Escalating tension war, avert a war, teeter on the brink of war standoff hostilities, hostilities begin, hostilities break out hot spot

If the differences between two sides increase, there is escalating tension between them. Astandoffis a period of extreme tension that may or may not lead to violence. If two sides are very close to war, they are (teetering)on the brink of war.

If a war is prevented, perhaps by talks, it isaverted.If not,hostilities begin orbreak out.

A hot spot is a place where tension is high and fighting may break out at any moment.

· The American ambassador in Delhi has confirmed that his country is urging India and Pakistan to hold talks to try to avert the threat of war over Kashmir.

· North Korea often accuses the South of escalating tension to the brink of war by staging joint military manoeuvres known as 'Team Spirit' with the United States.

· In 1961, just after the building of the Berlin Wall, this was the scene of a tense standoffbetween Soviet and American tanks: the world teetered on the brink of war.

· Mr Urqhart emphasised the need for a preventive UN force to be dispatched to hot spots before hostilities break out.

· 'The only acceptable outcome, if in fact, hostilities begin, is absolute, total victory!

Types of war. Find the following types of war in the table. Then use the expressions to complete the extracts.

A war...

1 that isolated clashes might degenerate into

2 between East and West that lasted from 1945 to 1989

3 where nuclear arms are used

4 where nuclear arms are not used

5 between factions of the same nationality

6 causing an enormous number of deaths and amount of damage

7 fought by irregular forces, perhaps avoiding direct confrontation with the other side.

civil

guerrilla Cold

full-scalewar conventional

nuclear devastating

a The Cold War is over. The world is learning to live without the imminent threat of _________ war that had conditioned our lives for 40 years.

b A grim reminder of the _________ War - the border crossing point between

East and West Berlin known as Checkpoint Charlie - is to go the way of the rest of the Berlin Wall and be dismantled.

c As the _________ war in Liberia enters its tenth month, thousands of people

continue to stream across the borders into neighbouring countries.

d Because of the intensity of the fighting - what analysts call 'low-intensity _________ war’ — neither side appears strong enough to defeat the other.

e The President himself said he is against withdrawing all Nato nuclear weapons from Europe and thus making it safe for _________ war.

f The question is whether anything else but a neutral outside force would be strong enough to persuade them to leave the scene before the current clashes degenerate into _________ war.

g The two men stressed the importance of averting the catastrophe of a _________ war and the need to achieve a common Arab stand.

Warring parties

Date: 2016-01-14; view: 1370