Lesson 24 War /peace
When a war begins, we can say that war has broken out or violence has erupted in the region. When one country officially enters into a state of war, then they have declared war on the enemy country.
Sometimes, one country performs a pre-emptive strike (an early attack) against another – for example, if it suspects that the other country is stockpiling weapons (creating a collection of weapons) that will be used for a future attack. The other country may view this as an unprovoked attack (an unfair attack without a reason), and tensions may rise until the area is on the brink of war – meaning that war is very probable.
Sending in the military is often called deploying troops. The soldiers may be stationed/posted in a certain area to protect it, or they may launch an offensive in which they storm/invade enemy territory. When the soldiers begin firing their guns, we say that they opened fire.
Unfortunately, the horrors of war affect everyone, as innocent people are always caught in the crossfire (in the middle of the violence without participating in it). Both sides are sure to suffer civilian casualties (when innocent people are injured or killed) and there will be collateral damage to the countries’ infrastructure. War also results in many refugees displaced by the violence; they may resettle in another area or flee to another country.
If a particular battle was an important turning point in the war, then it is called a decisive battle. Sometimes another country intervenes and helps the two sides negotiate a truce/ceasefire (agree to stop fighting). If successful, this can restore peace – but it may be a fragile/uneasy peace. More work will still be needed to bring stability to the area and establish a lasting peace. Often, peacekeeping forces remain in the region to try to avert war (avoid war).
Lesson 24 War /peace
Quiz
Read this news report from the year 2013 and circle the correct word to complete each collocation.
Special report:
Strains / Tensions are rising between the residents of Earth and Mars, causing some to speculate that the fragile / weak peace between the two planets may soon come to an end. The latest round of violence erupted / ruptured when Martian soldiers established / stationed at the Martian embassy on Earth opened fire / shooting on a group of Earth residents who were protesting outside the consulate.
Although war has not been declared / stated, both planets are ready to react if the other launches an affront / offensive. There are rumors that Mars has been stockpiling / storming illegal weapons to defend itself from Earth’s much better-equipped military.
Diplomats from both planets are doing everything possible to bring stability / steadiness to the situation, but there are concerns that radical extremist groups on Earth may be planning an uneasy / unprovoked attack for the express purpose of causing a war to break out / take off.
Everyone remembers the hatreds / horrors of the last interplanetary war, in which the decisive / determined battle resulted in hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties / collateral and a large number of refugees who fled / deployed to the colony on the Moon.
Even after a ceasefire / crossfire was negotiated, isolated incidents of violence against Martian citizens brought the two planets to the brink / edge of war several times. The president of Earth has authorized the recruitment and training of additional peacekeeping forces / truces; however, a forever / lasting peace continues to be a complicated issue for our Solar System.