President Donald Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12 cannot be viewed in isolation(अलग होने की स्थिति/पृथक्रकरण) from the unilateral(एकतरफा/एकपक्षीय) American decision to withdraw from the nuclear pact with Iran. While the decision could undermine confidence in his word, he is also visibly trying hard to amp up pre-summit goodwill. He has, for instance, effusively(प्रभावशाली ढंग /जोश से) greeted(बधाई दी/अभिवादन करना) the North Korean decision announced over the weekend to destroy its nuclear testing zone — though sceptics(संदेहवादी) argue(तर्क करना/उलझ जाना) that the site is unusable anyway and that it is premature(बेसोचा-समझा/समयपूर्व) to hail the North’s decision. Any which way, the meeting between the U.S. and North Korean leaders will be historic(ऐतिहासिक), something that would have been unimaginable(अकल्पनीय/ख़याल से बाहर का) even a few months ago. Tensions between the two countries had risen to an all-time high over the winter, and Pyongyang’s series of nuclear and intercontinental missile tests were met with an increasingly(तेजी से/विस्तार से) stringent(कड़ी से कड़ी/कठोर) international sanctions regime(शासन) and extremely stern diplomacy(कूटनीति/राजनैतिक कौशल). The recent thaw in relations between Pyongyang and Washington has been aided by attempts by both North and South Korea to restore normalcy on the divided(विभाजित ) peninsula, beginning with cordiality(आत्मीयता/सरलता) during(दौरान/इतने में) the Winter Olympics and then a meeting between the two Korean leaders. Seoul and Washington too had suspended(बर्खास्त कर दिया/लटकता हुआ) their annual military exercises, to reassure(आश्वस्त/समझाना) North Korea of their intentions(इरादों/आशय). For its part, the North has announced the release of three American prisoners(कैदियों)accused(अभियुक्त/मुलजिम) of “hostile(शत्रुतापूर्ण/द्वेषपूर्ण) activities”. It has also ceased further nuclear and missile tests. Whether Mr. Kim will agree to a freeze on the North’s nuclear programme is, however, still in the realm(क्षेत्र/अटकलों) ofspeculation(विचार/दायरा).
Mr. Trump has seized(जब्त/रोक लगाना) the opportunity afforded(समर्थ बनाया/जुटाना) by the summit, an unprecedented(अभूतपूर्व/बेमिसाल) feat for any U.S. leader, to project himself as the archetypal peacemaker(मिलाप करनेवाला/शांति करनेवाला). But the summit cannot escape(पलायन/बचना) a fundamental and glaring(चमकदार) contradiction(विरोधाभास).From the standpoint(दृष्टिकोण/सिद्धांत) of global nuclear non-proliferation(अप्रसार), it is hard to reconcile(समाधान करना)Washington’s desire to broker peace with Pyongyang with its abrogation(निराकरण) of the multilateral(बहुपक्षीय) pact with Tehran. Neither the threat nor the actual use of force has been enough to significantly advance global nuclear non-proliferation objectives. Recognition of these inherent(स्वाभाविक ) limitations(हद) led to the adoption(स्वीकृति/अभिग्रहण) last year, by over 120 nations, of the UN treaty to prohibit(रोकना/मना करना) and eventually(अंत में/फलतः) abolish(समाप्त करना) nuclear arms. Mr. Trump could well view the summit as a chance of a lifetime to turn the tables on a festering(झुकाव/ issue(मुद्दा) and earn his legacy(विरासत/वसीयत सम्पदा). But the deal-maker in him may find the diplomatic deftness required of the task difficult to marshal, given the hawkish defence and foreign policy team around him. Having alienated(विचलित होना) his European allies over the Iran nuclear deal, world trade and climate change, Mr. Trump needs positive atmospherics in Singapore.
Important Vocabulary
1.Alienated(विचलित होना
Synonyms: disaffected, alone
Antonyms: united
2.Premature(बेसोचा-समझा/समयपूर्व)
Synonyms: immature, incomplete, untimely, a bit previous, abortive
Antonyms: backward, careful, cautious, delayed, late
3.Speculation(विचार/दायरा).
Synonyms: belief, conjecture, opinion, thought, cerebration
Antonyms: reality, truth, disdain, disregard, ignorance
4.Cordiality(आत्मीयता/सरलता)
Synonyms: reciprocity, sincerity, affability, agree ability, agreeableness
Antonyms: disapproval, disfavor, aloofness, coolness, hostility
5.Seized(जब्त/रोक लगाना)
Synonyms: captured, annexed, clutched, snatched
6.Reassure(आश्वस्त/समझाना)
Synonyms: assure, bolster, buoy, cheer, comfort
Antonyms: annoy, bring down, depress, discourage, dishearten
7.Standpoint(दृष्टिकोण/सिद्धांत)
Synonyms: angle, point of view, viewpoint, attitude, judgment
