THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - July 19, 2018 - Topic 1

Rocky summit: when Trump met Putin

A summit between the leaders of the world’s strongest nuclear powers, which fought the Cold War for decades, is an opportunity to discuss areas of shared interest, find ways to dial down mutual tensions and work together to address global issues. But well before Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin sat down for their first formal summit meeting, in Helsinki, there were concerns that it would be overshadowed by allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. 

The uproar in Washington over Mr. Trump’s remarks on the Russian meddling scandal — with even accusations of treason — and his subsequent U-turn suggest that such concerns were valid. Mr. Trump could have certainly managed the summit better by addressing genuine concerns in the U.S. over allegations of Russia’s election meddling. Days earlier, the U.S. Justice Department indicted 12 Russian intelligence officials for hacking and leaking emails of top Democrats. It therefore seemed surreal when the President accepted the Russian version over that of his own intelligence agencies and the Justice Department. Away from the controversy, the closed-door meeting between the leaders can be evaluated only on the progress made on a number of contentious issues before both.

The new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) is set to expire in 2021 and Russia has shown interest in extending it. For a consensus, high-level talks between the U.S. and Russia are needed. From the crisis in Ukraine to the civil war in Syria, Russia-U.S. cooperation is vital to finding lasting solutions. The Iran nuclear deal, for which Mr. Putin and Barack Obama worked together despite differences, is in a shambles. Most of these issues, including the threat posed by nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles, were discussed at the summit. But it’s not clear whether the talks will lead to any significant change in policies. Since the Ukraine crisis, the West has tried different methods, including sanctions and pressure tactics, to isolate Russia and change its behaviour. But those methods have proved largely unsuccessful as Russia is now a far more ambitious foreign policy power with an enhanced presence in Eastern Europe and West Asia — even if its sanctions-hit economy is struggling. Instead of continuing a policy that has failed and ratcheted up global tensions, the Western alliance should junk its Cold War mentality and engage with Russia; Russia, in turn, will have to shed its rogue attitude and be more open and stable in its dealings. The stakes are high and the bitterness of the past should not hinder U.S.-Russia relations. That should have been the message from Helsinki.

Vocabulary

Fought: take part in a violent struggle involving the exchange of physical blows or the use of weapons

Example: The men were fighting

Synonyms: brawl, exchange blows, attack each other, assault each other

Opportunity: a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something.

Example: We may see increased opportunities for export

Synonyms: chance, lucky chance, favorable time/occasion/moment, time

Overshadowed: tower above and cast a shadow over.

Example: An enormous oak tree stood overshadowing the cottage

Synonyms: shade, darken, conceal, obscure, screen, dominate

Uproar: a loud and impassioned noise or disturbance.

Example: The room was in an uproar

Synonyms: turmoil, disorder, confusion, chaos, commotion, disturbance, rumpus

Meddle: interfere in or busy oneself unduly with something that is not one's concern.

Example: I don't want him meddling in our affairs

Synonyms: interfere in/with, butt in/into, intrude on/into, intervene in, pry into

Surreal: having the qualities of surrealism; bizarre.

Example: A surreal mix of fact and fantasy

Synonyms: unreal, bizarre, unusual, weird, strange, freakish, unearthly, uncanny

Evaluate: form an idea of the amount, number, or value of; assess.

Example: When you evaluate any hammer, look for precision machining

Synonyms: assess, judge, gauge, rate, estimate, appraise, analyze, examine

Consensus: general agreement.

Example: A consensus of opinion among judges

Synonyms: agreement, harmony, concurrence, accord, unity, unanimity

Reduction: the action or fact of making a specified thing smaller or less in amount, degree, or size.

Example: Talks on arms reduction

Synonyms: cutback, cut, downsizing, scaling down, trimming, pruning, axing

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

Behaviour: the way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially toward others.

Example: Good behavior

Synonyms: conduct, deportment, bearing, actions, doings, manners, ways

Engage: occupy, attract, or involve someone's interest or attention

Example: He plowed on, trying to outline his plans and engage Sutton's attention

Synonyms: capture, catch, arrest, grab, snag, draw, attract, gain, win, hold

Bitterness: sharpness of taste; lack of sweetness.

Example: The lime juice imparts a slight bitterness

Synonyms: sharpness, acidity, acridity, tartness, sourness, harshness, acerbity