The most important foreign affairs events of the week

May 29, 2023

“On Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan beat back the greatest political challenge of his career, securing victory in a presidential runoff that granted five more years to a mercurial leader who has vexed his Western allies while tightening his grip on the Turkish state. Erdogan aims to deepen his conservative imprint on Turkish society and to realize his ambition of increasing the country’s economic and geopolitical power. Internal crises, including earthquakes and inflation, did not stop his re-election. The election was closely followed by Turkey’s NATO allies, including the United States, who have often seen Mr. Erdogan as a frustrating partner because of his anti-Western rhetoric and close ties with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, which have grown since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

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The transitive verb vex means “to irritate, bother, or frustrate; to cause perplexity in; baffle.”

The transitive verb imprint means “to produce (a mark or pattern) on a surface by pressure.”

May 30, 2023

“China announced a plan to land astronauts on the moon by 2030. The moon landing project, part of the country’s broader Lunar Exploration Project — also known as the Chang’e Project, for the Chinese moon goddess — had “recently” been kick-started. The project would also seek to enable short-term stays on the lunar surface, as well as collect samples and conduct research. This could mark a significant achievement for China in its burgeoning competition with the United States in space. Space has become another arena for U.S.-China tensions, with echoes of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. China’s space program has developed rapidly in recent years, while America’s has often been bogged down by conflicting priorities and changing administrations.”

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The adjective burgeoning means “rapidly developing or growing; flourishing.” 

The phrasal verb bog down means “to impede or be impeded physically or mentally; get stuck while doing something; prevent completion.”

May 31, 2023

“On Wednesday, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) issued an alert that, for the first time, Burkina Faso tops the list of the world’s most neglected displacement crises. The annual list of neglected displacement crises is based on three criteria: lack of humanitarian funding, lack of media attention, and a lack of international political and diplomatic initiatives. The crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo ranks second, having appeared first or second on the list every year since its inception seven years ago. Colombia, Sudan, and Venezuela follow in this grim ranking. Millions of displaced people are cast aside year after year without the support and resources they so desperately need. According to the NRC, more than five times more articles were written about the Ukrainian displacement crisis last year than about all the world’s ten most neglected crises in total. For every dollar raised per person in need in Ukraine in 2022, just 25 cents were raised per person in need across the world’s ten most neglected crises.”

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The noun inception means “the beginning of something, such as an undertaking; a commencement.” Close synonyms are “origin”, “inauguration”, or “outset”.

The adjective grim means "discouraging, depressing, gloomy." Close synonyms include "terrible, shocking, severe, harsh, sinister, ghastly, hideous, or godawful."

The verb cast aside means “discard something; get rid of; forsake, leave behind.”

June 1, 2023

“On Thursday, at a summit of European leaders in Moldova, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said that NATO should decide whether to admit Ukraine as a member in 2023. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, more than 15 months ago, has given added urgency to the country’s application in September to join NATO. The organization will hold a summit meeting in Lithuania in July and will probably decide on the Ukrainian request. But few expect concrete progress at the one-day summit of 47 leaders. The government in Kyiv views membership as the ultimate guarantee of its security. By contrast, the United States and other NATO allies, despite supporting the government in Kyiv with billions of dollars in military aid, have so far proved reluctant to take that step given that it could bring the alliance into direct conflict with Moscow.”

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The noun application means “the act of applying to a particular purpose or use; a request, as for assistance, employment, or admission to an organization; a verbal or written request, as for a job, etc.”

The phrasal verb bring into means “to cause someone or something to be in a particular situation; to make someone become involved in a discussion or situation.”

June 2, 2023

“On Friday, Human Rights Council-appointed independent experts said that emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence-based biometric surveillance systems, are increasingly being used ‘in sensitive contexts’, without individuals’ knowledge or consent. The experts condemned the already ‘alarming’ use and impacts of spyware and surveillance technologies on the work of human rights defenders and journalists, ‘often under the guise of national security and counter-terrorism measures.’ They also called for regulation to address the lightning-fast development of generative AI that enables mass production of fake online content, which spreads disinformation and hate speech. ‘Regulation is urgently needed to ensure transparency, alert people when they encounter synthetic media, and inform the public about the training data and models used,’ the experts said.”

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In this context, the adjective sensitive means “of or relating to secret or classified information; connected with matters affecting national security, esp through access to classified information.”

The noun disinformation, which is formed by the prefix dis- and the noun information, means “false information intended to deceive or mislead; deliberately misleading information announced publicly or leaked by a government or especially by an intelligence agency in order to influence public opinion or the government in another nation.”