Topic Of The Day:-“Diplomatic Mayhem”
The dramatic decision by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen to suspend diplomatic ties with Qatar could have far-reaching economic and geopolitical consequences. Tensions were brewing within the Gulf Cooperation Council for the past six years ever since Qatar started actively supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, a political Islamist movement that the Saudis and their close allies see as a threat to stability in West Asia. In 2014, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain had temporarily withdrawn their ambassadors from Qatar over this. But a suspension of diplomatic ties as well as air and sea travel to and from Qatar is unprecedented. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain on Monday asked Qatari diplomats to leave their countries within 48 hours and Qatari citizens within 14 days. Saudi Arabia blames Qatar for “harbouring a multitude of terrorist and sectarian groups that aim to create instability in the region”. But such allegations can be raised against most Gulf countries. It is an open secret that both Saudi Arabia and Qatar back their proxy militant groups throughout West Asia. Take the case of Syria, where the Saudis back Salai groups such as Ahrar al-Sham, while the Qataris bankroll the armed wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. Both share the same goal: to overthrow the regime of Bashar al-Assad. In Yemen, Qatar is part of the Saudi-led coalition that has been bombing the country for over two years. It is not immediately clear what drove Riyadh to take this extreme step. Emboldened by President Donald Trump’s open embrace and anti-Iran agenda, the kingdom could be making a renewed attempt to rally Sunni countries under its leadership against Tehran. Qatar has historically played of both sides of the Saudi-Iran rivalry. Even as it joined the occasional GCC outbursts against Tehran, it maintained sound economic and diplomatic ties. Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who had a phone conversation with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani last week, is reportedly critical of the Saudi-led efforts to drive up an anti-Iran agenda. It is to be seen whether Saudi Arabia has overplayed its hand. If Qatar continues to resist the GCC line, it could trigger a wider crisis in the region. Qatar is an economic powerhouse in the Gulf and hosts the headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command. The air war command for the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is also in Qatar. So any prolonged attempt to isolate the country would not only have economic consequences — oil prices fluctuated soon after the decision was announced — but also complicate the fight against the IS yet more. What West Asia requires is a united front against terror and lowering of Saudi-Iran tensions. Opening new fronts in the rivalry will only destabilise the region further.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Diplomatic
Meaning: Involving diplomats or the management of the relationships between countries.
Example: Diplomatic negotiations.
Synonyms: Tactful, Discreet
Antonyms: Impolite, Blunt
2) Brewing
Meaning: If you brew tea or coffee, you add boiling water to it to make a hot drink, and if it brews, it gradually develops flavour in the container in which it was made.
Example: He brewed us some coffee./He brewed some coffee for us.
Synonyms: Concocting, Imminent
Antonyms: Frigid, Scary
3) Allies
Meaning: Someone who helps and supports someone else.
Example: The US is one of Britain’s staunchest allies.
Synonyms: Affiliates, Colleagues
Antonyms: Litigant, Rivals
4) Harbouring
Meaning: To Keep (a thought or feeling, typically a negative one) in one’s mind, especially secretly.
Example: She started to harbour doubts about the wisdom of their journey.
Synonyms: Nurture, Cherish
5) Multitude
Meaning: A large number of people or things.
Example: This case has raised a multitude of questions.
Synonyms: Crowd, Throng
Antonyms: Few, Handful
6) Allegations
Meaning: A statement, made without giving proof, that someone has done something wrong or illegal.
Example: Several of her patients have made allegations of professional misconduct about/against her.
Synonyms: Indictments, Citations
Antonyms: Refutations, Disavowals
7) Regime
Meaning: Particular government or a system or method of government.
Example: The old corrupt, totalitarian regime was overthrown.
Synonyms: Empire, Sway
Antonyms: illegal, Unlawful
8) Coalition
Meaning: The joining together of different political parties or groups for a particular purpose, usually for a limited time, or a government that is formed in this way.
Example: Government by coalition has its own peculiar set of problems.
Synonyms: Alliance, Federation
Antonyms: Separation, Detachment
9) Emboldened
Meaning: To make someone brave.
Example: Emboldened by drink, he walked over to speak to her.
Synonyms: Assured, Cheered
Antonyms: Despondent, Miserable
10) Rivalry
Meaning: A situation in which people, businesses, etc. compete with each other for the same thing.
Example: There’s fierce rivalry for the job/to get the job.
Synonyms: Competition, Strife
Antonyms: Cooperation, Affiliation
11) Fluctuated
Meaning: To change, especially continuously and between one level or thing and another.
Example: Vegetable prices fluctuate according to the season.
Synonyms: Vacillated, Alternated
Antonyms: Stabilized, Steadied
12) Destabilize
Meaning: To make a government, area, or political group lose power or control, or to make a political or economic situation less strong or safe, by causing changes and problems.
Example: They uncovered a plot to destabilize the government.
Synonyms: Weaken, Damage
Antonyms: Stabilise, Approve
