THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary - July 2, 2018 - Topic 2

Seychelles template

New Delhi has clearly opted for a charm offensive in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The red carpet laid out for the visiting Seychelles President Danny Faure last week came against the backdrop of setbacks in the bilateral relationship owing to the Assumption Island agreement being put on hold. The pact, to build a naval base on the island, was seen as a major strategic enhancement of India’s IOR naval capacities and had been under discussion since 2003. It was finally signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Seychelles in 2015. 

The deal was to include 30-year access to the base as well as permission to station Indian military personnel on the ground, with facilities on the island funded by India, owned by Seychelles and jointly managed. After Opposition protests about loss of sovereignty, however, it had to be renegotiated and an amended version was signed in January 2018. Even that proved insufficient. Mr. Faure lacks the numbers in the legislature to ratify it, and with the Opposition sticking to its stand he announced in early June he would not be taking the agreement with India forward. Instead, Seychelles would build the naval facility “on its own”. Given the blow to India’s plans, Mr. Faure may well have expected a cold reception in India. However, both sides decided to walk around the minefields relating to Assumption Island, with Mr. Modi saying they would work on the project “keeping in mind each other’s interests”. India also announced a credit line of $100 million for Seychelles to purchase defence equipment from India to build its maritime capacity, offered to finance civilian infrastructure including the official buildings, and handed over a Dornier aircraft for maritime surveillance purposes.

This is good strategy. It would have been pointless to push the SeychellesPresident for a more concrete assurance on the Assumption Island project, as he has little room for manoeuvre. India had earlier drawn a blank in attempting to negotiate directly with the Seychelles Opposition leader, Wavel Ramkalawan, who is of Indian origin. Until 2020-21, when Seychelles is due for presidential and parliamentary elections, it may not be possible to move the agreement further for ratification; rather than renegotiate or cancel it entirely, it is best to keep it in abeyance. This softer approach adopted by the government is in remarkable contrast to the strong-arm tactics it has used in the past with other countries in the IOR, such as the Maldives. India’s very public statements against the Abdulla Yameen government have now led to a considerable setback to its strategic position there, with the Maldives insisting on sending back Indian naval and coast guard helicopters from its atolls. A less confrontational approach in the case of Seychelles, with quiet negotiations instead of public recrimination, indeed appears to have had a more salutary effect.

Vocabulary

Charm: the power or quality of giving delight or arousing admiration.

Example: He was captivated by her youthful charm

Synonyms: appeal, drawing power, attraction, allure, fascination

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, abusive

Assumption: a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.

Example: They made certain assumptions about the market

Synonyms: supposition, presumption, belief, expectation, conjecture, speculation

Enhancement: an increase or improvement in quality, value, or extent.

Example: These enhancements will improve the customer experience

Permission: consent; authorization.

Example: They had entered the country without permission

Synonyms: authorization, consent, leave, authority, sanction, license, dispensation

Sovereignty: supreme power or authority.

Example: How can we hope to wrest sovereignty away from the oligarchy and back to the people?

Synonyms: jurisdiction, rule, supremacy, dominion, power, ascendancy, suzerainty

Ratify: sign or give formal consent to (a treaty, contract, or agreement), making it officially valid.

Example: The Treaty was ratified by both countries in 1988.

Synonyms: confirm, approve, sanction, endorse, accept, uphold, authorize

Equipment: the necessary items for a particular purpose.

Example: Office equipment

Synonyms: apparatus, paraphernalia, articles, appliances, impedimenta, tools, utensils

Concrete: existing in a material or physical form; real or solid; not abstract.

Example: Concrete objects like stones

Synonyms: solid, material, real, physical, tangible, palpable, substantial, visible

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

Considerable: notably large in size, amount, or extent.

Example: A position of considerable influence

Synonyms: sizable, substantial, appreciable, significant, goodly, fair, hefty, handsome

Approach: a way of dealing with something.

Example: We need a whole new approach to the job

Synonyms: method, procedure, technique, modus operand

Confrontational: tending to deal with situations in an aggressive way; hostile or argumentative.

Example: He distanced himself from the confrontational approach adopted by his predecessor

Appears: 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