International Politics 2B - 2D Flashcards
a serious promise
syn.: ?
a pledge
/pledʒ/
syn.: a commitment
/kəˈmɪtmənt/
- to fulfil/break/abandon a pledge*
- Will the government honour its election pledge not to raise taxes?*
pledge (of sth.). a pledge of support
pledge to do sth. Will the government honour its election pledge not to raise taxes?
pledge that… Management has made a pledge that there will be no job losses this year.
with only small amounts or numbers of sth., often spread over a large area
sparsely
/ˈspɑːsli/
- a sparsely populated area*
- Mountain areas are sparsely populated*
- a sparsely furnished room*
to escape suddenly from sb. who is holding you or keeping you prisoner
to break away
/breɪk əˈweɪ/
The prisoner broke away from his guards.
the doctrine that recognizes the nation as the primary unit of political allegiance; the desire by a group of people who share the same race, culture, language, etc. to form an independent country
[uncountable] nationalism
/ˈnæʃnəlɪzəm/
- Scottish nationalism*
- a 19th-century resurgence of Finnish nationalism*
- a tide of militant nationalism*
(esp. British english) to make sb. join the armed forces
(North American English usually) also: ?
syn.: ?
[usually passive] to conscript
/kənˈskrɪpt/
(North American English usually) also: to draft
/drɑːft/
syn.: to call up
/kɔːl ʌp/
to be conscripted (into sth.) He was conscripted into the army in 1939
to be conscripted for sth. to be conscripted for military service
a particular attitude towards sth. ; a way of thinking about sth.
syn.: ?
[countable] perspective
/pəˈspektɪv/
syn.: viewpoint
/ˈvjuːpɔɪnt/
- A historical perspective may help us understand the issue.*
- The aim is to offer a fresh perspective.*
from a… perspective. Try to see the issue from a different perspective.
from the perspective of sb./sth. a report that looks at the education system from the perspective of deaf people
perspective on sth. The exhibition provides us with a unique perspective on her work.
sth. that encourages you to do sth.
opp.: ?
[countable, uncount.] incentive (for/to sb./sth.) (to do sth.)
opp.: disincentive
/ˌdɪsɪnˈsentɪv/
- There is no incentive for people to save fuel.*
- There is an added incentive for you to buy from our catalogue—a free gift with every purchase.*
- This gives pupils a strong incentive to read in English.*
- Low levels of profitability mean there is a lack of incentive to undertake new investment.*
to control and use the force or strength of sth. to produce power or to achieve sth.
to harness (sth.)
/ˈhɑːnɪs/
- attempts to harness the sun’s rays as a source of energy*
- We must harness the skill and creativity of our workforce*
- How can this energy be harnessed effectively for the good of humankind?*
the business or industry of producing goods in large quantities in factories, etc.
[uncountable] manufacturing
/ˌmænjuˈfæktʃərɪŋ/
- Many jobs in manufacturing were lost during the recession.*
- The company has established its first manufacturing base in Europe.*
- manufacturing industry*
in every way that is important; completely
fundamentally
/ˌfʌndəˈmentəli/
- The two approaches are fundamentally different.*
- By the 1960s the situation had changed fundamentally.*
- They remained fundamentally opposed to the plan.*
to affect or be relevant to sth.; to concern or relate to sb./sth.
[not used in the progressive tenses; transitive, intr.] to apply
/əˈplaɪ/
Special conditions apply if you are under 18.
to apply to sb./sth. The rules applied to employees and their behaviour at work.
What I am saying applies only to some of you.
to apply sth. to sb./sth. The word ‘unexciting’ could never be applied to her novels.
the act of making a state or situation continue
[uncountable] maintenance
/ˈmeɪntənəns/
- the maintenance of international peace*
- the economic and political requisites for the making and maintenance of global, regional and local hegemons*
- Marital fidelity is what is most common in a traditional marriage, and in fact it is foundational to the maintenance of that relationship.*
to talk about sth., especially formally, before making a decision or finding a solution
syn.: ?
to debate
/dɪˈbeɪt/
syn.: to discuss
/dɪˈskʌs/
to debate (sth.) Politicians will be debating the bill later this week.
The question of the origin of the universe is still hotly debated (= strongly argued about) by scientists.
to debate whether, what, etc… For 2500 years, people have debated whether international politics is beyond morality.
(esp. US English) the practice of ordering people by law to serve in the armed forces
(UK) syn.: 2
(the) draft
/ðə drɑːft/
(UK) syn.: conscription, call-up
/kənˈskrɪpʃn/ , /ˈkɔːl ʌp/
- Conscription, sometimes called the draft, is the compulsory enlistment of people in a national service, most often a military service.*
- A draft is the mandatory enrollment of individuals into the armed forces. The United States military has been all-volunteer since 1973. But an Act of Congress could still reinstate the draft in case of a national emergency.*
to turn sb./sth. upside down
to upend (sb./sth.)
/ʌpˈend/
- The bicycle lay upended in a ditch.*
- They sat on upended wooden boxes.*
fig. heroes who upend the social order
very suddenly and to a very great and often surprising degree
dramatically
/drəˈmætɪkli/
- Prices have increased dramatically in the last few years.*
- Events could have developed in a dramatically different way.*
- Since then the situation has changed dramatically.*
(formal) as a result of sth. just mentioned
syn.: ?
(formal) syn.: ?
thus
/ðʌs/
syn.: therefore
/ˈðeəfɔː(r)/
(formal) syn.: hence
/hens/
- He is the eldest son and thus heir to the title.*
- We do not own the building. Thus, it would be impossible for us to make any major changes to it.*
(noun) the time when sb./sth. had most power or success, or was most popular
syn.: ?
[usually singular] heyday
/ˈheɪdeɪ/
syn.: prime
/praɪm/
- In its heyday, the company ran trains every fifteen minutes.*
- a fine example from the heyday of Italian cinema*
- a picture of Brigitte Bardot in her heyday*
(adv.) despite what has just been said
syn.: ?
yet
/jet/
syn.: nevertheless
/ˌnevəðəˈles/
- It’s a small car, yet it’s surprisingly spacious.*
- He has a good job, and yet he never seems to have any money.*
to take control of a country or city and its people by force
to conquer sb./sth.
/ˈkɒŋkə(r)/
- The Normans conquered England in 1066.*
- In 330 BC Persia was conquered by Alexander the Great.*
- The Roman empire offered citizenship to its conquered peoples.*
a problem or worry that sb. has with sth.
[countable] issue
/ˈɪʃuː/
Money is not an issue.
issue about/around sb./sth. She’s always on a diet—she has issues about food.
issue with sb./sth. He still has some issues with women (= has some problems dealing with them).
to become gradually weaker or less
(rather formal) syn.: ?
[intransitive] to ebb (away)
/eb/
(rather formal) syn.: to decrease
/dɪˈkriːs/
- Susan’s strength was starting to ebb by the time she saw the finish line.*
- The pain was ebbing.*
- As night fell, our enthusiasm began to ebb away.*
(of time) to pass
to go on
/ɡəʊ ɒn/
- She became more and more talkative as the evening went on.*
- As the weeks and months went on, I slipped out of that acceptance and into denial.*
- The years go on and nothing seems the same for Alejandro.*
(formal) that is considered representative of a situation, an area of work, etc.
syn.: ?
emblematic
/ˌembləˈmætɪk/
syn.: typical
/ˈtɪpɪkl/
- The violence is emblematic of what is happening in our inner cities.*
- This dish is emblematic of my region.*
- The most emblematic example of this reality was the refusal of the Saudis to increase oil production in order to force down prices.*
a person who believes that a political, religious or moral principle is true in all circumstances
absolutist
/ˈæbsəluːtɪst/
- He was a moral absolutist with little patience for shades of grey—or for dissent.*
- It is this difficulty which leads those who are relativists to have these kinds of conversations with others, those who may even be absolutists.*
a method or an idea that seems likely to have a particular result
syn.: ?
recipe (for sth.)
/ˈresəpi/
syn.: formula
/ˈfɔːmjələ/
- To live every day to the full is a recipe for happiness.*
- His plans are a recipe for disaster.*
- It’s the perfect recipe for business success.*
poor in quality, because sth. is missing
impoverished
/ɪmˈpɒvərɪʃt/
- an impoverished attempt at humor*
- Much of our biodiversity remains greatly impoverished and continues to decline.*
- He warned that the breakdown of the family unit would lead to an impoverished society.*
(formal) to defeat an opponent, especially after a long struggle
syn.: ?
to prevail
/prɪˈveɪl/
syn.: to triumph
/ˈtraɪʌmf/
- Ultimately, Rome prevailed over its neighbours.*
- Fortunately, common sense prevailed.*
- The wishes of 20 million people ought to prevail against those of 200 thousand.*
(formal) acceptable according to the law or a particular set of rules
permissible
/pəˈmɪsəbl/
- permissible levels of nitrates* /ˈnaɪtreɪt/ in water
- The cargo exceeds the permissible weight.*
permissible (for sb.) (to do sth.) It is not permissible for employers to discriminate on grounds of age.
the act of becoming more important, successful, powerful, etc.
[singular] rise (of sb./sth.)
/raɪz/
rise of sb./sth. the rise of fascism in Europe
the rise and rise (= continuing success without any failures) of social media
rise to sth. the party’s rise to power
The book charts his rise to the top of his sport.
the quality of being allowed and acceptable according to the law
syn.: ?
(formal) opp.: ?
[uncountable] legitimacy
/lɪˈdʒɪtɪməsi/
syn.: legality
/liːˈɡæləti/
(formal) opp.: illegitimacy
/ˌɪləˈdʒɪtəməsi/
- I intend to challenge the legitimacy of his claim.*
- The lawyers expressed serious doubts about the legitimacy of military action.*
(US English, politics) the number of votes given to one person, political party, etc. when this number is less than 50% but more than any other single person, etc. receives
plural: ?
[countable, usually singular] plurality
/plʊəˈræləti/
plural: pluralities
- In order to be elected, a candidate needs only a plurality of the votes cast.*
- The candidate was elected after receiving a plurality.*
- the votes that gave our party a strong plurality in the chamber*
the act of winning a victory over sb./sth.
[countable, usually singular] defeat
/dɪˈfiːt/
- the defeat of fascism*
- The army inflicted a heavy defeat on rebel forces.*
- They played a key role in Wellington’s defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo.*
that you cannot avoid or prevent
syn.: ?
inevitable
/ɪnˈevɪtəbl/
syn.: unavoidable
/ˌʌnəˈvɔɪdəbl/
It was an inevitable consequence of the decision.
it is inevitable that. It was inevitable that there would be job losses.
A rise in the interest rates seems inevitable.
to improve sth. or make it stronger
to bolster
/ˈbəʊlstə(r)/
to bolster sth. Tax cuts bolstered the government’s popularity.
I needed to stress the bus driver’s evidence in order to bolster my case.
to bolster sth. up. Falling interest rates may help to bolster up the economy.
(formal ; often disapproving ; of a speech or piece of writing) intended to influence people, but not completely honest or sincere
rhetorical
/rɪˈtɒrɪkl/
- This point is what separates rhetorical practice from the polemics of dialecticians.*
- an empty rhetorical gesture*
- This is the rhetorical question with which the article begins.*
(of a country, a region or an organization) able to govern itself or control its own affairs
syn.: ?
autonomous
/ɔːˈtɒnəməs/
syn.: independent
/ˌɪndɪˈpendənt/
- an autonomous republic/state/province*
- a federation of autonomous groups*
- Higher education is relatively autonomous from the government.*
to fall down or fall in suddenly, often after breaking apart
syn.: ?
[intransitive] to collapse
/kəˈlæps/
syn.: to give way
/ɡɪv weɪ/
- The roof collapsed under the weight of snow.*
- Timber buildings may simply rot and collapse.*
- A mother tells how she lost two of her children when her house collapsed.*
to formally write or say sth., especially in a careful and clear way
to state
/steɪt/
to state sth. He has already stated his intention to run for election.
to state how, what, etc… State clearly how many tickets you require.
to state that… He stated categorically that he knew nothing about the deal.
it is stated that… It was stated that standards at the hospital were dropping.
sth./sb. is stated to be/have sth. The contract was stated to be invalid.
to make sth. weaker at the base, for example by digging beneath it
to undermine sth./sb.
/ˌʌndəˈmaɪn/
- The road was being undermined by a stream.*
- This crisis threatens to undermine the very foundations of social life.*
