THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - July 28, 2018 - Topic 1
Outbreak of peace: on
Ethiopia-Eritrea thaw
Ethiopia’s decision this month to implement an
earlier peace agreement with neighbouring Eritrea brokered by the African Union brings hope, despite the
problems that loom ahead. The agreement signed by the two countries in Algiers
in December 2000 was intended to bring an end to a conflict triggered by
Eritrea, but the pact was never fully implemented. The two neighbours remained
deadlocked in a conflict that has over time claimed more than 50,000 lives over
a dispute concerning the border town of Badme.
A boundaries delimitation
commission had awarded the area to Eritrea in 2002, but Ethiopia refused to
cede control. The presence of Ethiopian troops served to prolong the
confrontation, as Eritrea mobilised its own forces under its autocratic leader,
President Isaias Afwerki. The conflict gave the dictator a pretext to expand a
large conscription programme, in the process enslaving thousands of young men
and women and triggering a mass exodus to European countries. Desperate
Eritrean migrants were among the hundreds who drowned off Italy’s Lampedusa
island in 2013.
Ethiopia’s decision to honour the terms of the
peace accord is credited to its popular and young Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed,
who assumed office this April. The rapprochement is part of a string of
democratic reforms he has unveiled — including lifting the state of emergency,
releasing thousands of political prisoners, and removing some Opposition
parties from the list of terrorist groups. But there are already rumblings in
the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, between the
country’s ethnic Oromo majority and the politically dominant Tigrayan minority.
The choice of Mr. Ahmed, an Oromo, as Prime Minister was aimed at restoring
stability in the light of growing unrest in the community for greater political
representation. Unless managed tactfully, these internal tensions within the
governing coalition could impede the peace process. For Eritrea, a lasting
settlement to the prolonged conflict on the Horn of Africa will constitute a
major milestone, one that has come 25 years after it gained independence
from Ethiopia in 1993, following a
prolonged guerrilla war. All the same, the end of hostilities could mean a
diminishing role for the military and a loosening of President Afwerki’s grip
over the state apparatus. The former rebel leader has resisted holding general
elections since independence and has not honoured the 1997 constitution.
Restoration of peace and democracy is an urgent priority in both countries,
which are among the poorest in the world. Greater transparency and political
accountability at home are also prerequisites for stability across the borders.
Ethiopia and Eritrea are strategically located, both as gateways for global
trade and for counter-terrorism operations. Peace will allow landlocked
Ethiopia to access Eritrean ports, and tie the two countries into greater
economic cooperation. The international community must step up to engage
Ethiopia and Eritrea on fairer terms than it has during the course of the
bitter conflict. But the path to redemption will ultimately lie in the
political wisdom and vision of their leaders.
Vocabulary
Conflict: a
serious disagreement or argument, typically a protracted one.
Example: The
eternal conflict between the sexes
Synonyms: dispute, quarrel, squabble, disagreement, dissension, clash, discord
Dispute: a
disagreement, argument, or debate.
Example: A
territorial dispute between the two countries
Synonyms: debate, discussion, disputation, argument, controversy, disagreement
Confrontation: a
hostile or argumentative meeting or situation between opposing parties.
Example: A
confrontation with the legislature
Synonyms: conflict, clash, fight, battle, encounter, faceoff, engagement, skirmish
Exodus: a
mass departure of people, especially emigrants.
Example: It
predicted that if they got their way there would be ‘a mass exodus of money and
jobs’.
Synonyms: withdrawal, evacuation, leaving, migration, emigration
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
Stability: the
state of being stable.
Example: There
are fears for the political stability of the area
Synonyms: firmness, solidity, steadiness, strength, security, safety; balance
of mind
Prolong: extend
the duration of.
Example: An
idea that prolonged the life of the engine by many years
Synonyms: lengthen, extend, draw
out, drag out, protract, spin out, stretch out
Impede: delay
or prevent someone or something by obstructing them; hinder.
Example: The
sap causes swelling that can impede breathing
Synonyms: hinder, obstruct, hamper, delay, interfere
with, disrupt
Diminish: make
or become less.
Example: A
tax whose purpose is to diminish spending
Synonyms: decrease, lessen, decline, reduce, subside, die
down, abate
Restoration: the
action of returning something to a former owner, place, or condition.
Example: The
restoration of Andrew's sight
Synonyms: reinstatement, reinstitution, reestablishment, reimposition, return
Transparency: the
condition of being transparent.
Example: The
transparency of ice
Synonyms: translucency, limpidity, clearness, clarity; openness, accountability
Redemption: the
action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.
Example: God's
plans for the redemption of his world
Synonyms: saving, freeing
from sin, absolution
