The Hindu Editorial (Elusive consensus) – Jul 28, 2023

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The Hindu Editorial (Elusive consensus) – Jul 28, 2023:

elusive (adjective) – difficult to find, difficult to achieve; intangible.
consensus (noun) – an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group, agreement, concurrence.
transparency (noun) – clarity, straightforwardness, openness, honesty, unambiguity.
state (noun) – condition, situation, position.
ties (noun) – association, relationship, bond, connection.
lay out (phrasal verb) – explain, outline. detail something clearly and carefully.
walk away (phrasal verb) – leave, abandon, withdraw, pull out.
engagement (noun) – meeting, session; involvement, participation.
diagnose (verb) – identify, determine, recognize, discover ( a disease/illness by examination of the symptoms).
diagnosis (noun) – identification, recognition, discovery, detection, opinion, judgement, interpretation, conclusion.
ail (verb) – trouble, afflict, bother, pain, beset.
National Security Adviser (NSA) (noun) – the central co-ordinator and adviser to the prime minister/president and cabinet on security, intelligence, defence, and some foreign policy matters. They are based in the Cabinet Office and work across departments to bring together a coherent national security strategy that fits with the government’s priorities.
National Security Adviser (NSA), India (noun) – the senior official on the National Security Council of India, and the chief adviser to the Prime Minister of India on national security policy and international affairs. Ajit Doval is the current NSA, and has the same rank as a Union Cabinet Minister.
diplomat (noun) – ambassador, envoy, consul, emissary.
politburo (noun) – the main policy-making committee (standing committee) of a communist party.
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) (noun) – also known as the Communist Party of China (CPC); it is the founding and ruling political party of modern China, officially known as the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
successor (noun) – inheritor, next-in-line; descendant, scion.
highlight (verb) – underscore, stress, emphasize, call/draw attention to, put stress on.
Line of Actual Control (LAC) (noun) – the de-facto (effective) border between India and China. The LAC is a 4,057-km border running through three areas-Western (Ladakh, Ladakh (Kashmir)), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal).
erode (verb) – (gradually) reduce, undermine, weaken, spoil, deteriorate, wear out.
tranquillity (noun) – peacefulness, restfulness, calmness, quietness.
so as to (phrase) – in order to, with the aim/purpose of.
impediment (noun) – obstacle, barrier, obstruction, hindrance, stumbling block, problem, difficulty, drawback, restriction.
normalcy (noun) – a normal condition; normality, regularity.
bilateral (adjective) – involving two groups or countries.
readout (noun) – an official statement summing up the main points of a meeting/phone call between two leaders.
by/in contrast (phrase) – when compared to another.
big picture (noun) – broad overview; wide perspective.
call for (phrasal verb) – require, publicly ask/necessitate, demand.
track (noun) – path, route, way.
development (noun) – progress, progression, advancement, improvement, growth.
call on (phrasal verb) – ask, request, urge, appeal.
disclose (verb) – reveal, communicate, tell, report, admit, publish, make public, make known
courtesy (noun) – a polite remark.
concede (verb) – admit, acknowledge, recognize, accept, agree.
pleasantry (noun) – a friendly, casual, polite remark (in an informal conversation)
contrasting (adjective) – different, diverging, varying; incomparable, dissimilar, contradictory.
claim (noun) – assertion, affirmation, representation, submission.
reinforce (verb) – increase, support, intensify, emphasize, underline.
opacity (noun) – opaqueness, non-transparency, obscurity, lack of clarity.
defensiveness (noun) – defensive behavior/position
mark (verb) – indicate, signify, represent.
tensions (noun) – strained relations, strain, unease.
increasingly (adverb) – more and more, steadily more, continuously more, gradually more.
rife with (adjective) – full of, filled with, fraught (with), charged with, loaded with, frought.
contradiction (noun) – discrepancy, inconsistency, incongruity, incompatibility, disagreement, difference.
boom (verb) – grow, develop, prosper, thrive, burgeon, flourish.
machinery (noun) – equipment, apparatus, hardware, instruments.
talks (noun) – discussion, discourse, debate, dialogue, deliberation, negotiation, parley.
ingress (noun) – entry, inrush, intrusion, incursion.
Demchok (plains) (noun) – a village and military encampment in the Indian-administered Demchok sector that is disputed between India and China. It is administered as part of the Nyoma tehsil in the Leh district of Ladakh by India and claimed by China as part of the Tibet Autonomous Region. The Line of Actual Control (LAC) with Tibet runs on the southeast side of the village along the Charding Nullah and continues along the Indus River.
Depsang plains (noun) – The Depsang plains lie south of DBO (Daulat Beg Oldie post) in a strategic area that the military calls Sub-Sector North (SSN). DBO is the country’s northernmost outpost where India operates an advanced landing ground to support its forward military deployments. The Depsang Plains are large plains that are suitable for driving armoured carriers, artillery and mechanised units, which is unusual at the height of about 17,000 feet above sea level. The Depsang plains are strategically important as it provides a flat surface amid the mountainous terrain which can be used by either of the two countries to launch a military offensive, similar to the Spanggur Gap in the Chushul sub-sector.
friction (noun) – disagreement, disunity, conflict, dispute, argument.
friction point (noun) – area in conflict; friction area.
friction points/friction areas (noun) – areas in conflict; points of Chinese ingress into hitherto India-controlled territory in Ladakh. These ‘friction points’ are Depsang, Galwan, Hot Springs, Gogra, North bank of Pangong Tso, Kailash Range and Demchok.
set up (phrasal verb) – establish, initiate, institute, create.
buffer zone (noun) – neutral area.
shroud (verb) – cover or hide something; conceal, envelop, veil, screen, cloak, curtain, obscure
find a way to (phrase) – to discover how to deal with something.
kept someone informed (phrase) – to give someone the update and details about a situation.
neighbour (noun) – a country that is next to another country; (bordering) country.
in the shadows (phrase) – secretly, covertly, in secret.