THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - April 16, 2018 - Topic 1

War for war: On U.S. strikes on Syria

By launching a missile attack on Syria, U.S. President Donald Trump has made good on his threat to use force if chemical weapons are used in the civil war-stricken country, but he has also escalated the devastating, multi-sided conflict. This is the second time Mr. Trump has ordered a missile attack on Syria. Last year, after a chemical attack in Idlib province, the U.S. fired 59 cruise missiles at an airbase of President Bashar al-Assad. This time, after a suspected chemical attack in Douma near Damascus, the U.K. and France joined hands with the U.S. to punish Mr. Assad’s regime. 
On Friday night, over 100 missiles targeted three regime facilities; with this, the Pentagon said, Syria’s chemical weapons programme has been gutted. While the use of chemical agents against civilians cannot and must not go unpunished, the manner in which the U.S. and its allies have acted raises serious questions. The U.S. undertook the strike before the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons even began its investigation in Douma to ascertain if chemical weapons had in fact been used. It should have waited till the inter-governmental watchdog completed its investigation and then presented the case for action in the UN Security Council with requisite evidence. By acting merely on the basis of inputs from their intelligence agencies, the U.S.-led alliance flouted international law.

It is also doubtful if Mr. Trump’s “mission accomplished” bravado is justified. The fact that a provocation was perceived for a second strike within a year suggests that the first one failed to deter the Assad regime. On the other hand, Mr. Trump has dragged the U.S. deeper into the Syrian civil war. If there is a future chemical attack, either by Mr. Assad or by his rivals, the U.S. will be forced to act again, perhaps more harshly. Worryingly, every time the U.S. bombs Syria, the chances of a military confrontation in the country between the U.S. and Russia heightens, given that Moscow remains firmly behind Mr. Assad. What Syrians need is not more bombs and missiles, but an end to the war, which has killed at least 400,000 people in seven years. There is no dispute that Mr. Assad is presiding over a monstrous military machine that has used brute force against his own people. But the ground reality in Syria is so complex that a sudden collapse of the regime would push the country and the millions who live in relative stability in regime-held territories into further misery. That is the last thing anyone wants. The focus of the West needs to shift from unilateral military action to aggressive multilateral diplomacy to find an immediate end to violence and then a long-lasting political solution. For that, the U.S. and Russia have to work together under a UN mandate. There is no other path to peace in Syria.

Vocabulary

Attack: an aggressive and violent action against a person or place.

Example: He was killed in an attack on a checkpoint

Synonyms: assault, onslaught, offensive, strike, blitz, raid, charge

Threat: a statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not done.

Example: Members of her family have received death threats

Synonyms: threatening remark, warning, ultimatum

Devastate: highly destructive or damaging.

Example: A devastating cyclone struck Bangladesh

Synonyms: destructive, ruinous, disastrous, catastrophic, calamitous

Conflict: a serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one.

Example: The eternal conflict between the sexes

Synonyms: dispute, quarrel, squabble, disagreement, dissension, clash

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

Unpunished: not receiving a penalty or sanction as retribution for transgression.

Example: I can't allow such a mistake to go unpunished

Requisite: made necessary by particular circumstances or regulations.

Example: The application will not be processed until the requisite fee is paid

Synonyms: necessary, required, prerequisite, essential, indispensable, vital

Perceive: become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand.

Example: His mouth fell open as he perceived the truth

Synonyms: discern, recognize, become aware of, see, distinguish

Provocation: action or speech that makes someone annoyed or angry, especially deliberately.

Example: You should remain calm and not respond to provocation

Synonyms: goading, prodding, egging on, incitement, pressure, annoyance

Monstrous: having the ugly or frightening appearance of a monster.

Example: Monstrous, bug-eyed fish

Synonyms: grotesque, hideous, ugly, ghastly, gruesome, horrible

Collapse: an instance of a structure falling down or in.

Example: The collapse of a railroad bridge

Synonyms: cave-in, subsidence

Aggressive: ready or likely to attack or confront; characterized by or resulting from aggression.

Example: He's very uncooperative and aggressive

Synonyms: hostile, belligerent, bellicose, antagonistic, truculent, pugnacious

Mandate: an official order or commission to do something.

Example: A mandate to seek the release of political prisoners

Synonyms: instruction, directive, decree, command, order, injunction