topic of the day:-“Troubled hotspot”
Another and a more imminent challenge for India is to sort out the imbroglio in the Maldives which is threatening to spill out of control. No amount of dissimulation will help. India cannot afford not to be directly engaged in finding a proper solution. Relations between India and the Maldives have undergone significant changes since the days of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. After the Maldivian Democratic Party, headed by former President Mohamed Nasheed, came to power, for the first time anti-Indian forces within the Maldives (including radical Islamist groups sponsored by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia) could muster some support. It was also Mr. Nasheed’s initial overtures to China that set the stage for Maldivian-China relations. Under the current President, Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, anti-Indian tendencies have steadily increased and there has been a pronounced tilt in favour of China. The free trade agreement that the Maldives signed recently with China has been the proverbial thin end of the wedge, providing China with an excellent opportunity to enhance its influence and retain de facto possession of the Southern Atolls in the Maldivian archipelago. Straddling a strategic part of the Western Indian Ocean, the Maldives today occupies a crucial position along the main shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean. The Southern Maldives has long remained an object of interest to the major powers. With the U.S. taking a step back, China has begun to display a great deal of interest in the area; this coincides with its current outreach into the Indian Ocean Region as also its ongoing plans to take control of Gwadar port (Pakistan) and establish a naval base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. India cannot, hence, afford to remain idle and must come up with an answer soon enough that is consistent with its strategic interests. A muscular reaction would be ill-advised, despite the entreaties of Mr. Nasheed, as the international community is likely to react adversely to any military adventure. China is, meanwhile, playing its cards carefully, calling for “home-grown solutions” and “warning against any military intervention”. The critical need is to find a solution early — one that takes into account India’s geostrategic and geopolitical interests in the region. Else, it would have far-reaching consequences as far as India’s quest for regional power status is concerned.
meanings and words
1) Salience
Meaning: The quality of being particularly noticeable or important; prominence.
Example: “the political salience of religion has a considerable impact”
2) Amply
Meaning: Enough or more than enough; plentifully.
Example: “the persistent reader is amply rewarded”
3) Forays
Meaning: A sudden attack or incursion into enemy territory, especially to obtain something; a raid.
Example: “the garrison made a foray against Richard’s camp”
Synonyms: Attack, Assault
4) Contemplate
Meaning: To spend time considering a possible future action, or to consider one particular thing for a long time in a serious and quiet way.
Example: I’m contemplating going abroad for a year.
Synonyms: Consider
5) Ambit
Meaning: The scope, extent, or bounds of something.
Example: “a full discussion of this complex issue was beyond the ambit of one book”
6) Skirt
Meaning: To avoid discussing a subject or problem, usually because there are difficulties that you do not want to deal with.
Example: The government has been accused of skirting round the issue of torture.
7) Embracing
Meaning: Accept (a belief, theory, or change) willingly and enthusiastically.
Example: “besides traditional methods, artists are embracing new technology”
Synonyms: Welcome, Accept
Antonyms: Reject
8) Leeway
Meaning: The amount of freedom to move or act that is available.
Example: “the government had greater leeway to introduce reforms”
Synonyms: Freedom, Scope
Antonyms: Constraint, Restriction
9) Manoeuvre
Meaning: A carefully planned or cunning scheme or action; a movement or series of moves requiring skill and care.
Example: “shady financial manoeuvres”
Synonyms: Tactic, Gambit
10) Contentious
Meaning: Causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial.
Example: “a contentious issue”
Synonyms: Vexed, Disputable
11) Fallout
Meaning: The unpleasant results or effects of an action or event.
Example: The political fallout of the revelations has been immense.
12) Blush
Meaning: Show shyness, embarrassment, or shame by becoming red in the face.
Example: “she blushed at the unexpected compliment”
Synonyms: Redden, Tint
13) Mounting
Meaning: Grow larger or more numerous.
Example: “the costs mount up when you buy a home”
Synonyms: Increase, Rise
Antonyms: Decrease, Diminish
14) Pretensions
Meaning: A claim or assertion of a claim to something.
Example: “his pretensions to the imperial inheritance”
Synonyms: Aspiration, Claim
15) Gestures
Meaning: An action performed to convey a feeling or intention.
Example: “Maggie was touched by the kind gesture”
Synonyms: Action, Act
