Topic Of The Day:-“India’s stand”
The surprise over the Indian vote was not because it fell out of line with the country’s foreign policy as we have known it, but because of an apparent deviation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new strategic thinking. Much has been written on the ‘Modi strategic doctrine’ but the concept has been pithily summarised by Mr. Modi himself and explained by Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar on earlier occasions — the goal is to transform India from being a ‘balancing power’ to a ‘leading power’ on the international stage. U.S. President Donald Trump’s National Security Strategy released recently offers support for this aspiration of India to emerge as a ‘leading power.’ India’s Jerusalem vote can be interpreted as a continuing adherence to its traditional policy of non-alignment. But a more appropriate interpretation of the vote is possible within the framework of India’s leading power ambitions. To do that, we need to also see the vote in conjunction with two other votes in the recent past at the UN. The first was in June, when India supported a move by Mauritius to take its sovereignty claims over the British-controlled Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), against the wishes of the U.S.; the second was in November when India won a seat on the ICJ, in spite of active opposition from the U.S. On the Jerusalem vote in the UNGA, which is not binding, if India had voted against the resolution, it would have ended up in the company of seven countries that joined the U.S. and Israel. These are Guatemala, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo, the combined population of which roughly equals the population of Delhi. In the 2012 Gujarat Assembly election, Mr. Modi won more votes in the Maninagar constituency than the population of four of these countries. Not exactly the group that India might want to lead, as second deputy after America and Israel. The second option was abstaining, along with Antigua-Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Benin, Canada, Cameroon, Croatia, Haiti, etc. Of these, Canada, which used to vote with the U.S. on Israel resolutions, moved away from the U.S. position this time. Canada and Mexico also face the threat of the dismantling of the North American Free Trade Agreement by the Trump administration. As for Australia, its interests in West Asia are hardly comparable to India’s. In any case, not taking a position on an issue is hardly worthy of an aspiring leader. Supporters of the ‘leading power’ doctrine often argue, rightly, that India must be more forthright and articulate in expressing its position on issues confronting the world. As it did, for instance, by speaking up on the Belt and Road Initiative. So, abstaining was not an attractive option for an aspiring leading power.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Embassy
Meaning: The official residence or offices of an ambassador.
Example: “the Chilean embassy in Moscow”
Synonyms: Consulate, Legation
2) Concerning
Meaning: On the subject of or in connection with; about.
Example: “we are given little information concerning matters of national security”
Synonyms: About, Regarding
3) Apparent
Meaning: Clearly visible or understood; obvious.
Example: “for no apparent reason she laughed”
Synonyms: Evident, Plain
Antonyms: Unclear, Obscure
4) Pithily
Meaning: (of speech or writing) expressing an idea cleverly in a few words
Example: A pithy remark.
Synonyms: Short speech
Antonyms: Brief, Brevity
5) Aspiration
Meaning: A hope or ambition of achieving something.
Example: “the needs and aspirations of the people”
Synonyms: Desire, Hope
6) Interpreted
Meaning: Explain the meaning of (information or actions).
Example: “the evidence is difficult to interpret”
Synonyms: Explain, Elucidate
7) Adherence
Meaning: Attachment or commitment to a person, cause, or belief.
Example: “a strict adherence to etiquette”
8) Conjunction
Meaning: The action or an instance of two or more events or things occurring at the same point in time or space.
Example: “a conjunction of favourable political and economic circumstances”
Synonyms: Concurrence, Coincidence
9) Binding
Meaning: (of an agreement or promise) involving an obligation that cannot be broken.
Example: “business agreements are intended to be legally binding”
Synonyms: Unbreakable, Unalterable
10) Dismantling
Meaning: Take (a machine or structure) to pieces.
Example: “the engines were dismantled and the bits piled into a heap”
Synonyms: Disassemble, Deconstruct
Antonyms: Assemble, Build
11) Aspiring
Meaning: Directing one’s hopes or ambitions towards becoming a specified type of person.
Example: “an aspiring artist”
Synonyms: Pursue
Antonyms: Feckless
12) Doctrine
Meaning: A belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, political party, or other group.
Example: “the doctrine of predestination”
Synonyms: Creed, Credo
13) Forthright
Meaning: (of a person or their manner or speech) direct and outspoken.
Example: “his most forthright attack yet on the reforms”
Synonyms: Frank, Direct
Antonyms: Secretive, Dishonest
14) Articulate
Meaning: Having or showing the ability to speak fluently and coherently.
Example: “she was not very articulate”
Synonyms: Eloquent, Fluent
Antonyms: Inarticulate, Hesitant
15) Confronting
Meaning: Come face to face with (someone) with hostile or argumentative intent.
Example: “300 policemen confronted an equal number of union supporters”
Synonyms: Challenge, Resist
Antonyms: Avoid
16) Suboptimal
Meaning: Of less than the highest standard or quality.
Example: “suboptimal working conditions”
17) Overwhelming
Meaning: Very great in amount.
Example: “his party won overwhelming support”
Synonyms: Profuse, Immense
Antonyms: Small
18) Undergoing
Meaning: Experience or be subjected to (something, typically something unpleasant or arduous).
Example: “he underwent a life-saving brain operation”
Synonyms: Experience, Undertake
19) 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, Eloquence
20) Stark
Meaning: Severe or bare in appearance or outline.
Example: “the ridge formed a stark silhouette against the sky”
Synonyms: Sharp, Evident
Antonyms: Fuzzy, Comfortable
21) Disruptive
Meaning: Causing or tending to cause disruption.
Example: “disruptive pupils”
Synonyms: Troublesome, Undisciplined
Antonyms: Well behaved, Manageable
22) Archipelago
Meaning: An extensive group of islands.
Example: “the Indonesian archipelago”
23) Decolonization
Meaning: The process in which a country that was previously a colony (= controlled by another country) becomes politically independent.
Synonyms: Self-government
24) Abstaining
Meaning: Formally decline to vote either for or against a proposal or motion.
Example: “forty-one voted with the Opposition, and some sixty more abstained”
Synonyms: Refrain, Desist
25) Allegiance
Meaning: Loyalty or commitment to a superior or to a group or cause.
Example: “those wishing to receive citizenship must swear allegiance to the republic”
Synonyms: Loyalty, Fidelity
Antonyms: Disloyalty, Treachery
