PARAGRAPH, WORDS AND MEANING

0
71

 

PARAGRAPH, WORDS AND MEANING

PARAGRAPH OF THE DAY –

War for war: On U.S. strikes on Syria

By launching a missile attack on Syria, U.S. President Donald Trump has made good on his threat to use force if chemical weapons are used in the civil war-stricken country, but he has also escalated the devastating, multi-sided conflict. This is the second time Mr. Trump has ordered a missile attack on Syria. Last year, after a chemical attack in Idlib province, the U.S. fired 59 cruise missiles at an airbase of President Bashar al-Assad. This time, after a suspected chemical attack in Douma near Damascus, the U.K. and France joined hands with the U.S. to punish Mr. Assad’s regime. On Friday night, over 100 missiles targeted three regime facilities; with this, the Pentagon said, Syria’s chemical weapons programme has been gutted. While the use of chemical agents against civilians cannot and must not go unpunished, the manner in which the U.S. and its allies have acted raises serious questions. The U.S. undertook the strike before the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons even began its investigation in Douma to ascertain if chemical weapons had in fact been used. It should have waited till the inter-governmental watchdog completed its investigation and then presented the case for action in the UN Security Council with requisite evidence. By acting merely on the basis of inputs from their intelligence agencies, the U.S.-led alliance flouted international law. It is also doubtful if Mr. Trump’s “mission accomplished” bravado is justified. The fact that a provocation was perceived for a second strike within a year suggests that the first one failed to deter the Assad regime. On the other hand, Mr. Trump has dragged the U.S. deeper into the Syrian civil war. If there is a future chemical attack, either by Mr. Assad or by his rivals, the U.S. will be forced to act again, perhaps more harshly. Worryingly, every time the U.S. bombs Syria, the chances of a military confrontation in the country between the U.S. and Russia heightens, given that Moscow remains firmly behind Mr. Assad. What Syrians need is not more bombs and missiles, but an end to the war, which has killed at least 400,000 people in seven years. There is no dispute that Mr. Assad is presiding over a monstrous military machine that has used brute force against his own people. But the ground reality in Syria is so complex that a sudden collapse of the regime would push the country and the millions who live in relative stability in regime-held territories into further misery. That is the last thing anyone wants. The focus of the West needs to shift from unilateral military action to aggressive multilateral diplomacy to find an immediate end to violence and then a long-lasting political solution. For that, the U.S. and Russia have to work together under a UN mandate. There is no other path to peace in Syria.

 

WORDS AND MEANING –

1) Stricken

Meaning: Seriously affected by an undesirable condition or unpleasant feeling.

Example: “the pilot landed the stricken aircraft”

Synonyms: Troubled, Affected

Antonyms: Unaffected

2) Escalated

Meaning: Make or become more intense or serious.

Example: “the disturbance escalated into a full-scale riot”

Synonyms: Grow, Develop

Antonyms: Shrink

3) Devastating

Meaning: Causing severe shock, distress, or grief.

Example: “the news came as a devastating blow”

Synonyms: Shocking, Savage

4) Conflict

Meaning: A serious incompatibility between two or more opinions, principles, or interests.

Example: “there was a conflict between his business and domestic life”

Synonyms: Variance, Difference

Antonyms: Harmony

5) Pentagon

Meaning: The building in Washington where the US Defense Department is based, or the US Defense Department itself.

Example: The Pentagon is aiming to cut US forces by over 25 percent in the next five years.

6) Gutted

Meaning: Extremely disappointed and unhappy.

Example: He was gutted when she finished the relationship.

Synonyms: Disappointed, Destroy

7) Ascertain

Meaning: Find (something) out for certain; make sure of.

Example: “an attempt to ascertain the cause of the accident”

Synonyms: Discover, Learn

8) Watchdog

Meaning: A person or group that monitors the practices of companies providing a particular service or utility.

Example: “the consumer watchdog for transport in London”

Synonyms: Monitor, Observer

9) Requisite

Meaning: Made necessary by particular circumstances or regulations.

Example: “the application will not be processed until the requisite fee is paid”

Synonyms: Necessary, Required

Antonyms: Optional, Unnecessary

10) Flouted

Meaning: Openly disregard (a rule, law, or convention).

Example: “the advertising code is being flouted”

Synonyms: Defy, Scorn

Antonyms: Observe

11) Bravado

Meaning: A bold manner or a show of boldness intended to impress or intimidate.

Example: “he possesses none of the classic wheeler-dealer’s casual bravado”

Synonyms: Boldness, Bluster

Antonyms: Modesty

12) Provocation

Meaning: Action or speech that makes someone angry, especially deliberately.

Example: “you should remain calm and not respond to provocation”

Synonyms: Incitement, Stimulation

13) Perceived

Meaning: Become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand.

Example: “his mouth fell open as he perceived the truth”

Synonyms: Discern, Recognize

14) Deter

Meaning: Prevent the occurrence of.

Example: “strategists think not only about how to deter war, but about how war might occur”

Synonyms: Prevent, Avert

Antonyms: Encourage

15) Confrontation

Meaning: A hostile or argumentative situation or meeting between opposing parties.

Example: “a confrontation with the legislature”

Synonyms: Conflict, Battle

16) Heightens

Meaning: Make or become more intense.

Example: “the pleasure was heightened by the sense of guilt that accompanied it”

Synonyms: Intensify, Increase

Antonyms: Reduce

17) Dispute

Meaning: A disagreement or argument.

Example: “a territorial dispute between the two countries”

Synonyms: Debate, Discourse

Antonyms: Agreement

18) Presiding

Meaning: Be in charge of (a place or situation).

Example: “Johnson has presided over eight matches since Beck’s dismissal”

Synonyms: Manage, Organize

19) Monstrous

Meaning: Very cruel.

Example: Monstrous cruelty.

Synonyms: Morally wrong, Bad

20) Brute

Meaning: Great physical force or strength.

Example: In the end she used brute force to push him out.

Synonyms: Crude, Violent

21) Misery

Meaning: A cause or source of great distress or discomfort.

Example: “the miseries of war”

Synonyms: Affliction, Misfortune

22) Unilateral

Meaning: Involving only one group or country.

Example: The party leader has actually declared her support for unilateral nuclear disarmament (= giving up her country’s nuclear weapons without first waiting for other countries to do the same).

Synonyms: Single, Alone

23) Long-lasting

Meaning: Enduring or having endured for a long period of time.

Example: “long-lasting effects”

Synonyms: Enduring, Lasting

Antonyms: Short-lived, Ephemeral