时代周刊:面临暴力抗议 尼加拉瓜总统据不妥协

Clinging to power amid violent protests, Nicaragua’s President faces a crisis point

面临暴力抗议，把持政权的尼加拉瓜总统面临危机

AS PROTESTERS CONTINUE TO CALL FOR his ouster, Nicaragua’s embattled President Daniel Ortega is digging in his heels.

抗议者坚持要求尼加拉瓜总统丹尼尔·奥尔特加下台，尽管腹背受敌，该总统依然拒绝妥协。

At least 146 people have been killed since April in clashes there.

自4月份以来，已有至少146人在冲突中丧生。

Some worry that the Central American country is heading down the same path as Venezuela,

一些人担心该中美洲国家会重蹈委内瑞拉的覆辙——

where a dictator refuses to bend as his country is battered¹ by an economic and humanitarian² crisis.

委内瑞拉受到经济危机和人道主义危机重创时，其独裁者就拒绝妥协。

A NICARAGUAN SPRING

尼加拉瓜之春

The crisis started on April 18 when pro-government gangs violently crushed a small student-led demonstration³ against planned reforms to the pension system.

这场危机始于4月18日，当时，亲政府团伙暴力镇压了一场由学生领导的，抗议政府养老金制度改革新方案的小规模示威活动。

The government responded with force, and the protests escalated⁴; dozens were killed over the next few days.

政府的武力回应进一步激化了抗议；接下来的几天，一连有数十人被杀。

Ortega, 72, has since dropped his original plan for pensions,

之后，72岁的奥尔特加取消了他最初提议的养老金计划，

but opponents are now calling for his resignation, as well as for democratic reforms and justice for victims of the crackdown.

但反对者现在要求他辞职，还要求政府进行民主改革，为前次镇压的受害者伸张正义。

CONFRONTATION⁵

对抗

Opposition⁶ figures say Ortega—who had previously⁷ governed from 1979 to 1990 after helping⁸ topple Nicaragua’s last dictator, Anastasio Somoza—

反对派人士说，自2006年再次当选以来，奥尔特加——他曾助力推翻尼加拉瓜最后一位独裁者阿纳斯塔西奥·索摩扎，

has become increasingly corrupt⁹ and authoritarian¹⁰ since he was re-elected in 2006.

并因此上台执政，执政时间是1979年到1990年——他变得日益腐败和独裁。

In January 2017, his wife Rosario Murillo, a mystic poet, became Vice¹¹ President.

2017年1月，他的妻子、神秘主义诗人罗萨里奥·穆里洛当选副总统。

Many suspect Ortega is preparing her to be his successor.

许多人怀疑奥尔特加正筹备让她继位。

For his part, Ortega has blamed “opposition political groups with specific political agendas” for the violence

奥尔特加则将此次暴力镇压事件归咎于“有特定政治企图的反对派政治团体”，

and even suggested that protesters had killed one another to undermine him.

他甚至暗示，抗议者是在自相残杀，为的是抹黑他的形象。

PROOF OF STRIFE¹²

冲突的证据

With roads blocked, universities occupied and many businesses open only a few hours a day, Nicaragua has ground to a halt.

如今，抗议者们封锁了多条道路，还占领了多所大学，许多店铺每天都只营业几个小时，尼加拉瓜已经陷入停滞。

Economists¹³ say the crisis has cost the extremely poor country upwards¹⁴ of $600 million.

经济学家纷纷表示，这场危机给这个极度贫困的国家造成了高达6亿多美元的损失。

Some are calling on the U.N. to step up its response, while others have suggested a national strike.

一些人呼吁联合国对此予以重视，另一些人则建议举行全国性的大罢工。

But talks between the two sides have broken down, leaving Ortega with a choice:

然而，双方的谈判已经破裂，奥尔特加只有一个选择：

risk his position by holding early elections—which the Catholic Church and business leaders have called for—or refuse, and confirm his opponents’ worst fears.

要么冒着下台的风险提前大选——天主教会和商界领袖已经做出过相应的呼吁——要么拒绝让步，酿成反对人士最担心的局面。

1 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

2 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

3 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

4 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

5 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

9 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

10 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

11 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

12 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

13 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。