Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Another grouping: On AUKUS

Another grouping: On AUKUS

AUKUS presents both challenges and opportunities for India as a Quad member

In its first reaction to AUKUS, the new partnership between Australia, the U.S. and the U.K., India has made it clear that it does not welcome the announcement, nor does it wish to link AUKUS to Indian interests (रूचियाँ, सामान्य चिंताएं, लाभ). Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla said that AUKUS, which was launched a week before the first in-person (relating to an event where people physically present together) summit (सम्मेलन, बैठक) of leaders of the Australia-India-Japan-U.S. Quadrilateral, will not affect plans to strengthen the Quad. He called them two very different groupings, describing AUKUS as a security alliance (गठबंधन, संघ, साझेदारी), and indicating that security is not the Quad’s main focus. Brushing aside (dismiss, disregard, ignore) criticism from China and Iran on the plans within the partnership for the U.S. and the U.K. to develop nuclear-propelled (परमाणु चालित) submarines (पनडुब्बी) for Australia, he said that India does not see AUKUS as nuclear proliferation (प्रसार, तेजी से वृद्धि). But New Delhi has noticed the protests from others, especially France, that has lost a lucrative (लाभप्रद, लाभकारी) submarine deal in the bargain (सौदा, समझौता, व्यवस्था), prompting (प्रोत्साहित करना, उत्तेजित करना) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to reach out (तक पहुँच, बढ़ाना, फैलना) to their French counterparts (समकक्ष). France has recalled (वापस बुलाना, याद करना) its Ambassadors (राजदूत, राजनयिक) to the U.S. and Australia, accusing them of betrayal (विश्वासघात, बेवफाई, दोहरा व्यवहार) by negotiating their defence partnership with the U.K., and without informing European allies. The EU and ASEAN countries have been reserved in their reactions. U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have now spoken to French President Emmanuel Macron, but it remains to be seen whether the damage to ties can be reversed.

Given (considering, taking into account, bearing in mind) the different reactions and widespread impact of the AUKUS partnership, India’s non-committal (evasive, circumspect, reserved; cautious, wary, careful, tactful, diplomatic) note is not surprising. There are two sides to it. The promising (good, positive, encouraging, favourable, hopeful, optimistic) possibilities (chance, practicability, probability) of the alliance include strengthening the Quad’s agenda to keep the Indo-Pacific region (the Indo-Pacific region refers to the confluence (convergence) of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, which interconnect in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and more)) free, open (accessible, unrestricted) and inclusive (all-inclusive, including all the parties/groups involved in something). The alliance could also extend itself to bolstering (strengthen, support, reinforce/buttress) the Quad’s efforts on maritime (of or related to the sea) exercises ((military) manoeuvres, operations), security and efforts in countering (combat, fight, tackle, confront, stand up to, resist) COVID-19, climate change (a long-term change in the Earth’s climate, or of a region on Earth), cooperating on critical technologies, and building resilient (strong, buoyant, flexible) supply chains (a network between a company and its suppliers to produce and distribute a specific product to the final buyer). More broadly, the U.S.’s three-fold (having three parts) messaging on AUKUS seems to be in line with (in alignment with, in accordance with, conforming to) India’s hopes: that “America is back” after four years of retrenchment (reduction, cut back, decrease, deduction, downsizing, curtailment) from global issues; is as engaged with its Indo-Pacific flank (border, boundary, limits, bounds) as it is with its Transatlantic (concerning/relating to countries on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean) flank, and is focused on partnerships with fellow (having a particular activity, quality; equal) democracies in particular (particularly, specifically, to be specific, especially, specially). But the concerns over AUKUS are considerable (substantial, significant, a lot of) too: that the timing of the announcement of the deal just before the Quad leaders meet could overshadow (outdo, outclass, outstrip, outshine; dominate) the latter, and also signal that the U.S. is relegating (downgrade, lower, lower in rank, lower in status, put down) the Quad to less substantive (important, significant, considerable) issues in the Indo-Pacific. With the sudden announcement of AUKUS, a worry for New Delhi is that the U.S. is now promoting a security partnership with its “Anglo-Saxon (White, English-speaking person, (referring to the USA and the UK); It also refers to settlers from the German regions (tribes of Angeln and Saxony) settled in England in the 5th& 6th century after the fall of the Roman Empire)” treaty (agreement, accord, pact, compact, protocol) allies that it is excluded from, possibly upsetting the balance of power (stability in a system composed of a number of autonomous forces. Whenever the equilibrium is disturbed either by an outside force or by a change in one or the other elements composing the system, the system shows a tendency to re-establish either the original or a new equilibrium) in the region, and setting off new tensions (strained relations; strain, stress, pressure, unease) to India’s east, adding to (increase, magnify, amplify, intensify, heighten) the substantial turbulence (turmoil, instability, conflict, upheaval, disorder, chaos) in India’s west caused by the developments (turn of events, occurrence, happening, circumstance, incident, phenomenon, situation) in Afghanistan.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.make clear (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - स्पष्ट करना, निखारना, समझाना
English Meaning - explain, clarify, elucidate.

2.interests (noun)

Hindi Meaning - रूचियाँ, सामान्य चिंताएं, लाभ
English Meaning - common concerns; advantages/benefits.

3.summit (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सम्मेलन, बैठक
English Meaning - meeting, conference, conclave.

4.alliance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गठबंधन, संघ, साझेदारी
English Meaning - association, union, partnership.

5.nuclear-propelled (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - परमाणु चालित
English Meaning - powered by nuclear energy.

6.submarine (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पनडुब्बी
English Meaning - a warship submerged in the water.

7.proliferation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रसार, तेजी से वृद्धि
English Meaning - rapid increase, rise, escalation.

8.lucrative (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - लाभप्रद, लाभकारी
English Meaning - remunerative, profitable, profit-making, high-paying, rewarding.

9.bargain (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सौदा, समझौता, व्यवस्था
English Meaning - agreement, arrangement, understanding, deal.

10.prompt (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रोत्साहित करना, उत्तेजित करना
English Meaning - cause, encourage, stimulate, impel, urge.

11.reach out (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - तक पहुँच, बढ़ाना, फैलना
English Meaning - contact someone to obtain/offer help/assistance/cooperation.

12.counterpart (noun)

Hindi Meaning - समकक्ष
English Meaning - someone or something that has the same job or purpose as another; equivalent, equal, fellow.

13.recall (verb)

Hindi Meaning - वापस बुलाना, याद करना
English Meaning - summon back, order back, call back (someone to return); bring back.

14.ambassador (noun)

Hindi Meaning - राजदूत, राजनयिक
English Meaning - envoy, diplomat, consul.

15.betrayal (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विश्वासघात, बेवफाई, दोहरा व्यवहार
English Meaning - disloyalty, bad faith, faithlessness, falseness; deception, double-dealing.

16.in-person (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to an event where people physically present together.

17.AUKUS (noun)

English Meaning - it is a new trilateral security partnership for the Indo-Pacific, between Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. The security grouping AUKUS will focus on advancing strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific region. As part of this, Australia will acquire nuclear-powered submarines with help from the U.K. and the U.S.

18.Quad/Quadrilateral (noun)

English Meaning - The ‘Quadrilateral’ is described as four democracies (the United States, Japan, Australia and India) with a shared objective to ensure and support a “free, open and prosperous” Indo-Pacific region.

19.brush aside (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - dismiss, disregard, ignore.

20.nuclear proliferation (noun)

English Meaning - the spread of nuclear weapons, and, more generally, the spread of nuclear technology and knowledge that might be put to military use.

21.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.

22.Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (noun)

English Meaning - a regional grouping that promotes economic, political, and security cooperation among its ten members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.reserve (verb) - defer, postpone, put off, delay, withhold.

23.given (preposition)

English Meaning - considering, taking into account, bearing in mind.

24.non-committal (adjective)

English Meaning - evasive, circumspect, reserved; cautious, wary, careful, tactful, diplomatic.

25.promising (adjective)

English Meaning - good, positive, encouraging, favourable, hopeful, optimistic.

26.possibility (noun)

English Meaning - chance, practicability, probability.

27.The Indo-Pacific region (noun)

English Meaning - the Indo-Pacific region refers to the confluence (convergence) of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, which interconnect in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and more).

28.open (adjective)

English Meaning - accessible, unrestricted.

29.inclusive (adjective)

English Meaning - all-inclusive, including all the parties/groups involved in something.

30.extend to (verb)

English Meaning - include, go as far as, take in, incorporate, encompass, comprise, comprehend, subsume.

31.bolster (verb)

English Meaning - strengthen, support, reinforce/buttress.

32.maritime (adjective)

English Meaning - of or related to the sea.

33.development (noun)

English Meaning - turn of events, occurrence, happening, circumstance, incident, phenomenon, situation.

34.exercise (noun)

English Meaning - (military) manoeuvres, operations.

35.counter (verb)

English Meaning - combat, fight, tackle, confront, stand up to, resist.

36.climate change (noun)

English Meaning - a long-term change in the Earth’s climate, or of a region on Earth.

37.resilient (adjective)

English Meaning - strong, buoyant, flexible.

38.supply chain (noun)

English Meaning - a network between a company and its suppliers to produce and distribute a specific product to the final buyer.

39.three-fold (adverb)

English Meaning - having three parts.

40.in line with (phrase)

English Meaning - in alignment with, in accordance with, conforming to.

41.retrenchment (noun)

English Meaning - reduction, cut back, decrease, deduction, downsizing, curtailment.

42.flank (noun)

English Meaning - border, boundary, limits, bounds.

43.transatlantic (adjective)

English Meaning - concerning/relating to countries on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

44.fellow (adjective)

English Meaning - having a particular activity, quality; equal.

45.in particular (phrase)

English Meaning - particularly, specifically, to be specific, especially, specially.

47.considerable (adjective)

English Meaning - substantial, significant, a lot of.

48.overshadow (verb)

English Meaning - outdo, outclass, outstrip, outshine; dominate.

49.relegate (verb)

English Meaning - downgrade, lower, lower in rank, lower in status, put down,

50.substantive (adjective)

English Meaning - important, significant, considerable.

51.Anglo-Saxon (noun)

English Meaning - White, English-speaking person, (referring to the USA and the UK); It also refers to settlers from the German regions (tribes of Angeln and Saxony) settled in England in the 5th& 6th century after the fall of the Roman Empire.

52.treaty (noun)

English Meaning - agreement, accord, pact, compact, protocol.

53.balance of power (phrase)

English Meaning - stability in a system composed of a number of autonomous forces. Whenever the equilibrium is disturbed either by an outside force or by a change in one or the other elements composing the system, the system shows a tendency to re-establish either the original or a new equilibrium.

54.set off (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - cause, bring about, begin/start, prompt, trigger.

55.tension (noun)

English Meaning - strained relations; strain, stress, pressure, unease.

56.add to (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - increase, magnify, amplify, intensify, heighten.

57.substantial (adjective)

English Meaning - considerable, significant.

58.turbulence (noun)

English Meaning - turmoil, instability, conflict, upheaval, disorder, chaos.