PARAGRAPH,WORDS AND MEANINGS
Toipc Of The Day:-“ A Fight For Kiev”
The presidential campaign has been animated by the debate on Ukraine’s place in the world
The pro-West Ukrainian oligarch, President Petro Poroshenko, has a battle at hand in his re-election bid on March 31. Given the crowded arena, including former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, a run-off cannot be ruled out. The President’s modest record in office, however, may not entirely be held against him, given the difficult geopolitical backdrop. The continuingconflict in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine exerts a heavy toll. Over 10,000 lives have been lost since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Millions have been displaced, with the resolutionenvisaged in the Minsk Accord proving elusive. The government has signed a free-trade pact and a separate association agreement with the European Union, and got strong economic and military backing from Washington and Brussels. Memberships of the EU and NATO are among the government’s long-term objectives. Ukraine has also been rewarded with an IMF aid package worth billions of dollars for improved governance and enacting anti-corruption legislation. But the increase in the price of household gas and other conditionalities stemming from IMF assistance have fuelled popular discontent.
Mr. Poroshenko has been especially concerned about not loosening his grip on power or political legitimacy since Moscow’s recognition of polls last year to the breakaway provinces of Ukraine. When tensions flared up in November after Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels on thedisputed Azov Sea, Mr. Poroshenko imposed a national emergency. The move was criticised by the opposition as an attempt to capitalise on the conflict with an eye on elections. Opponents are anxious to tap into the popular frustration with the prevailing situation. For his part, the President has adopted an overtly nationalist posture in recent months. Billboards in support of Mr. Poroshenko extol the army’s role during the conflict, besides carrying invocations to the country’s faith and language. The reference to religion is evidently meant to celebrate the recognition the Ukrainian Orthodox Church won late last year as an autonomous establishment. Independence from the Russian Orthodox Church is a watershed after centuries within the larger fold. Similarly, importance is sought to be attached to asserting the separate identity of the Ukrainian language, predominantly spoken in the western part of the country, over Russian. An exaggerated sense of the distinctness of cultural symbols may at best prove politically expedient in a society with a long pluralist legacy. Mr. Poroshenko should exercise caution not to overplay these issues. His opponent Ms. Tymoshenko is expected to be the frontrunner in the first round of voting on March 31. While she favours engagement with the West, her populist stance, both on the domestic and foreign policy fronts, has not impressed observers in Brussels or in Washington. A close contest is in the offing. But whatever the choice the Ukrainian voters make, their problems are unlikely to disappear in a hurry.
WORDS AND MEANINGS:-
1) backdrop
Meaning : lie behind or beyond; serve as a background to.
Synonyms : scenery
Example : “the rolling hills that backdropped our camp”
2) conflict
Meaning : be incompatible or at variance; clash.
Synonyms : clash
Antonyms : truce
Example : “parents’ and children’s interests sometimes conflict”
3) envisaged
Meaning : contemplate or conceive of as a possibility or a desirable future event.
Synonyms : conceive
Example : “the Rome Treaty envisaged free movement across frontiers”
4) elusive
Meaning : difficult to find, catch, or achieve.
Synonyms : subtle
Antonyms : definite
Example : “success will become ever more elusive”
5) enacting
Meaning : make (a bill or other proposal) law.
Synonyms : execute
Antonyms : hinder
Example : “legislation was enacted to attract international companies”
6) concerned
Meaning : worried, troubled, or anxious.
Synonyms : distressed
Antonyms : composed
Example : “the villagers are concerned about burglaries”
7) disputed
Meaning : argue about (something).
Synonyms : contend
Antonyms : agree
Example : “the point has been much disputed”
8) imposed
Meaning : force (an unwelcome decision or ruling) on someone.
Synonyms : establish
Antonyms : disorder
Example : “the decision was theirs and was not imposed on them by others”
9) stance
Meaning : the way in which someone stands, especially when deliberately adopted (as in cricket, golf, and other sports); a person’s posture.
Synonyms : posture
Antonyms : truancy
Example : “she altered her stance, resting all her weight on one leg”
10) prevailing
Meaning : existing at a particular time; current.
Synonyms : prevalent
Antonyms : limited
Example : “the unfavourable prevailing economic conditions”
11) posture
Meaning : the position in which someone holds their body when standing or sitting.
Synonyms : aspect
Example : “I got out of the car in an alert posture”
12) invocations
Meaning : the action of invoking someone or something.
Synonyms : appeal
Antonyms : revocation
Example : “his invocation of the ancient powers of Callanish”
13) sought
Meaning : attempt to find (something).
Synonyms : desired
Example : “they came here to seek shelter from biting winter winds”
14) distinct
Meaning : readily distinguishable by the senses.
Synonyms : definite
Antonyms : indistinct
Example : “a distinct smell of nicotine”
