THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - June 13, 2018 - Topic 1

Historic handshake — on Trump-Kim summit

The historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore is an affirmation of the power of diplomacy. Until a few months ago, the two countries had been trading nuclear threats, as the North raced along with its nuclear weapons programme. Now, as Mr. Trump shook hands with Mr. Kim, who had once said the U.S. President was “mentally deranged”, it was a reminder of Richard Nixon’s ground-breaking 1972 visit to Beijing. Through the day, both Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim were keen on casting the “comprehensive” meet in a positive light. 

The two whimsical leaders deserve full credit for this thaw in relations, given the decades of hostility and the quick diplomacy that pulled the Korean peninsula back from the brink of war. It all began with the new South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s expansive outreach to the North. Mr. Kim reciprocated by sending athletes to the Winter Olympics in South Korea in February. As the relationship between the Koreas improved rapidly, Mr. Kim invited the U.S. President for a meeting. Mr. Trump accepted at once, surprising America’s allies and rivals. However, it was not certain whether the meet would take place. Mr. Trump once called it off after threats and counter-threats escalated. But the appetite for rapprochement was clearly greater on both sides, and the rendezvous was back on track.

In the brief joint statement after their meeting, Mr. Kim iterated his “firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearisation” of the Korean Peninsula, while Mr. Trump offered security guarantees to the North. Mr. Kim had earlier promised to denuclearise the peninsula in return for security assurances, while Mr. Trump had promised that the North would be welcomed into the international community as a respectable member and be allowed to prosper economically. The two leaders have put these demands and promises into a document that could guide future diplomatic engagement. Mr. Trump also announced that he would end the regular American “war games” with South Korea, a concession to the North. While the summit itself was a big success given the distance both countries covered in a relatively short span of time, it is too early to say whether Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim can pull off a Nixon-Mao type breakthrough. The joint statement provided few specifics on how denuclearisation can take place or how North Korea’s steps to dismantle its arsenal will be monitored. There are no deadlines mentioned. There is no reference to China, North Korea’s only ally. There has been no word on whether the two will establish formal diplomatic ties. Besides, being unpredictable and impulsive, Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim must also stare down hardline elements in their respective administrations. This bold beginning must not be wasted.

Voacbulary

Affirmation: the action or process of affirming something or being affirmed.

Example: He nodded in affirmation

Synonyms: declaration, statement, assertion, proclamation, pronouncement

Diplomacy: the profession, activity, or skill of managing international relations, typically by a country's representatives abroad.

Example: The government should assign an ambassador-at-large to oversee diplomacy in the region

Synonyms: statesmanship, statecraft, negotiation(s), discussion(s), talks, dialogue

Comprehensive: complete including all or nearly all elements or aspects of something.

Example: A comprehensive list of sources

Whimsical: acting or behaving in a capricious manner.

Example: The whimsical arbitrariness of autocracy

Synonyms: volatile, capricious, fickle, changeable, unpredictable, variable

Hostility: hostile behavior; unfriendliness or opposition.

Example: Their hostility to all outsiders

Synonyms: antagonism, unfriendliness, enmity, malevolence, malice, unkindness

Reciprocate: respond to a gesture or action by making a corresponding one.

Example: The favor was reciprocated

Synonyms: do the same (in return), respond in kind, return the favor

Escalate: increase rapidly.

Example: The price of tickets escalated

Synonyms: increase rapidly, soar, rocket, shoot up, mount, spiral, climb, go up

Appetite: a natural desire to satisfy a bodily need, especially for food.

Example: He has a healthy appetite

Synonyms: hunger, ravenousness, hungriness, taste, palate

Rapprochement: an establishment or resumption of harmonious relations.

Example: There were signs of a growing rapprochement between the two countries

Synonyms: reconciliation, increased understanding, détente, restoration of harmony

Concession: a thing that is granted, especially in response to demands; a thing conceded.

Example: The strikers returned to work having won some concessions

Synonyms: compromise, allowance, exception

Dismantle: take a machine or structure to pieces.

Example: The engines were dismantled and the bits piled into a heap

Synonyms: take apart, pull apart, pull to pieces, disassemble, break up

Unpredictable: not able to be predicted.

Example: The unpredictable weather of the Scottish islands

Synonyms: unforeseeable, uncertain, unsure, doubtful, dubious, iffy, dicey, in the balance