THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - May 25, 2018 - Topic 1
The Russian ride: on Modi's meeting with Putin
With his visit to Sochi to
meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for a day-long “informal summit”, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi appeared to set a new normal in his foreign policy
outreach. As was his Wuhan meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Sochi
visit was aimed at resetting and rebalancing bilateral ties that have weakened
over the past few years. The special understanding between India and Russia has
frayed, with India drifting closer to the U.S. and Russia to China.
The
personal touches — hugs, handshakes, a boat ride on the Black Sea — projected
the impression of two strong leaders addressing each other’s concerns “man to
man”. Substantively, Mr. Modi’s visit was premised on a number of new realities
facing India. First, India’s existing dependence on Russian military hardware,
with orders for about $12 billion more in the pipeline, must not be jeopardised
at any cost. These have been made more difficult by a new U.S. law (Countering
America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) that would hit India’s big-ticket
hardware purchases and energy deals from Russia, and Mr. Modi would have wanted
to reassure Mr. Putin that India will not bow to such pressure. Second,
Russia’s recent military exercises and helicopter sales to Pakistan as well as
its outreach to the Afghan Taliban have been viewed with deep concern by India,
which has sought to extract assurances that this would not in any way hurt its
national security interests. Third, the new push to strengthen ties is driven
by the global instability that the Donald Trump administration has set off.
India appears to have decided it can no longer depend on consistency in the
U.S.’s foreign policy.
As a result, the
recalibration of Mr. Modi’s foreign policy from its perceived Western tilt to a
more even-handed approach of aligning with all in India’s interests is welcome.
Informal summits of the kind in Sochi and Wuhan are also useful to break the
ice and reset relations when needed. But a comprehensive shift in foreign
policy must be accompanied by greater transparency. If India is contemplating a
turnaround from its earlier postures with world powers, it needs to explain the
change of course. The secrecy surrounding Mr. Modi’s dashes to Wuhan and Sochi
is intriguing since he is already scheduled to meet both Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin
at least twice in the next two months, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
summit in Qingdao and the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. Even more curious are
the official outcomes of the informal summits that India and China will
cooperate in Afghanistan, while India and Russia will coordinate on the
Indo-Pacific. Both have hitherto only been referenced in India’s ties with the
U.S. and its allies, Europe, Japan and Australia. Without clarity, at a time of
global flux India may appear to be attempting to travel in two boats at once.
Vocabulary
Appeared: come into sight;
become visible or noticeable, typically without visible agent or apparent
cause.
Example: Smoke appeared on the
horizon
Synonyms: become
visible, come into view, come into sight, materialize, pop
up
Outreach: the extent or length
of reaching out.
Example: But we should be worried
about this, at least if we're to be measured by our impact and outreach
Drift: be carried slowly by a
current of air or water.
Example: The cabin cruiser started to
drift downstream
Synonyms: be carried, be
borne, float, bob, waft, meander
Impression: an imitation of a
person or thing, especially one done to entertain.
Example: He did an impression of
Frank Sinatra
Synonyms: impersonation, imitation, parody, caricature, burlesque, travesty
Jeopardise: put someone or
something into a situation in which there is a danger of loss, harm, or
failure.
Example: A devaluation of the dollar
would jeopardize New York's position as a financial center
Synonyms: threaten, endanger, imperil, risk, put
in danger/jeopardy, hazard
Reassure: say or do something to
remove the doubts and fears of someone.
Example: He understood her feelings
and tried to reassure her
Synonyms: put/set someone's mind
at rest, put someone at ease, encourage
Assurance: a positive declaration
intended to give confidence; a promise.
Example: He gave an assurance that
work would not recommence until Wednesday
Synonyms: word of
honor, word, promise, pledge, vow, avowal, oath, bond
Extract: a short passage taken
from a piece of writing, music, or film.
Example: An extract from a historical
film
Synonyms: excerpt, passage, citation, quotation, analects
Consistency: the way in which a
substance, typically a liquid, holds together; thickness or viscosity.
Example: The sauce has the
consistency of creamed butter
Synonyms: thickness, density, viscosity, heaviness, texture, firmness, solidity
Comprehensive: including all or
nearly all elements or aspects of something.
Example: A comprehensive list of
sources
Outcome: the way a thing turns
out; a consequence.
Example: It is the outcome of the
vote that counts
Synonyms: result, end
result, consequence, net result, upshot, aftereffect
