Daily English Vocab
PDF 28th Dec 2016
China's Monkey Wrench
By tweeting US will expand nuclear forces, Trump may be targeting not Russia but China.
Last Friday, Donald Trump tweeted, “The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its
nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes.” This has led
to articles claiming the world is about to end, as well as more sensible pieces that play with all the
possible permutations and combinations his tweet could imply (सक
ं े त करना).
The general consensus (एकमत/सर्वसम्मतत) seems to be that he is starting a new arms race with Russia,
given that a few hours before Trump's tweet, President Putin of Russia had made a similarly
worded statement. The reality is however much more complicated. The problem with accusing
Trump of triggering an arms race is that an arms race has been going on for the last decade or so
with two nuclear triangles feeding into and destabilizing the other.
The first is the US-Russia-China triangle and the second is the Pakistan -India-China triangle. In
the first set both the US and Russia have mutual restraint and control treaties dictating the
maximum number of warheads each can have. These restraint regimes factor in the fact that both
countries have nuclear first strike doctrines (मत/तसद्ांत) and logically therefore need to have enough
warheads not just to take out each other's cities but also their nuclear and conventional force
concentrations.
The complicating factor in this equation has been China. Given that China is viewed with suspicion
both in the Pentagon and Kremlin, both US and Russian arsenals (शस्त्रागार/हतियारघर) have to account
not just for each other but also for China. However, since the end of the Cold War, the Chinese
nuclear arsenal is the only one that is both expanding and modernizing across the board while
those of the US and Russia have dropped dramatically.
Just in the last decade, the number of Chinese missiles that can reach the continental United States
has more than trebled. This begs the question that if China felt safe for 30 years with a stable
arsenal, what is prompting this sudden expansion especially given the massive reductions in the
arsenals of Russia and the US?
While US missile defence plans are almost certainly a causal factor in China's buildup, this doesn't
cover the whole story. Many believe the nature and scope of the Chinese expansion indicates a
change of posture from No First Use to one of pre-emptive strike. There are many reasons for this
belief including the production of new submarines armed with a new generation of missiles each
of which carries multiple nuclear warheads, as well as a plethora (प्रचुरता/बहुतायत) of new weapons
like the nuclear capable DF-21 anti-ship ballistic missile. These only feed the impression that
China does not just believe in nuclear weapons for deterrence (शति सतं ुलन) but also for nuclear
warfighting.
This Chinese expansion has also been wreaking (उत्पन्न करना/कारण होना) havoc (तबाही) in the other
nuclear triangle it's a part of the Pakistan India-China one. Here India has had to confront a
massive Chinese modernization and expansion on one side, as well as a Pakistani expansion on
the other side. Pakistan claims that its expansion is directed at India, a claim that most
commentators laugh off. They point out that American pressure on Pakistan to join the Fissile
Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT) and US “Plan B” to seize Pakistan's nuclear arsenal has a much
more direct causal relationship with Pakistan's expansion.
Clearly then the nuclear situation is anything but static and China and Pakistan are the most
identifiable drivers of this destabilizing behavior. In such a context it is far more likely that Trump's
tweets were aimed at China a country he seems to enjoy baiting (परेशान करना) publicly, rather than
Russia. In fact there is historical evidence for this assessment (आंकलन /तनर्ावरण).
A Trump interview far back in 1987, in a now dead magazine called Manhattan Inc, complains
bitterly about the myopia (अदूरदतशवता) of Washington's nuclear policy makers, saying “I believe
they're sort of fools ...they only think about Russia, Russian and our weapons”, before pillorying
the French for playing footloose and fancy-free with their nuclear technology. But perhaps the
most important part of that interview was his views on Pakistan and the US-Russia relationship.
He believed that the only solution was “for the Big Two to make a deal now to step in and prevent
the next generation of nations about to go nuclear from doing so. By whatever means necessary”.
His views get better on Pakistan: “I think the solution is largely economic. Because there are so
many of these countries that are so fragile (कमजोर (not tenacious)) and we have a vast power that's
never been used ...You do whatever is necessary so these people will have riots in the street, so
they can't get water. Because that's the only thing that's going to do it the people, the riots.”
France was a pale (अप्रभार्ी/inferior) third in the proliferation (प्रसार/फैलार्) field compared to what
we now know about China and Pakistan. Transposing the 1987 Trump to today we still find a peer
respect for Russia, the contempt for China that he once had for France and the deep suspicion of
Pakistan that has never left him.
Trump wrong-footed every pundit on November 9, 2016, and there is every possibility he's wrongfooting the nuclear pundits now. At least for India Trump's policies may be an unexpected bonus,
or as South Block might say “happy days are here again”.
(Courtesy: The Times of India)
1. Consensus (noun): The judgment arrived at by most of those concerned/ group solidarity in
sentiment and belief. (एकमत/सर्वसम्मतत)
 Synonyms: Accord, Harmony, Concurrence, Consent, Unison, Unanimity.
 Antonyms: Disagreement, Dissension, Opposition, Refusal, Opposition.
Example: The Prime Minister stated that he would not introduce a new tax without the consensus
of public opinion.
Verb forms: Consent, Consented, Consented.
Related words:
 Consensual (adjective) – सहमति से

Consent (verb) – सहमि होना
2. Doctrine (noun): A belief or set of beliefs / a stated principle of government policy. (मत/तसद्ांत)
 Synonyms: Belief, Creed, Dogma, Tenet, Precept, Fundamental.
 Antonyms: Ambiguity, Disbelief, Heterodoxy, Skepticism.
Example: Because David was opposed to some elements of the church’s doctrine, he decided to
find another place to worship.
Related words:
 Doctrinal (adjective) – सैद्ातां िक

Doctrinally (adverb) – तसद्ाांि के िौर पर
3. Arsenal (noun): A place where weapons and military equipment are stored or made. / a stock
of weapons. (शस्त्रागार/हतियारघर)

Synonyms: Armory, Arms depot, Arms cache, Ordnance depot, Magazine, Ammunition
dump.
Example: When they arrested the suspect, he had an arsenal of firearms in his possession.
4. Plethora (noun): A large or excessive amount of something. (प्रचुरता/बहुतायत)
 Synonyms: Overabundance, Plenty, Profusion, Surfeit, Glut.
 Antonyms: Lack, Need, Scarcity, Want, Few, Little, Rarity.
Example: He eagerly accepted the job because it came with a plethora of opportunities.
Related words:
 Plethoric (adjective) – प्रचुर
5. Wreak (verb): Cause to happen or to occur as a consequence./ cause (a large amount of damage
or harm). (उत्पन्न करना/कारण होना)
 Synonyms: Effect, Inflict, Engender, Generate,
 Antonyms: Destroy, Fail, Forget, Ignore, Neglect.
Example: The storm will wreak terrible damage on Phil’s home if he does not place sandbags
everywhere.
Verb forms: Wreak, Wreaked, Wreaked.
6. Havoc (noun): Wide and general destruction. /great or extreme disorder. (तबाही)
 Synonyms: Ravage, Destruction, Chaos, Catastrophe.
 Antonyms: Blessings, Boon.
Example: The protestors created havoc when they started to break store windows.
7. Assessment (noun): The action of assessing/evaluating someone or something. (आंकलन /तनर्ावरण)
 Synonyms: Evaluation, Judgment, Gauging, Rating, appraisal.
 Antonyms: Ignorance, Avoidance.
Example: After the blind date, her assessment was that the man did not have polite manners.
Verb forms: Assess, Assessed, Assessed.
Related words:
 Assess (verb) – आांकना
8. Fragile (adjective): Not strong or sturdy; delicate and vulnerable./ easily destroyed or
threatened. (कमजोर (not tenacious))
 Synonyms: Weak, Delicate, Frail, Infirm, Feeble.
 Antonyms: Able, Firm, Healthy, Strong, Durable, Tough, Unbreakable.
Example: Because the treaty between the two nations is very fragile, it may be damaged during
the presidential meeting.
Related words:
 Fragility (noun) – भांगुरिा/क्षतििा
9. Pale (adjective): Inferior or unimpressive. /not bright or brilliant. (अप्रभार्ी/inferior)
 Synonyms: Inferior, Poor, Feeble, Weak, Insipid, Vapid, Ineffective.
 Antonyms: Bright, Strong, Effective, Impressive, Superior.
Example: The famine that hit the country in 1960 was pale in comparison to what could happen
in the coming months if something isn't done to help people now.
Verb forms: Pale, Paled, Paled.
Related words:
 Pale (verb) – तनष्प्प्रभ होना
10. Proliferation (noun): The action of spreading rapidly or increasing in number. (प्रसार/फैलार्)


Synonyms: Spreading, Dissemination, Dispersion, Expansion.
Antonyms: Suppressing, Contracting.
Example: After the monsoon rains, insects of all kinds begin to proliferate and you see people
constantly swatting and slapping at the air.
Verb forms: Proliferate, Proliferated, Proliferated.
Related words:
 Proliferate (verb) – फै लना
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