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American Troops Leave Iraq 40 words

January 28, 2012 By Vocabulary.com Vocabulary.com Moderator
Vocabulary grabbed from the article "Last Convoy of American Troops Leaves Iraq" (The New York Times, December 18, 2011)

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Definitions Notes & Examples Words Only
  1. convoy
    a procession of land vehicles traveling together
    BAGHDAD — The last convoy of American troops drove into Kuwait on Sunday morning, punctuating the end of the nearly nine-year war in Iraq.
  2. punctuate
    to stress, single out as important
    BAGHDAD — The last convoy of American troops drove into Kuwait on Sunday morning, punctuating the end of the nearly nine-year war in Iraq.
  3. soldier
    an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
    As an indication of the country the United States is leaving behind, for security reasons the last soldiers made no time for goodbyes to Iraqis with whom they had become acquainted.
  4. insurgent
    a person who takes part in an armed rebellion against the constituted authority (especially in the hope of improving conditions)
    To keep details of the final trip secret from insurgents — or Iraqi security officers aligned with militias — interpreters for the last unit to leave the base called local tribal sheiks and government leaders on Saturday morning and conveyed that business would go on as usual, not letting on that all the Americans would soon be gone.
  5. militia
    civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army
    To keep details of the final trip secret from insurgents — or Iraqi security officers aligned with militias — interpreters for the last unit to leave the base called local tribal sheiks and government leaders on Saturday morning and conveyed that business would go on as usual, not letting on that all the Americans would soon be gone.
  6. interpreter
    someone who mediates between speakers of different languages
    To keep details of the final trip secret from insurgents — or Iraqi security officers aligned with militias — interpreters for the last unit to leave the base called local tribal sheiks and government leaders on Saturday morning and conveyed that business would go on as usual, not letting on that all the Americans would soon be gone.
  7. base
    installation from which a military force initiates operations
    To keep details of the final trip secret from insurgents — or Iraqi security officers aligned with militias — interpreters for the last unit to leave the base called local tribal sheiks and government leaders on Saturday morning and conveyed that business would go on as usual, not letting on that all the Americans would soon be gone.
  8. withdrawal
    the act of withdrawing
    The crossing brought a close to a final troop withdrawal drawn out over weeks of ceremonies in Baghdad and around Iraq, including a formal if muted flag-folding ceremony on Thursday, as well as visits by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, and a trip to Washington by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.
  9. ceremony
    a formal event performed on a special occasion
    The crossing brought a close to a final troop withdrawal drawn out over weeks of ceremonies in Baghdad and around Iraq, including a formal if muted flag-folding ceremony on Thursday, as well as visits by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, and a trip to Washington by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.
  10. muted
    in a softened tone
    The reaction among Iraqis was muted, as it had been for weeks as the Americans packed up.
  11. defense
    (military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies
    The crossing brought a close to a final troop withdrawal drawn out over weeks of ceremonies in Baghdad and around Iraq, including a formal if muted flag-folding ceremony on Thursday, as well as visits by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, and a trip to Washington by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.
  12. vehicle
    a conveyance that transports people or objects
    As the armored vehicles drove through the desert, Marine, Navy and Army helicopters and planes flew overhead, scanning the ground for insurgents and preparing to respond if the convoys were attacked.
  13. border
    a line that indicates a boundary
    Around 2:30 a.m., the convoy snaked out of Contingency Operating Base Adder, near the southern city of Nasiriya, and headed toward the border.
  14. sergeant
    any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
    Shortly after enterng Kuwait, Sergeant Ruiz told the men in his vehicle: “Hey, guys, you made it.”
  15. emigrate
    leave one's country of residence for a new one
    He said he had emigrated to the United States from Iraq in 2009 and enlisted a year later, and refused to give his full name because he worried for his family’s safety.
  16. invade
    march aggressively into another's territory by military force for the purposes of conquest and occupation
    When they invaded us, we carried our machine guns and went out to fight them.
  17. political
    involving or characteristic of politics or parties or politicians
    Of course, many Iraqis fear what comes next, and the withdrawal came against the backdrop of political crisis in Baghdad.
  18. boycott
    refuse to sponsor; refuse to do business with
    A large group of mostly Sunni lawmakers announced a boycott of Parliament on Saturday in protest of a wave of arrests by the Shiite-dominated government that swept up a number of their aides and security guards.
  19. parliament
    a legislative assembly in certain countries
    A large group of mostly Sunni lawmakers announced a boycott of Parliament on Saturday in protest of a wave of arrests by the Shiite-dominated government that swept up a number of their aides and security guards.
  20. terrorism
    the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear
    Several guards who work for Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, a top Sunni leader, have been arrested, and the government is said to be preparing a case against Mr. Hashimi on terrorism charges.
  21. military
    the military forces of a nation
    Fearing that insurgents would try to attack the last Americans leaving the country, the military treated all convoys like combat missions.
  22. combat
    the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
    Fearing that insurgents would try to attack the last Americans leaving the country, the military treated all convoys like combat missions.
  23. mission
    an operation that is assigned by a higher headquarters
    Fearing that insurgents would try to attack the last Americans leaving the country, the military treated all convoys like combat missions.
  24. desert
    arid land with little or no vegetation
    As the armored vehicles drove through the desert, Marine, Navy and Army helicopters and planes flew overhead, scanning the ground for insurgents and preparing to respond if the convoys were attacked.
  25. counterpart
    a person or thing having the same function or characteristics as another
    “It is a little bit weird,” he said, referring to how he had not told his counterparts in the Iraqi military when the Americans were leaving.
  26. intelligence
    secret information about an enemy (or potential enemy)
    Along with keeping the highway clean, the military hoped that the sheiks would help police the highway and provide intelligence on militants.
  27. incentive
    a positive motivational influence
    “There are real incentives for them to keep the highway safe.
  28. obligated
    caused by law or conscience to follow a certain course
    All American troops were legally obligated to leave by the end of the month, but President Obama, in announcing in October the end of military operations here, promised that everyone would be home for the holidays.
  29. authority
    the power or right to give orders or make decisions
    Under the authority of the ambassador will be fewer than 200 military personnel, to guard the embassy and oversee the sale of weapons to the Iraqi government.
  30. ambassador
    a diplomat of the highest rank; accredited as representative from one country to another
    Under the authority of the ambassador will be fewer than 200 military personnel, to guard the embassy and oversee the sale of weapons to the Iraqi government.
  31. personnel
    group of people willing to obey orders
    Under the authority of the ambassador will be fewer than 200 military personnel, to guard the embassy and oversee the sale of weapons to the Iraqi government.
  32. decade
    a period of 10 years
    History’s final judgment on the war, which claimed nearly 4,500 American lives and cost almost $1 trillion, may not be determined for decades.
  33. defeat
    an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
    But as the last troop convoy crossed over, it marked neither victory, nor defeat, but a kind of stalemate — one in which the optimists say violence has been reduced to a level that will allow the country to continue on its lurching path toward stability and democracy, and in which the pessimists say the American presence has been a Band-Aid on a festering wound.
  34. stalemate
    a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible
    But as the last troop convoy crossed over, it marked neither victory, nor defeat, but a kind of stalemate — one in which the optimists say violence has been reduced to a level that will allow the country to continue on its lurching path toward stability and democracy, and in which the pessimists say the American presence has been a Band-Aid on a festering wound.
  35. optimist
    a person disposed to take a favorable view of things
    But as the last troop convoy crossed over, it marked neither victory, nor defeat, but a kind of stalemate — one in which the optimists say violence has been reduced to a level that will allow the country to continue on its lurching path toward stability and democracy, and in which the pessimists say the American presence has been a Band-Aid on a festering wound.
  36. stability
    a stable order (especially of society)
    But as the last troop convoy crossed over, it marked neither victory, nor defeat, but a kind of stalemate — one in which the optimists say violence has been reduced to a level that will allow the country to continue on its lurching path toward stability and democracy, and in which the pessimists say the American presence has been a Band-Aid on a festering wound.
  37. democracy
    the political orientation of those who favor government by the people or by their elected representatives
    But as the last troop convoy crossed over, it marked neither victory, nor defeat, but a kind of stalemate — one in which the optimists say violence has been reduced to a level that will allow the country to continue on its lurching path toward stability and democracy, and in which the pessimists say the American presence has been a Band-Aid on a festering wound.
  38. pessimist
    a person who expects the worst
    But as the last troop convoy crossed over, it marked neither victory, nor defeat, but a kind of stalemate — one in which the optimists say violence has been reduced to a level that will allow the country to continue on its lurching path toward stability and democracy, and in which the pessimists say the American presence has been a Band-Aid on a festering wound.
  39. fester
    ripen and generate pus
    But as the last troop convoy crossed over, it marked neither victory, nor defeat, but a kind of stalemate — one in which the optimists say violence has been reduced to a level that will allow the country to continue on its lurching path toward stability and democracy, and in which the pessimists say the American presence has been a Band-Aid on a festering wound.
  40. economics
    the branch of social science that deals with the production and distribution and consumption of goods and services and their management
    “Things will go worse in Iraq after the U.S. withdrawal, on all levels — security, economics and services,” said Hatem Imam, a businessman in Basra.