The Hindu Editorial (Waiting for the reformist) – Jul 02, 2024

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The Hindu Editorial (Waiting for the reformist) – Jul 02, 2024:

reformist (noun) – liberal, reformer, crusader, radical, progressivist, progressionist.
theocratic (adjective) – relating to the rule by religious leaders in the name of God guiding them.
unlikely (adjective) – not likely, doubtful, improbable, questionable, debatable.
space (noun) – freedom, scope, leeway, elbow room, a free hand, latitude.
popular (adjective) – collective, social, societal, public.
snap election/poll (noun) – an unexpected & sudden (early) poll/election in a parliamentary system that is called before the due date by the ruling party for some political purpose.
head for (verb) – move towards, go towards, go in the direction of.
run-off (noun) – A runoff election is a second, or follow-up election, in which the top two vote-getters run against each other. Runoff elections occur when no candidate meets a certain threshold of votes to be declared the winner.
conservative (adjective) – rightist, right-wing, reactionary, traditionalist.
lawmaker (noun) – a member of a legislature (parliament/congress/council/legislative assembly); legislator, (elected) representative.
negotiator (noun) – mediator, arbitrator, representative, arbiter, conciliator, intervener.
necessitate (verb) – require, demand, call for, entail, make necessary.
amid/amidst (preposition) – in the middle of, surrounded by; during.
hardship (noun) – financial distress, adversity, tribulation, deprivation, destitution, impoverishment; affliction, suffering, misery, pain.
heightened (adjective) – increased, enhanced, intensified, deepened, amplified.
policing (noun) – the act of maintaining/monitoring law and order by a police force; supervision, overseeing, monitoring, inspection.
rein in (phrasal verb) – to control, restrain, restrict, limit someone/something.
proxy (noun) – representative; deputy, substitute. (proxy war means war through a representative/agent).
Houthis rebels (noun) – a decades-old resistance movement, born in opposition to Saudi Arabia’s religious influence. Yemen’s Houthi rebels are leading the fight against a Saudi-led coalition.
Hezbollah (noun) – Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim political party and militant group based in Lebanon, where its extensive security apparatus, political organization, and social services network have fostered its reputation as “a state within a state.” Founded in the chaos of the fifteen-year Lebanese Civil War, the Iran-backed group is driven by its opposition to Israel and its resistance to Western influence in the Middle East.
Hamas (noun) – Hamas is an Islamist militant group based in Gaza.
tension (noun) – strained relations; strain, stress, pressure, unease.
missile (noun) – a self-propelled/rocket-propelled weapon designed to deliver a conventional/nuclear explosive warhead with great accuracy at high speed; projectile.
embassy (noun) – An embassy is larger and more important than a consulate and is described as a permanent diplomatic mission, which is generally located in a country’s capital city. An embassy is responsible for representing the home country, for handling major diplomatic issues (such as negotiations), and for preserving the rights of its citizens abroad.
Damascus (proper noun) – the capital of Syria.
(Islamic) Republic (noun) – a sovereign state in the form of a republic that is officially ruled by Islamic laws (e.g. Iran).
say (noun) – influence, authority, sway, weight, voice, clout.
mandate (noun) – approval, acceptance, endorsement, authority (given by a constituency to someone acting as its representative).
open up (phrasal verb) – make something present, available, or accessible.
Shia (adjective) – relating to Shia branch/sect of Islam.
clergy (noun) – religious leader.
alleviate (verb) – reduce, diminish, lessen, decrease; soothe, pacify, relieve, mitigate.
woe (noun) – trouble, difficulty, problem, tribulation, distress, heartbreak, anguish, affliction, grief, pain.
sanctions (noun) – action taken, or an order given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country, etc (Courtesy: VOA Learning English).
electorate (noun) – all the people who entitled to vote in an election.
apathetic (adjective) – unenthusiastic, half-hearted, indifferent, unconcerned, dispassionate, uninterested.
clerical (adjective) – relating to a clergy (religious leader).
invoke (verb) – cite, mention, refer to, point to, adduce, turn to, resort to.
measure (noun) – action, step, procedure.
legitimacy (noun) – reasonableness, justification, validity.
regime (noun) – government.
turnout (noun) – participation, attendance. (Voter turnout refers to the number or percentage of eligible voters who cast their ballots).
bar (verb) – ban, debar, prohibit
constrain (verb) – restrict, limit, curb, restrain, check, regulate.
Supreme Leader of Iran (noun) – the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The dominant figure in Iranian politics is not the president but rather the supreme leader. According to the constitution of Islamic Republic of Iran, the President of Iran is the chief executive who is elected by direct vote of people of Iran and Supreme Leader of Iran is the highest ranked political and religious head in Islamic Republic of Iran.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (noun) – it is a branch of the Iranian armed forces, independent of Iran’s regular army. It was founded as an ideological custodian of Iran’s 1979 revolution. Charged with defending the Islamic Republic against internal and external threats, the corps has gained an outsized role in executing Iran’s foreign policy and wields control over vast segments of the economy.
near-total (adjective) – almost entirely.
hollowing out (noun) – removal.
hollow out (verb) – remove; undermine, weaken, erode.
democracy (noun) – a system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through fairly & freely elected representatives.
repression (noun) – persecution, ill treatment, suppression, oppression, exploitation, suffering.
add fuel to the fire (phrase) – to make a bad situation worse; increase, magnify, amplify, augment, intensify, heighten (a difficult situation).
held past participle of hold (verb) – conduct, organize.
take one’s cue from (phrase) – follow the advice of someone, be highly influenced by someone; follow, imitate, copy, mimic.
dissent (noun) – opposition, objection, disapproval, disagreement, difference of opinion.