Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Strategic misfire: On the Israel-Iran conflict

Strategic misfire: On the Israel-Iran conflict

Israel must be reined in for peace and stability (स्थिरता) in West Asia

The 12-day war between Iran and Israel ended with a tense (तनावपूर्ण, चिंतित) ceasefire (युद्धविराम, संघर्ष विराम). Israel claims (दावा करना,घोषणा करना) that it has set back (delay, hold back, decelerate, slow down, put a brake on, hinder, impede, obstruct) Iran’s nuclear programme by years in a ‘historic victory’. But the reality appears to be more complex. Iran has suffered enormous damage — its key (प्रमुख, मुख्य, महत्वपूर्ण) nuclear facilities were attacked, much of its top chain command was eliminated, and its air defences proved virtually (लगभग,वास्तव में) ineffective (अप्रभावी, बेकार). More than 600 people, mostly civilians (आम नागरिक, असैन्य व्यक्ति), were killed. It will take years, if not decades (दशक), for Iran to rebuild what it has lost. Yet, victories and defeats in wars are not measured by material losses alone. Despite the losses and a clear power imbalance (असंतुलन, असमानता), Tehran has refused to capitulate (आत्मसमर्पण करना, हार मानना). Its government recovered swiftly (तेजी से, शीघ्रता से) from the initial shock of June 13, and its sustained (continuous, continued, endless, persistent, ongoing) retaliatory (revenging, vengeful, avenging) campaign of ballistic missile (a self-propelled/rocket-propelled weapon designed to deliver a conventional/nuclear explosive warhead with great accuracy at high speed; projectile) and drone (unmanned aircraft/missile; Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)) attacks exposed (reveal, uncover, disclose, exhibit, manifest, lay bare) vulnerabilities in Israel’s vaunted multilayered air defence system; there were deaths. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who claimed early that his campaign (military operation(s), offensive, attack, manoeuvre(s), engagement) could lead to (result in, cause, bring on, bring about, give rise to) regime change in Iran, was eventually (finally, ultimately, in the end) forced to accept a ceasefire, after the U.S. struck Iran’s nuclear plants. U.S. President Donald Trump, who had demanded Tehran’s “unconditional (unquestioning, unrestricted, complete/total) surrender”, announced de-escalation (reduction, lessening, decrease (the intensity of a potentially violent situation)) after Iran carried out a symbolic strike (attack, hit) on American bases (a place where armed forces are stationed and military operations are conducted; it typically includes housing, training, and support facilities for military personnel) in Qatar and Iraq on Monday night.

The war could have far-reaching (extensive, sweeping, broad, deep, comprehensive, expansive, widespread) implications (consequence/outcome, ramification, repercussion) for the regional order (the arrangement of power and authority that provides the system for the conduct of diplomacy and regional politics in relation to the particular region of the world). Iran has reasserted (reaffirm, assert again, affirm, insist, maintain, contend, declare, claim) itself as a counterbalance (counterweight, counter-force) to Israel in an otherwise unipolar ((in international politics), relating to a distribution of power in which one state (country/person) exercises most of the cultural, economic, and military influence) West Asia. Tehran is likely (probably, presumably, doubtlessly) to rebuild its conventional arsenal (a range of resources (or weaponry) ready for a particular use; collection, range, battery, line-up, array), bolster (strengthen, support, make stronger, give strength to, fortify, reinforce, underpin, buttress) relationships with Russia and China and reset (re-establish (something)) ties in the region. On the other side, Israel’s over-reliance (excessive dependency) on the U.S. was again laid bare when faced with major conventional (non-nuclear) challenges. When it launched the war, it knew that it would not be able to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities on its own. The U.S., which was participating in the defence of (to support/protect someone/something) Israel by intercepting (prevent, check, block, hinder, impede, obstruct) Iranian projectiles (missile), joined in, giving Tel Aviv an exit strategy (In war, an exit strategy refers to the plan for how a military force will disengage from a conflict, either after achieving its objectives or to mitigate further losses). But the U.S., which has burnt its fingers in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, did not want to get entangled (involve, bog down, mix up, mire, implicate, embroil) in another forever (lasting, continuing, permanent) war. This left Mr. Netanyahu with no other option but to accept a ceasefire with the regime he wanted to overthrow (bring down, depose, unseat, topple, dethrone, oust). U.S. intelligence ((military/political) information, facts, details, particulars) agencies assess that the Iranian nuclear programme has been set back by only a few months. In effect (in reality, in fact, effectively, practically, virtually), the war failed to deliver its objective (target, intention, purpose, goal/aim) and has brought the situation full circle: the urgent need for a diplomatic (tactful, sensitive, subtle, delicate; consular, foreign-policy) solution. For diplomacy to succeed, the U.S. must engage in (to take part in or do something) serious talks (discussion, dialogue, consultation, deliberation, negotiation, parley) with credible (acceptable, trustworthy, reliable, dependable; believable, plausible, reasonable) promises of economic benefits for Iran in return for accepting long-term, verifiable limits on its nuclear programme. Second, Washington must rein in (नियंत्रित करना, रोकना) Israel. As long as its closest ally (a country/state with an alliance with another one in which they promise to support each other militarily and to defend each other) continues to bomb its enemies with impunity (exemption from punishment, freedom from punishment, immunity, indemnity, non-liability), order and stability will remain out of reach (inaccessible, unattainable, unreachable, unavailable, unapproachable) for West Asia.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.strategic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - रणनीतिक
English Meaning - relating to achieving long-term or overall goals.

2.rein in (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - नियंत्रित करना, रोकना
English Meaning - to control, restrain, restrict, limit someone/something.

3.conflict (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संघर्ष, टकराव
English Meaning - war, warfare, armed conflict, military action, armed clash.

4.stability (noun)

Hindi Meaning - स्थिरता
English Meaning - steadiness, firmness, solidity, secureness, strength.

5.tense (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - तनावपूर्ण, चिंतित
English Meaning - anxious, nervous, restless, edgy, strained, stressed.

6.ceasefire (noun)

Hindi Meaning - युद्धविराम, संघर्ष विराम
English Meaning - a negotiated agreement that will be accompanied by other associated commitments to de-escalate the fighting; a temporary stoppage of war, truce, armistice.

7.claim (verb)

Hindi Meaning - दावा करना,घोषणा करना
English Meaning - assert, affirm, avow, declare, state, insist.

8.key (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रमुख, मुख्य, महत्वपूर्ण
English Meaning - main, major, important, significant.

9.virtually (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - लगभग,वास्तव में
English Meaning - practically, effectively, in effect, actually, in reality.

10.ineffective (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अप्रभावी, बेकार
English Meaning - useless, unsuccessful.

11.civilian (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आम नागरिक, असैन्य व्यक्ति
English Meaning - non-military person, ordinary citizen.

12.decade (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दशक
English Meaning - a period of ten years.

13.imbalance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - असंतुलन, असमानता
English Meaning - disparity, variation, disproportion, unevenness, lopsidedness.

14.capitulate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - आत्मसमर्पण करना, हार मानना
English Meaning - surrender, give in, yield, submit, succumb

15.swiftly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - तेजी से, शीघ्रता से
English Meaning - quickly, instantly, promptly, immediately, suddenly, expeditiously.

16.misfire (noun)

English Meaning - failure, flop, mess, mishap, total loss, washout, disappointment.

17.truce (noun)

English Meaning - an ad-hoc (temporary/makeshift) arrangement, arrived at by the combatants (fighters), to pause the fighting. Temporary cessation/suspension (of hostilities); A deal to stop fighting for a certain time.

18.cessation of hostilities (phrase)

English Meaning - it means that the combatants are willing to stop fighting and to restrain their forces.

19.set back (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - delay, hold back, decelerate, slow down, put a brake on, hinder, impede, obstruct.

20.facility (noun)

English Meaning - centre, station, location, premises

21.top chain command (noun)

English Meaning - top-Level management; top-level officials.

22.sustained (adjective)

English Meaning - continuous, continued, endless, persistent, ongoing.

23.retaliatory (adjective)

English Meaning - revenging, vengeful, avenging.

24.campaign (noun)

English Meaning - military operation(s), offensive, attack, manoeuvre(s), engagement.

25.missile (noun)

English Meaning - a self-propelled/rocket-propelled weapon designed to deliver a conventional/nuclear explosive warhead with great accuracy at high speed; projectile.

26.cruise missile (noun)

English Meaning - it is a guided missile that flies with constant speed to deliver a warhead at specified target over long distance with high accuracy.

27.ballistic missile (noun)

English Meaning - a missile, which is shot from the ground, takes a long distance to travel well outside the atmosphere and falls to the earth to explode on its target (due to the gravity).

28.drone (noun)

English Meaning - unmanned aircraft/missile; Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).

29.expose (verb)

English Meaning - reveal, uncover, disclose, exhibit, manifest, lay bare.

30.vulnerability (noun)

English Meaning - weakness, defencelessness, unprotectedness, susceptibility.

31.much-vaunted (adjective)

English Meaning - much-acclaimed, much-admired, much-praised, much-acknowledged.

32.multi-layered (adjective)

English Meaning - having many layers.

33.lead to (verb)

English Meaning - result in, cause, bring on, bring about, give rise to.

34.regime (noun)

English Meaning - government.

35.eventually (adverb)

English Meaning - finally, ultimately, in the end

36.strike (verb)

English Meaning - attack, hit.

37.unconditional (adjective)

English Meaning - unquestioning, unrestricted, complete/total.

38.de-escalation (noun)

English Meaning - reduction, lessening, decrease (the intensity of a potentially violent situation).

39.strike (noun)

English Meaning - attack.

40.(military) base (noun)

English Meaning - a place where armed forces are stationed and military operations are conducted; it typically includes housing, training, and support facilities for military personnel.

41.far-reaching (adjective)

English Meaning - extensive, sweeping, broad, deep, comprehensive, expansive, widespread.

42.implications (noun)

English Meaning - consequence/outcome, ramification, repercussion.

43.regional order (noun)

English Meaning - the arrangement of power and authority that provides the system for the conduct of diplomacy and regional politics in relation to the particular region of the world.

44.reassert (verb)

English Meaning - reaffirm, assert again, affirm, insist, maintain, contend, declare, claim.

45.counterbalance (noun)

English Meaning - counterweight, counter-force;

46.unipolar (adjective)

English Meaning - (in international politics), relating to a distribution of power in which one state (country/person) exercises most of the cultural, economic, and military influence.

47.likely (adverb)

English Meaning - probably, presumably, doubtlessly.

48.conventional (adjective)

English Meaning - non-nuclear.

49.arsenal (noun)

English Meaning - a range of resources (or weaponry) ready for a particular use; collection, range, battery, line-up, array.

50.bolster (verb)

English Meaning - strengthen, support, make stronger, give strength to, fortify, reinforce, underpin, buttress.

51.reset (verb)

English Meaning - re-establish (something).

52.ties (noun)

English Meaning - association, relationship, bond, connection.

53.over-reliance (noun)

English Meaning - excessive dependency.

54.lay bare (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - reveal, disclose, expose, unveil, show, display, exhibit, manifest, highlight, pinpoint

55.on one’s own (phrase)

English Meaning - alone, all alone, unaccompanied.

56.in the defence of (phrase)

English Meaning - to support/protect someone/something.

57.intercept (verb)

English Meaning - prevent, check, block, hinder, impede, obstruct.

58.projectile (noun)

English Meaning - missile.

59.exit strategy (noun)

English Meaning - In war, an exit strategy refers to the plan for how a military force will disengage from a conflict, either after achieving its objectives or to mitigate further losses.

60.strategy (noun)

English Meaning - plan of action (in order to achieve a more expansive set of political, economic, and security interests).

61.burn one’s fingers (phrase)

English Meaning - to suffer unpleasant results; to suffer a loss; to suffer consequences of one’s actions.

62.entangle (verb)

English Meaning - involve, bog down, mix up, mire, implicate, embroil.

63.forever (adjective)

English Meaning - lasting, continuing, permanent

64.overthrow (verb)

English Meaning - bring down, depose, unseat, topple, dethrone, oust.

65.intelligence (noun)

English Meaning - (military/political) information, facts, details, particulars.

66.in effect (phrase)

English Meaning - in reality, in fact, effectively, practically, virtually.

67.objective (noun)

English Meaning - target, intention, purpose, goal/aim.

68.come full circle (phrase)

English Meaning - it means that something returns to its original starting point usually after going through many changes.

69.diplomatic (adjective)

English Meaning - tactful, sensitive, subtle, delicate; consular, foreign-policy.

70.diplomacy (noun)

English Meaning - international politics, foreign affairs, foreign policy; negotiations, discussions, talks, dialogue (related to international politics).

71.engage in (verb)

English Meaning - to take part in or do something.

72.talks (noun)

English Meaning - discussion, dialogue, consultation, deliberation, negotiation, parley.

73.credible (adjective)

English Meaning - acceptable, trustworthy, reliable, dependable; believable, plausible, reasonable.

74.as long as (phrase)

English Meaning - so long as, on the condition that, until, inasmuch as, insofar as.

75.ally (noun)

English Meaning - a country/state with an alliance with another one in which they promise to support each other militarily and to defend each other.

76.impunity (noun)

English Meaning - exemption from punishment, freedom from punishment, immunity, indemnity, non-liability.

77.out of reach (phrase)

English Meaning - inaccessible, unattainable, unreachable, unavailable, unapproachable.