surge: N-COUNT A surge is a sudden large increase in something that has previously been steady, or has only increased or developed slowly. 剧增

dub：V-T If someone or something is dubbed a particular thing, they are given that description or name. 把…称为 [journalism]

scramble：N-COUNT Scramble is also a noun. 争夺

vie：V-RECIP If one person or thing is vying with another for something, the people or things are competing for it. 竞争 [正式]

allegiance：N-VAR Your allegiance is your support for and loyalty to a particular group, person, or belief. 拥护

tyrant：N-COUNT You can use tyrant to refer to someone who treats the people they have authority over in a cruel and unfair way. 暴君

prop up：PHRASAL VERB To prop up something means to support it or help it to survive. 支撑; 维持

despot：N-COUNT A despot is a ruler or other person who has a lot of power and who uses it unfairly or cruelly. 专制者

benign：ADJ A benign substance or process does not have any harmful effects. 无害的

not least because of：You can use not least to emphasize a particularly important example or reason. 尤其是因为……；相当重要的原因是……

strategic：ADJ Strategic means relating to the most important, general aspects of something such as a military operation or political policy, especially when these are decided in advance. 战略上的

arms seller：军火商

upend：V-T If you upend something, you turn it upside down. 颠倒

treble：V-T/V-I If something trebles or if you treble it, it becomes three times greater in number or amount than it was. 使增加两倍; 增加两倍 [英国英语]

quadruple：V-T/V-I If someone quadruples an amount or if it quadruples, it becomes four times bigger. 使成4倍; 成为4倍

outfit：N-COUNT You can refer to an organization as an outfit. 机构

fray：N a fight or brawl 打架; 争吵

stereotype：N-COUNT A stereotype is a fixed general image or set of characteristics that a lot of people believe represent a particular type of person or thing. 模式化形象; 成见

neocolonial：adj. 新殖民主义的

bigwig：N-COUNT If you refer to an important person as a bigwig, you are being somewhat disrespectful. 头儿 [非正式]

a shady deal：黑幕；见不得人的勾当

enabler：n.使能器，使能者；促成者，赋能者

launder：V-T To launder money that has been obtained illegally means to process it through a legitimate business or to send it abroad to a foreign bank, so that when it comes back nobody knows that it was illegally obtained. 洗 (钱)

loot：(informal) 钱 money

murky：ADJ If you describe something as murky, you mean that the details of it are not clear or that it is difficult to understand. 含糊不清的; 晦涩难懂的

mercenary：N-COUNT A mercenary is a soldier who is paid to fight by a country or group that they do not belong to. 雇佣兵

war-torn：adj.遭到战争破坏的

whiff：N-COUNT If there is a whiff of a particular smell, you smell it only slightly or only for a brief period of time, for example, as you walk past someone or something. (气味等) 微弱的一阵

imperialism： N-UNCOUNT Imperialism is a system in which a rich and powerful country controls other countries, or a desire for control over other countries. 帝国主义

hum：V-I If you say that a place hums, you mean that it is full of activity. (地方) 繁忙

sound macroeconomic policy：健全的宏观经济政策

textile：N-COUNT Textiles are types of cloth or fabric, especially ones that have been woven. 纺织品

activist：N-COUNT An activist is a person who works to bring about political or social changes by campaigning in public or working for an organization. 激进分子

heartening：adj. 鼓舞人心的，令人振奋的

allegedly：adv. 依其申述；据说，据称

crooked：ADJ If you describe a person or an activity as crooked, you mean that they are dishonest or criminal. 腐败的; 恶棍般的 [非正式]

unprobed：adj.未被发现的；未被探索出的

strike better deals：达成更好的交易；达成更好的协议

heterogeneous：ADJ A heterogeneous group consists of many different types of things or people. 由很多种类组成的 [正式] [usu ADJ n]

anarchic：ADJ If you describe someone or something as anarchic, you disapprove of them because they do not recognize or obey any rules or laws. 无政府的 [表不满]

behind closed doors：与外界隔绝地；秘密地

bloc：N-COUNT A bloc is a group of countries that have similar political aims and interests and that act together over some issues. (具有相似政治目标和利益的国家结成的) 阵营

club：V-T To club a person or animal means to hit them hard with a thick heavy stick or a similar weapon. (用棍棒或类似武器) 狠打

infrastructure：N-VAR The infrastructure of a country, society, or organization consists of the basic facilities such as transportation, communications, power supplies, and buildings, which enable it to function. (国家、社会、组织赖以行使职能的) 基础设施

spill：V-I If people or things spill out of a place, they come out of it in large numbers. 涌出

zero-sum：零和 【零和博弈（zero-sum game），又称零和游戏，与非零和博弈相对，是博弈论的一个概念，属非合作博弈。指参与博弈的各方，在严格竞争下，一方的收益必然意味着另一方的损失，博弈各方的收益和损失相加总和永远为“零”，双方不存在合作的可能。】

with a pinch of salt：有所保留地

strongman：N-COUNT If you refer to a male political leader as a strongman, you mean that he has great power and control over his country, although his methods may sometimes be violent or morally wrong. 独裁者 [journalism]

bunk：N bunkum的缩写 [非正式] 【bunkum：N-UNCOUNT If you say that something that has been said or written is bunkum, you mean that you think it is completely untrue or very stupid. 胡言 [非正式，老式]】

cow：V-T If someone is cowed, they are made afraid, or made to behave in a particular way because they have been frightened or badly treated. 胁迫; 恐吓 [正式] [usu passive]

clout：N-UNCOUNT A person or institution that has clout has influence and power. 影响力 [非正式]