THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - April 23, 2018 - Topic 2

Common wealth? on Commonwealth leaders’ summit

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in London came with hopes of a “re-energised Commonwealth”. To begin with, the summit was being held in the U.K., the founder of the grouping of mostly former British colonies, after 32 years. Besides, Queen Elizabeth II, the head of CHOGM, attended the summit, which she has done infrequently in the last few years owing to her health. She opened her homes in Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle for the event, in what was called a “charm offensive” by the hosts, who were looking to revive the 53-nation grouping as Commonwealth 2.0, amidst Britain’s rocky exit from the EU.

In India too, the summit was seen to be a promising place to play a leadership role, and Prince Charles’s visit to Delhi to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi bolstered that belief. Mr. Modi was the first Indian Prime Minister to attend CHOGM in a decade, after Manmohan Singh skipped the summits in Australia (2011) and Sri Lanka (2013) over bilateral differences, and Mr. Modi skipped the summit in Malta (2015) out of indifference. So it was widely expected that India would step up to a bigger role, and help chart a future course for the Commonwealth.

Given the expectations, the outcome of the meet was underwhelming. It was announced Prince Charles would ‘succeed’ his mother as the head of the Commonwealth, ignoring calls for the position to be more democratically shared or rotated. There were substantive statements on the Blue Charter on Ocean Governance and on the Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda for Trade and Investment, which could together counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative. But there was little by way of a road map to achieve the goals. Prime Minister Theresa May apologised for her Home Office’s threat to deport thousands of immigrants brought as manual labour in the 1940s on the ship Empire Windrush from the Caribbean, but failed to convince most members of the Commonwealth that Britain would reverse its policies on immigration. The U.K.’s hard line on Indian “illegals”, which prevented the signing of a bilateral agreement on immigrant “returns” between Mr. Modi and Ms. May, too indicates that post-Brexit London is likely to welcome trade in goods from the Commonwealth, not services. The Commonwealth remains a great platform for development aid, democratic values and educational opportunities, but its relevance is unlikely to increase unless it adopts a more egalitarian and inclusive attitude to its next generation of Commonwealth citizens, to partake in a prosperity their forefathers built.

Vocabulary

Offensive: causing someone to feel deeply hurt, upset, or angry.

Example: The allegations made are deeply offensive to us

Synonyms: insulting, insolent, derogatory, disrespectful, hurtful, wounding

Infrequently: not often; rarely.

Example: A storage area for infrequently used items

Bolstered: support or strengthen; prop up.

Example: The fall in interest rates is starting to bolster confidence

Expectation: a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future.

Example: Reality had not lived up to expectations

Synonyms: supposition, assumption, presumption, conjecture, surmise

Underwhelming: fail to impress or make a positive impact on (someone); disappoint.

Example: American voters seem underwhelmed by the choices for president

Substantive: having a firm basis in reality and therefore important, meaningful, or considerable.

Example: There is no substantive evidence for the efficacy of these drugs

Apologise: express regret for something that one has done wrong.

Example: I must apologize for disturbing you like this

Synonyms: say (one is) sorry, express regret, be apologetic, make an apology

Indicate: point out; show.

Example: Dotted lines indicate the text's margins

Synonyms: specify, designate, mark, stipulate, show

Relevance: the quality or state of being closely connected or appropriate.

Example: This film has contemporary relevance

Partake: join in an activity

Example: Visitors can partake in golfing or clay pigeon shooting

Synonyms: participate in, take part in, engage in, join in, enter into, get involved in

Prosperity: the state of being prosperous.

Example: A long period of prosperity

Synonyms: success, profitability, affluence, wealth, opulence, luxury, the good life