Align with (verb) – join up with, form an alliance with, give support to.
Backlash (noun) – a strong negative reaction; adverse response, counteraction.
Ballooning (adjective) – soaring, escalating, increasing.
Bifurcation (noun) – division of something into two branches or parts.
Buck (verb) – defy, resist, fight against.
Buoy (verb) – cheer up, encourage, stimulate.
Chaos (noun) – disorder, disruption, confusion.
Exploit (verb) – utilize, use, capitalize on.
Fare (verb) – perform progress, proceed/get along.
Fled past and past participle of fleeing (verb) – escape, abscond, run away/take flight.
Flipside (noun) – another side; the downside, drawbacks/disadvantages.
Forefront (noun) – fore, front, front line.
Have a bearing on (phrase) – have a relevance/relation to something.
Imminent (adjective) – impending, approaching, near/close.
Influence (verb) – affect, have an effect on; dominate/control.
Insurgent (adjective) – rebel, revolutionary, agitational/subversive.
Irrigation (noun) – the process of (artificially) supplying water to farmland to grow crops & plants.
Keen (adjective) – eager, wishing, ready/determined.
Lay siege to (phrase) – barricade, close up, block/shut off.
Mindful (adjective) – aware of, conscious of, alert to.
Minefield (noun) – a situation with unknown dangers.
Narrative (noun) – a representation of a particular situation; portrayal/ account.
One-upmanship (noun) – the art or practise of successively outdoing (do better than) a competitor.
Orderly (adjective) – methodical, systematic, peaceful.
Per capita (adjective) – per person, for person, from each.
Predecessor (noun) – forerunner, precursor, antecedent.
Pronounced (adjective) – noticeable, marked, strong.
Put up a fight (phrase) – counterattack hit back, reply/respond, react.
Relegate (verb) – downgrade, lower; degrade/reduce to.
Remnant (noun) – remains, remainder, residue.
Revival (noun) – improvement, betterment; restoration.
Salient (adjective) – important, principal, main/major.
Scenario (noun) – course of events, situation.
Sectarian (adjective) – denoting a sect (a group of people); factional, partisan.
Shatter (verb) – destroy, ruin, wreck/devastate.
Showdown (noun) – confrontation, face-off, clash.
Shrink (verb) – lessen, reduce, decrease.
Stakeholder (noun) – a person with an interest in something.
Straddle (verb) – extend across, be situated on both sides of.
Stronghold (noun) – bastion, hotbed; fortress, fort.
Tenure (noun) – term, period, time (in office).
Variable (noun) – factor, feature, element (that is likely to change).
Vow (verb) – swear, promise, pledge/commit/affirm.
Wary (adjective) – cautious, careful, circumspect.