MONDAY
1. THEORY
Islamic Military Coalition against Terrorism
2. ANALYTICS
Saudi Arabia’s Phony War on Terror
WEDNESDAY
3. CURRENT ISSUES
4. THE WORLD THIS WEEK
5. TEST
VOCABULARY & GRAMMAR
KEY TERMS
| commander-in-chief | the person who exercises supreme command and control over an armed force or a military branch |
| primary objective | the main and important goal intended to be attained |
| irrespective | without regard to something else, esp. something specified;ignoring or discounting |
| affirm | to assert positively; to express agreement with; support; uphold |
| deputy | a person appointed to act as a substitute for another |
| non-alignment | not taking sides in political matters, esp. with either one of two opposing powers or ideologies |
| confirm | to establish the truth of; verify; to acknowledge with assurance; make certain |
| domain | a field or area of thought, subject; area of interest |
| refute | prove to be false or incorrect; overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof |
| curb | lessen the intensity of; place restrictions on; put down by force or authority |
FOCUS WORDS
| contain | сдерживать, удерживать, ограничивать |
| scourge | бедствие |
| subjugation | подчинение, покорение |
| pervert | искажать, неправильно истолковывать |
| secular | светский |
| emulate | подражать, соперничать, следовать примеру |
| foe | враг, противник, недоброжелатель |
| indoctrinate | настраивать, внушать принципы |
| divert | отвлекать, отводить, отклонять |
| spearhead | быть инициатором, возглавлять |
PREPOSITIONS
- view with skepticism
- hostility toward
- from this perspective
- aimed at
- on behalf of
- along with
- align with
- increase in
- emulated by
- preference for
- with the goal of
- accuse of
- shortcoming of
- approach to
- war on terror
WORDS FOR REPORT
| a clear age gap on the issue |
| compared with a smaller share |
| more likely to favor |
| the survey explored the public’s views about |
| Overall, |
| In regard to the negative consequences, |
| substantial majorities |
| no statistically significant difference by age |
GRAMMAR PATTERNS
Saudi Arabia has been bankrolling Islamist terrorism since the oil-price boom of the 1970s dramatically boosted the country’s wealth.
According to a 2013 European Parliament report, some of the $10 billion invested by Saudi Arabia for “its Wahhabi agenda” in South and Southeast Asia was “diverted” to terrorist groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, which carried out the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
In a 2009 diplomatic cable, then-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton identified Saudi Arabia as “the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide.”
From this perspective, Saudi Arabia’s surprise announcement of a 34-country anti-terror alliance, with a joint operations center based in Riyadh, is a logical step, aimed at blunting growing Western criticism, while boosting Sunni influence in the Middle East.
It is as if a drug cartel claimed to be spearheading a counternarcotics campaign.
Listed as members of the alliance are also all of the jihadist citadels other than Afghanistan, including war-torn Libya and Yemen, both of which are not currently governed by a single authority.
Moreover, despite being touted as an “Islamic” alliance, with members coming from “all over the Islamic world,” the group includes predominantly Christian Uganda and Gabon, but not Oman (a fellow Gulf sheikdom), Algeria (Africa’s largest country), and Indonesia (the world’s most populous Muslim country).