuous attack with bombs, shells, or other missiles.

Example: An aerial bombardment will precede the attack

Synonyms: battery, onrush, overflow, spring, fountain, onset

Significant: sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy.

Example: A significant increase in sales

Synonyms: notable, noteworthy, worthy of attention, remarkable, important

Antonyms: inappreciable, hole-in-corner, light, slight

Foil: prevent something considered wrong or undesirable from succeeding.

Example: A brave policewoman foiled the armed robbery

Synonyms: thwart, frustrate, counter, balk, impede, obstruct, hamper

Recapture: capture a person or animal that has escaped

Example: Armed police have recaptured a prisoner who's been on the run for five days

Synonyms: retake

Blockade: an act or means of sealing off a place to prevent goods or people from entering or leaving.

Example: There was a blockade of humanitarian aid

Synonyms: siege, besiegement; barricade, barrier, roadblock

Shield: a person or thing providing protection.

Example: A protective coating of grease provides a shield against abrasive dirt

Synonyms: protection, guard, defense, cover, screen, security

Antonyms: abandonment, betrayal, capitulation

Momentum: the impetus gained by a moving object.

Example: The vehicle gained momentum as the road dipped

Synonyms: pulsing, whim, nerve impulse, nervous

Monstrosity: something, especially a building, that is very large and is considered unsightly.

Example: The shopping center, a multistory monstrosity of raw concrete

Synonyms: eyesore, blot on the landscape, excrescence, horror

Antonyms: case, example, exemplification, illustration

Attention: the action of dealing with or taking special care of someone or something.

Example: The business needed her attention

Synonyms: consideration, contemplation, deliberation, thought, study

Antonyms: inattention