The most important foreign affairs events of the week

June 5, 2023

“In a new study, scientists found that an important climate milestone could come about a decade sooner than anticipated, as all of the Arctic’s floating sea ice would melt in a summer, in 2030, even if planet-warming emissions are gradually reduced. The peer-reviewed findings also show that this turning point of climate change could materialize even if nations manage to curb greenhouse gas emissions more decisively than they are currently doing. Over the past four decades, the far north has already been warming four times as quickly as the global average, a phenomenon that scientists call Arctic amplification.”

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The noun milestone means “an important event, as in a child's development, the history of a nation, or the advancement of knowledge in a field; a turning point.”

Remember: the noun phenomenon is the singular form of phenomena.

June 6, 2023

“On Tuesday, The World Bank published its latest Global Economic Prospects report, which said that the global economy remained in a ‘precarious state’ and warned of sluggish growth this year and next as rising interest rates slow consumer spending and business investment, and threaten the stability of the financial system. The document highlights the predicament that global policymakers face as they try to corral stubborn inflation by raising interest rates while grappling with the aftermath of the pandemic and continuing supply chain disruptions stemming from the war in Ukraine. The World Bank projected that global growth would slow to 2.1 percent this year from 3.1 percent in 2022. That is slightly stronger than its forecast of 1.7 percent in January, but in 2024 output is now expected to rise to 2.4 percent, weaker than the bank’s previous prediction of 2.7 percent.”

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The adjective sluggish means “displaying little movement or activity; slow; inactive; lacking alertness, vigor, or energy; inert or indolent.”

The transitive verb corral means “to take control or possession of; to confine in or as if in a corral.”

June 7, 2023

“On Wednesday, the value of the Turkish lira as measured in dollars plunged by more than 7 percent to a record low, signaling a potential shift in the government’s economic policy. Over the past two years, the value of the lira has declined 60 percent against the dollar; a lira is now worth only 4.3 cents. Turkey has been struggling with huge debts, an inflation rate of just under 40 percent and a declining currency. Many analysts say the country’s economic problems have been exacerbated in recent years by Mr. Erdogan. The president has repeatedly flouted conventional economic wisdom by arguing that high interest rates fuel inflation.The government has been at pains to prop up the value of the lira, creating incentives to prevent people from exchanging the currency and pushing the central bank to sell off foreign exchange reserves.”

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The intransitive verb plunge means “to fall rapidly; to slope steeply downward.”

The transitive verb flout means “to ignore or disregard (a rule or convention, for example) in an open or defiant way.”

June 8, 2023

“On Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his three-day visit to Saudi Arabia. This is the most obvious effort yet by the Biden administration to smooth relations with the Saudi government, which has been implementing overtures to China and, to a lesser extent, to Israel, and balancing its acts with Russia and Ukraine. US and Saudi officials discussed cooperation on a smorgasbord of issues: Iran, Sudan, the Islamic State, regional infrastructure, clean energy and the potential normalization of Saudi-Israel relations. Officials in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab nations say they reject the binary choice that they feel has been posed to them by American and European diplomats since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and in the context of the growing US-China competition.” 

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The noun overture means “An act, offer, or proposal that indicates readiness to undertake a course of action or open a relationship.”

The noun smorgasbord means “a varied collection; an extensive array or variety.”

June 9, 2023

“On Thursday and Friday, the smoke from Canadian wildfires took over New York’s atmosphere. Fires are burning in forests in all of Canada’s provinces and territories, except the province of Prince Edward Island and Nunavut, a northern territory that sits above the tree line, where temperatures are too low for trees to survive. Unfortunately, global average temperatures have increased because of the unchecked burning of coal, oil and gas for 150 years. That has created the conditions for more frequent and intense heat waves. That extra heat in the atmosphere has also created a greater likelihood of extreme, sometimes catastrophic, weather worldwide. Australia, for instance, could see more intense drought, and low-lying islands are projected to experience higher storm surges as sea levels rise.”

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The noun wildfire means “a raging, rapidly spreading fire.” In a different context, wildfire means “anything that is disseminated quickly.”

The noun likelihood means “the state of being probable; probability; something probable.”