Topic Of The Day:-“Impact On Strategic Stability“
INS Arihant’s induction will also have implications for regional stability. For one, it is bound to make the maritime competition in the Indian Ocean region sharper, even though the lead in this direction was taken by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) a long time ago. Hence, the dominant driver of India’s SSBN plans appears to be China’s expanding inventory of nuclear submarines. The PLAN’s Jin class submarine with the JL-2 missiles with a range of 7,400 km began its deterrent patrol several years ago. Chinese nuclear-powered submarines (reportedly without nuclear weapons on board) have been frequenting the Indian Ocean on anti-piracy missions, creating unease in New Delhi. INS Arihant in that sense is a response to the Chinese naval build-up. Pakistan’s reaction to India’s response to China would be to speed up its submarine-building spree, with assistance from Beijing. Add to this mix China’s mega infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative, with its ambitious maritime objectives; and the revival of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, with India, U.S., Japan, and Australia.
This sharpening of the maritime competition further engenders several regional ‘security dilemmas’ wherein what a state does to secure itself could end up making it more insecure. The net result of this would be heightened instability for the foreseeable future. However, once the three key players in this trilemma — China, India and Pakistan — manage to put in place the essential conditions for credible minimum deterrence, the effect of the instability could potentially decrease. But it’s a long road to such an outcome.
What would further complicate the relations among the three key players in the region is the absence of nuclear confidence-building measures (CBMs) among them. While India and Pakistan have only rudimentary nuclear CBMs between them, India and China have none at all. In the maritime sphere, neither pairs have any CBMs. Given the feverish maritime developments that are underway, the absence of CBMs could lead to miscalculations and accidents. This becomes even more pertinent in the case of Pakistan, which uses dual-use platforms for maritime nuclear power projection. In case of a bilateral naval standoff, the absence of dedicated conventional or nuclear platforms could potentially lead to misunderstandings and accidents. It is therefore important for India and Pakistan (as also India and China) to have an ‘incidents at sea’ agreement like the one between the U.S. and USSR in 1972, so as to avoid incidents at sea and avoid their escalation if they took place.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) claimant
Meaning : a person making a claim, especially in a lawsuit or for a state benefit(n).
Tamil Meaning : உரிமைகோரியவரிடம்
Synonyms : applicant
Antonyms : consultant
Example : “one in four eligible claimants failed to register for a rebate”
2) extraneous
Meaning : irrelevant or unrelated to the subject being dealt with(adj)
Tamil Meaning : புறம்பான
Synonyms : irrelevant
Antonyms : appropriate
Example : “one is obliged to wade through many pages of extraneous material”
3) ought
Meaning : used to indicate duty or correctness, typically when criticizing someone’s actions.
Tamil Meaning : வேண்டும்
Synonyms : must
Antonyms : lacked
Example : “they ought to respect the law”
4) deprecated
Meaning : express disapproval of(v).
Tamil Meaning : நீக்கப்பட்டது
Synonyms : condemned
Antonyms : admired
Example : “what I deprecate is persistent indulgence”
5) dispensation
Meaning : exemption from a rule or usual requirement(n).
Tamil Meaning : பகிர்ந்தளிப்பதற்கு
Synonyms : distribution
Antonyms : denial
Example : “although she was too young, she was given special dispensation to play before her birthday”
6) staking
Meaning : mark an area with stakes so as to claim ownership of it(v).
Synonyms : gambling
Example : “the boundary between the two manors was properly staked out”
7) requisite
Meaning : made necessary by particular circumstances or regulations(adj).
Tamil Meaning : தேவையான
Synonyms : essential
Antonyms : weed
Example : “the application will not be processed until the requisite fee is paid”
8) coalition
Meaning : a temporary alliance for combined action, especially of political parties forming a government.
Tamil Meaning : கூட்டணி
Synonyms : league
Antonyms : discord
Example : “a coalition between Liberals and Conservatives”
9) explore
Meaning : travel through (an unfamiliar area) in order to learn about it.
Tamil Meaning : ஆராய
Synonyms : investigate
Antonyms : overlook
Example : “he explored the Fontainebleau forest”
10) parade
Meaning : a public procession, especially one celebrating a special day or event.
Tamil Meaning : அணிவகுப்பு
Synonyms : display
Antonyms : smother
Example : “a St George’s Day parade”
11) scuttle
Meaning : a metal container with a handle, used to fetch and store coal for a domestic fire.
Tamil Meaning : கவிழ்ப்பதுமேயாகும்
Synonyms : dash
Antonyms : dawdle
Example : Scuttle is a free open source software also modeled after Del.icio.us.
12) cited
Meaning : refer to (a passage, book, or author) as evidence for or justification of an argument or statement, especially in a scholarly work(v).
Tamil Meaning : மேற்கோள்
Synonyms : quoted
Antonyms : concealed
Example : “authors who are highly regarded by their peers tend to be cited”
13) deterrence
Meaning : the action of discouraging an action or event through instilling doubt or fear of the consequences(n).
Tamil Meaning : தடுத்து நிறுத்துவது
Synonyms : prevention
Antonyms : motivator
Example : “nuclear missiles remain the main deterrence against possible aggression”
14) triad
Meaning : a group or set of three related people or things.
Tamil Meaning : மூன்றையும்
Synonyms : trio
Example : “the triad of medication, diet, and exercise are necessary in diabetes care”
15) adversaries
Meaning : one’s opponent in a contest, conflict, or dispute(n).
Tamil Meaning : எதிரிகளை
Synonyms : opponents
Antonyms : allies
Example : “Davis beat his old adversary in the quarter-finals”
16) nevertheless
Meaning : in spite of that; notwithstanding; all the same.
Tamil Meaning : இருப்பினும்
Synonyms : nonetheless
Example : “statements which, although literally true, are nevertheless misleading”
17) implications
Meaning : the conclusion that can be drawn from something although it is not explicitly stated(n)
Tamil Meaning : தாக்கங்கள்
Synonyms : hints
Example : “the implication is that no one person at the bank is responsible”
18) intended
Meaning : planned or meant(adj).
Tamil Meaning : நோக்கம்
Synonyms : deliberate
Antonyms : accidental
Example : “the intended victim escaped”
19) devoid
Meaning : entirely lacking or free from(adj).
Tamil Meaning : ஏதுமில்லாத
Synonyms : vacant
Antonyms : complete
Example : “Lisa kept her voice devoid of emotion”
20) indeed
Meaning : used to emphasize a statement or response confirming something already suggested(adv).
Tamil Meaning : உண்மையில்
Synonyms : truly
Antonyms : conversely
Example : “it was not expected to last long, and indeed it took less than three weeks”
21) seamless
Meaning : (of a fabric or surface) smooth and without seams or obvious joins.
Tamil Meaning : இசைவான
Synonyms : persistent
Antonyms : flawed
Example : “seamless stockings”
22) ancillary
Meaning : providing necessary support to the primary activities or operation of an organization, system, etc.
Tamil Meaning : துணை
Synonyms : auxiliary
Antonyms : necessary
Example : “ancillary staff”
23) reliance
Meaning : dependence on or trust in someone or something(n).
Tamil Meaning : நம்பிக்கை
Synonyms : conviction
Antonyms : disbelief
Example : “the farmer’s reliance on pesticides”
24) riddled
Meaning : solve or explain (a riddle) to (someone).
Tamil Meaning : புதிர்
Synonyms : sieved
Antonyms : empty
Example : “riddle me this then”
25) posture
Meaning : the position in which someone holds their body when standing or sitting.
Tamil Meaning : காட்டி
Synonyms : position
Antonyms : withhold
Example : “I got out of the car in an alert posture”
