Vocabulary Review for "Update on Turkey"

The entry from which these words are taken is:

http://convostartersenglish.blogspot.com/2013/06/update-on-protests-in-turkey.html

Please review the vocabulary from this entry before doing the exercise.

Words to be used (answers come after the exercise):

to defy, dense, to show restraint,
fascism, rare, unrest,
secular, to mushroom, to impose,

1.  In 2003, when George Bush was putting together his military coalition (group of nations) to attack Iraq, countries like England and South Korea did not feel they could ____________ the wishes of the USA.  Tony Blair and Roh Moo-Hyun were both liberal politicians who felt they had to do what Bush wanted.

2.  The only thing that the international community can seem to do to stop Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons is to ______________ economic sanctions (penalties) for continued nuclear development.  This seems better, to many, than the Israeli proposal of attacking their nuclear facilities.

3.  The difficult economic times in Spain have led to a great deal of social ____________, as Los Indignados often protest the lack of jobs and opportunities.

4.  In the Iranian revolution, a _____________ dictator was replaced by an ultra-religious Ayatollah.  The country, then, became a 'theocracy,' a government ruled by religious leaders according to religious laws.

5.  The traffic in Manhattan is too ____________.  It takes forever to drive a car from one part of the city to another due to the traffic jams.

6.  When dealing with annoying or confrontational individuals it is often better to ____________________ than to stoop to their level and act the way they are acting.  (a confrontational individual is someone trying to cause trouble - to stoop to their level means to lower yourself to their level)

7.  _________________ was a nationalistic political philosophy developed in Italy in the 1920s, but the term is often applied to any type of authoritarian government control.

8.  The Obama administration tried to resolve the unemployment crisis by borrowing money to stimulate the economy.  However, unemployment has not changed for the better and US debt has ________________.

9.  Having a president who was as well-liked and effective as Dwight David Eisenhower has been __________ in US history.  "Ike" (as Eisenhower was called) led the US during eight years of peace in which the economy boomed (increased) and the Civil Rights Movement began.

Answers are below:





Answers:

1. defy
2. impose
3. unrest
4. secular 
5. dense
6. show restraint
7. Fascism
8. mushroomed
9. rare

Is Erdogan mishandling the protests? Will they get worse now?

Everybody already knows that the Turkish police over-reacted and unjustly harmed hundreds of peaceful protesters.

The Turkish TV stations and newspapers are currently not reporting the truth about what is going on - Turks are conveying the truth to each other through various types of social media.

In this article we see that Erdogan does not seem to realize how serious the situation is.  He is calling the protesters 'looters' and 'bums,' but they look like average Turkish citizens to me. 

Instead of compromising and acting with civility, he is acting like the dictator many of his people are calling him. 

to mishandle something - if a person mishandles something, that means the person does not handle (or do) something as well as he should have.  Often if a person mishandles a situation, he/she makes the situation worse. If you handle a situation well, you do a good job in regard to the situation.

a protest - when a group of people gather together to express the fact that they are unhappy about a government policy.

to over-react - to use too much force in a situation; to do too much; to do something harmful which was not necessary

to convey - to express, to reveal

a looter - someone who breaks into a business during an emergency (when the police are busy) and who steals something.

a bum - a homeless person who is too lazy to work

a dictator - a leader who does not listen to what the people want, but who does what he wants.

to compromise - to negotiate. To work out a deal with someone who disagrees with you.

civility - decency. If you act with civility, you act like a civilized person.

The article: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/turkeys-prime-minister-recep-erdogan-dismisses-protesters-as-just-a-few-looters-as-thousands-return-to-taksim-square-8641336.html

Vocabulary from the article:

to dismiss - if you dismiss something that someone said, that means you do not consider what was said to have been important.  to disregard; to indicate something is not important.

to reject - to dismiss; to claim that something is not true

to take to the streets - to go into the streets to protest

authoritarian - not democratic.  An authoritarian politician does not listen to the people.

to spiral into - to develop into; to get worse

a confrontation - when two different people or groups meet each other in anger

to evict - to get rid of, to force off of land

demonstrators - people who are protesting

heavy-handed tactics - tactics or actions which are too forceful

to spark - to cause

to be injured - to be hurt

to chant slogans - to repeat statements over and over again.  "Erdogan must go! Erdogan must go!  Erdogan must go!"

to resign - to leave a job

undeterred - unfrightened; not stopped; to deter someone means to frighten him from doing something

to rebuke - to attack with words, to scold

to revamp - to fix up, to make better

a pitched battle - a battle between two well-organized groups in one place

to be detained - to be held by the police

to be wounded - to be harmed

palpable - real; if something is palpable, you can feel it

unrest - the opposite of peace

anti-government movement - a real effort by a group of people to get rid of the current government

to nod approval - to move one's head up and down, meaning you agree

Questions for discussion/writing:

When a large group of people begins to protest to this extent, what should a leader of a country do? 

Do you feel Erdogan is handling this situation correctly?

Erdogan is, technically, not a dictator.  He was elected to office and he is exercising power that was voted to him by building a mosque (Islamic place of worship) in this park.  Do you think the protesters are right in calling for him to resign?

Do you think there is room for compromise between the protesters and Erdogan?

What do you think will happen in the future?

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Turkey and Syria Continued

Turkey continues to report atrocities committed by the Syrian government due to the civil war which is being fought there, and is now declaring that the UN has been remiss in addressing the situation.

Yet, due to the structure of the UN, it cannot take military action without the consent of Russia and China (strong allies of Syria).

http://news.yahoo.com/war-intensifies-across-syria-refugee-crisis-deepens-110031675.html

1)  Do you think this situation is similar to the situation in the old Yugoslavia?

2)  In the Vice Presidential debate, Joe Biden stated that the last thing the United States should do is commit more soldiers to a foreign war.  What do you think of Biden's statement in light of the continuing loss of life in Syria?

3)  Do you think the UN is a viable organization?  Do you think the structure of the UN is sufficient for this organization to take quick and effective action to stop military atrocities?

4)  What do you think Turkey, or NATO, should do about this situation?

5)  Joe Biden was also asked why the US intervened in Libya and will not intervene in Syria.  He stated that these were two different countries and two different situations.  What do you think of his response?  Why do you think the US intervened in Libya but has not intervened in Syria?

6)  Biden seemed to imply that Romney might get the US involved in a war in Syria.  Yet, Paul Ryan, Romney's running mate, denied they wanted war.  Ryan seemed to assert that the world no longer takes America seriously due to President Obama.  How do you feel about this?

Syria and Turkey

Many refugees have been fleeing Syria and seeking safety in Turkey.

Now, the Turkish government is threatening to respond militarily to attacks to
Turkish border towns by the Syrian government.

http://news.yahoo.com/turks-syrian-border-skeptical-shelling-003554469.html

1)  Do you feel that it might be possible for a diplomatic solution to resolve this situation?

2)  Do you feel that the USA should have been more active in helping the Syrian freedom fighters?

3)  What do you think should be done by the international community in regard to this situation?

4)  Why do you think the USA assisited freedom fighters in Libya but not in Syria?

5)  How responsible do you believe Russia is for the high number of people who have been killed
in this civil war?