Module 1: Articles on Kurdish and Bosnian Refugees

This list covers:
"People Without A Land"
"Meet the Kurds"
"Welcome to Sarajevo
"Bosnia The Children of War
"Hard Time in Sarajevo"
"Peace Patrol"
18 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. solemnly
    in a serious and dignified manner
    Attacked by enemies and betrayed by friends, the Kurdish people fight for survival In the early morning hours of September 3, sailors aboard the U.S.S. Shiloh watched solemnly as tomahawk missiles sliced their way through the sky on their way to Iraq.
  2. ally
    a friendly nation
    That area–and the Kurds who live there–have been under the protection of the U.S. and its allies since the Persian Gulf war ended in 1991.
  3. treaty
    a written agreement between two states or sovereigns
    The Kurds, who are Muslims, have their own language and culture. In 1920, after World War I, an international treaty called for the creation of an independent Kurdish state.
  4. agitate
    be an advocate for
    Though the Kurds have agitated for the creation of such a state ever since, they remain under foreign rule.
  5. genocide
    systematic killing of a racial or cultural group
    Kurds have faced problems ranging from discrimination to attempted genocide.
  6. covert
    secret or hidden
    In the early 1970s, for example, the U.S. enlisted the Kurds in a covert scheme to help overthrow Saddam Hussein, with the help of neighboring Iran.
  7. dynasty
    a sequence of powerful leaders in the same family
    Even today, the isolation of the mountains has enabled local dynasties and tribes to flourish.
  8. flourish
    make steady progress
    Even today, the isolation of the mountains has enabled local dynasties and tribes to flourish.
  9. precipitation
    the falling to earth of any form of water
    Compared with most areas in the Middle East, which are dry, Kurdistan receives a considerable amount of precipitation.
  10. inhabitable
    fit for living in or on
    Some buildings had huge chunks taken out of their sides or entire floors that looked burnt out and uninhabitable.
  11. desolation
    a bleak atmosphere
    Destruction, desolation and cold–as I looked out the window, these were the only three words the gloomy landscape inspired.
  12. siege
    an action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place
    Bosnian Serb forces surrounded the city and bombarded it with artillery and mortar rounds. The bloody siege–the longest in modern history–killed more than 10,000 people.
  13. atrocity
    an act of shocking cruelty
    The most notorious atrocities in Sarajevo occurred in the city’s Markale (mar-KAH-lay) market. On two occasions, mortar shells landed in the crowded square.
  14. per capita
    by or for each person
    With a per capita GDP of only $6,600, Bosnia is one of the poorest countries in Europe. (By contrast, the U.S. per capita GDP is $46,000.)
  15. GDP
    the measure of an economy adopted by the United States in 1991; the total market values of goods and services produced by workers and capital within a nation's borders during a given period (usually 1 year)
    With a per capita GDP of only $6,600, Bosnia is one of the poorest countries in Europe. (By contrast, the U.S. per capita GDP is $46,000.)
  16. persecute
    cause to suffer
    The Serbs and Croats began the war because they feared that Bosnia's Muslim-controlled government would persecute them.
  17. alliance
    an organization of people involved in a pact or treaty
    NATO is a military alliance that includes major European nations and the United States.
  18. dictatorship
    a form of government in which the ruler is unconstrained
    Tito's iron dictatorship held Yugoslavia together after the war.
Created on Wed Aug 05 11:09:00 EDT 2020 (updated Wed Aug 26 14:46:58 EDT 2020)

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