Topic Of The day:-“Accelerating the trends”
Recent developments have accelerated these geopolitical trends. The first was the outcome of the U.S. elections last year. By invoking ‘America first’ repeatedly, President Donald Trump has made it clear that the U.S. considers the burden of leading the global order too onerous. American allies, particularly in the Asia-Pacific, are nervous about Mr. Trump’s harangues that they are enjoying the benefits of the U.S. security umbrella on the cheap. Recent nuclear and long-range missile tests by North Korea have added to South Korean and Japanese anxieties. Japan has been particularly rattled by the two missiles red across Hokkaido. Given the U.S. push for more sanctions that depend on China for implementation, most Japanese reluctantly admit that North Korea’s nuclear and missile capability is unlikely to be dismantled any time soon. Another significant development was the Doklam stand-off between India and China that lasted from June to August. The Chinese playbook followed the established pattern — creating a physical presence followed by sharpened rhetoric, together becoming an exercise in coercive diplomacy. This worked in pushing the nine-dash line in the South China Sea with the Philippines and Vietnam even as China built additional facilities on reclaimed land in the area. India, however, chose to block China and a few hundred soldiers on the plateau maintained their hostile postures even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi attended the G-20 summit in July amidst heightened rhetoric recalling the 1962 war. Differences with China did not begin with Doklam. It was preceded by the stapled visa issue for Indians belonging to Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, growing incidents of incursions along the disputed boundary, blocking of India’s bid to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group last year, ensuring that no language relating to Pakistan-based terrorist groups found mention in the BRICS summit in Goa and preventing the inclusion of Masood Azhar from being designated as a terrorist by the UN Security Council by exercising a veto. Since 1988, India has followed a consistent China policy based on putting aside the boundary dispute and developing other aspects of the relationship in the expectation that this would create mutual trust and enable a boundary settlement. However, the gap between India and China has grown, both in economic and military terms, and with it has emerged a more assertive China. The shared vision of an Asian century with a rising India and rising China is long past. Mr. Modi’s personal diplomacy with Mr. Xi has had little influence on changing Chinese attitudes or behaviour. After Doklam, there is finally a consensus that the old China policy does not serve our national interests and a review is long overdue.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Geopolitical
Meaning: Political activity as influenced by the physical features of a country or area of the world.
Example: These developments are having a major impact on the geopolitics of the region.
2) Inflexion
Meaning: A change in the form of a word (typically the ending) to express a grammatical function or attribute such as tense, mood, person, number, case, and gender.
Example: A set of word forms differing only in respect of inflections.
Synonyms: Conjugation, Declension
3) Discernible
Meaning: Able to be discerned; perceptible.
Example: The scandal had no discernible effect on his career.
Synonyms: Visible, Noticeable
Antonyms: Imperceptible
4) Belated
Meaning: Coming or happening later than should have been the case.
Example: A belated apology.
Synonyms: Late, Overdue
Antonyms: Early
5) Rivalries
Meaning: Competition for the same objective or for superiority in the same field.
Example: There always has been intense rivalry between the clubs.
Synonyms: Competitiveness, Competition
6) Bide
Meaning: Remain or stay somewhere.
Example: How long must I bide here to wait for the answer?
7) Assertiveness
Meaning: Confident and forceful behaviour.
Example: She has difficulty standing up for herself, even when assertiveness may be warranted.
8) Force off
Meaning: To make someone or a group resign from a board, committee, panel, etc.
Example: They forced off the dissenters as well as the CEO.
9) Littoral
Meaning: Relating to or situated on the shore of the sea or a lake.
Example: The littoral states of the Indian Ocean.
10) Invoking
Meaning: Cite or appeal to (someone or something) as an authority for an action or in support of an argument.
Example: The antiquated defence of insanity is rarely invoked in England.
Synonyms: Cite, Instance
Antonyms: Waive
11) Onerous
Meaning: (Of a task or responsibility) involving a great deal of effort, trouble, or difficulty.
Example: He found his duties increasingly onerous.
Synonyms: Burdensome, Heavy
Antonyms: Easy, Effortless
12) Harangues
Meaning: A lengthy and aggressive speech.
Example: They were subjected to a ten-minute harangue by two border guards.
Synonyms: Tirade, Lecture
Antonyms: Panegyric
13) Rattled
Meaning: Make or cause to make a rapid succession of short, sharp knocking sounds.
Example: The roof rattled with little gusts of wind.
Synonyms: Clatter, Bang
14) Reluctantly
Meaning: In an unwilling and hesitant way.
Example: He reluctantly agrees to do his duty.
15) Stand-off
Meaning: Move or keep away.
Example: The women stood off at a slight distance.
16) Coercive
Meaning: Relating to or using force or threats.
Example: Coercive measures
17) Hostile
Meaning: Showing or feeling opposition or dislike; unfriendly.
Example: A hostile audience.
Synonyms: Antagonistic, Aggressive
Antonyms: Friendly, Mild
18) Rhetoric
Meaning: The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the exploitation of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.
Example: He is using a common figure of rhetoric, hyperbole.
Synonyms: Oratory, Diction
19) Stapled
Meaning: Attach or secure with a staple or staples.
Example: Merrill stapled a batch of papers together.
20) Incursions
Meaning: An invasion or attack, especially a sudden or brief one.
Example: Incursions into enemy territory.
Synonyms: Attack on, Assault on
Antonyms: Retreat
21) Dispute
Meaning: A disagreement or argument.
Example: A territorial dispute between the two countries.
Synonyms: Debate, Discussion
Antonyms: Agreement
22) Overdue
Meaning: Not having arrived, happened, or been done by the expected time.
Example: The rent was nearly three months overdue.
Synonyms: Late, Delay
Antonyms: Early, Punctual
