Topic of the day:-“Transatlantic rift: on Trump and NATO”
The summit of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation leaders in Brussels was expected to be tense, given the widening rift in the Western alliance over the U.S.’s imposition of trade tariffs. But President Donald Trump’s call to member-countries to double their annual defence expenditure to 4% of GDP has the potential for greater harm than his repeated denigration of NATO or his disregard for diplomatic niceties. European countries have for some time been smarting under Washington’s persistent attack on their failure to honour the current commitment to raise their defence budgets to 2% of annual output by 2024. NATO members were reminded of the unequal burden-sharing within the organisation via letters despatched from the White House ahead of the summit. Mr. Trump can launch his latest offensive largely due to the latitude he enjoys on account of the U.S. spending well in excess of 3% of GDP on defence in 2017-18. He took aim especially at Germany, highlighting in particular the incongruity between its military spending and huge trade surplus with the U.S. A relatively recent dimension to the diatribe is the attack on Germany’s large imports of gas from Russia, a divisive issue within Europe, particularly after the threats posed by Moscow’s regional ambitions. Besides putting Chancellor Angela Merkel in a spot, it served to deflect attention from criticism across the Atlantic of Mr. Trump’s proximity to Russian President Vladimir Putin and their bilateral meeting in Helsinki. Notwithstanding Mr. Trump’s claims, Europe’s expenditure on defence has been on the rise since 2014, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). One explanation for this shift is the security situation following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. IISS data also show that Washington’s commitment to Europe’s security is just over 5% of the total U.S. defence budget. Within that, its contribution to NATO’s common funding is an estimated 22.1%, besides investments in other initiatives. Some of Mr. Trump’s predecessors in the White House had sought to address this imbalance, but without ever questioning the commitment of Washington’s allies to the bloc’s collective defence, or using it as a bargaining chip. Conversely, exploiting Europe’s greater dependence on the U.S. security umbrella serves to bolster Mr. Trump’s domestic nationalist constituency ahead of the November mid-term Congressional elections. While not all Republicans may approve of the President’s offensive against American allies, many prefer to emphasise substance over style. The communiqué issued after the summit reiterates the group’s resolve to meet the 2024 deadline on defence spending. But Mr. Trump seems impatient on achieving the target sooner, without spelling out his reasons. The world will learn more about Mr. Trump’s America First agenda in the coming months.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Vital
Meaning: Absolutely necessary; essential.
Example: “secrecy is of vital importance”
Synonyms: Essential, Crucial
Antonyms: Unimportant, Peripheral
2) Net neutrality
Meaning: The principle that the companies that provide services on the internet should make all information equally available to users, and not make any particular service, website, etc. cheaper or faster to use than any other.
Example: Net neutrality is the idea that Internet providers must treat all content equally. It’s opposed by cable and telecom companies that want to offer different tiers of service.
3) Endorsing
Meaning: To make a public statement of your approval or support for something or someone.
Example: The Council is expected to endorse the committee’s recommendations.
4) Exempt
Meaning: Free from an obligation or liability imposed on others.
Example: “these patients are exempt from all charges”
Synonyms: Immune, Expected
5) Barred
Meaning: Prevent or prohibit (someone) from doing something or from going somewhere.
Example: “journalists had been barred from covering the elections”
Synonyms: Prohibit, Debar
Antonyms: Admit, Accept
6) Discrimination
Meaning: The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age.
Example: “victims of racial discrimination”
Synonyms: Prejudice, Bias
Antonyms: Impartiality
7) Proviso
Meaning: A condition or qualification attached to an agreement or statement.
Example: “he let his house with the proviso that his own staff should remain to run it”
Synonyms: Condition, Stipulation
8) Democratise
Meaning: Make (something) accessible to everyone.
Example: “mass production has not democratized fashion”
9) Undergird
Meaning: Provide support or a firm basis for.
Example: “that’s a philosophy that needs to undergird retailers’ business plans this year”
10) Pioneers
Meaning: A person who is among the first to explore or settle a new country or area.
Example: “the pioneers of the Wild West”
Synonyms: Colonist, Settler
11) Erected
Meaning: Create or establish (a theory or system).
Example: “the party that erected the welfare state”
Synonyms: Establish, Institute
12) Upheld
Meaning: Maintain (a custom or practice).
Example: “they uphold a tradition of not causing distress to living creatures”
Synonyms: Maintain, Sustain
Antonyms: Abandon
13) Repealed
Meaning: Revoke or annul (a law or act of parliament).
Example: “the legislation was repealed five months later”
Synonyms: Revoke, Cancel
Antonyms: Introduce, Enact
14) Ostensibly
Meaning: As appears or is stated to be true, though not necessarily so; apparently.
Example: “the party secretary resigned, ostensibly from ill health”
Synonyms: Apparently, Seemingly
Antonyms: Genuinely, Really
15) Handful
Meaning: A small number of people or things.
Example: She invited all her friends to her party, but only a handful of them turned up.
Synonyms: Some, A few
16) Egalitarian
Meaning: Believing in or based on the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.
Example: “a fairer, more egalitarian society”
17) Redundant
Meaning: Not or no longer needed or useful; superfluous.
Example: “an appropriate use for a redundant church”
Synonyms: Unnecessary, Inessential
Antonyms: Essential, Necessary
18) Steep
Meaning: (of a rise or fall in an amount) very large or rapid.
Example: “the steep rise in unemployment”
Synonyms: Sharp, Sudden
Antonyms: Gradual
19) Thrive
Meaning: Prosper; flourish.
Example: “education groups thrive on organization”
Synonyms: Flourish, Prosper
Antonyms: Decline, Stagnate
20) Tense
Meaning: Become tense, typically through anxiety or nervousness.
Example: “her body tensed up”
