VOA标准英语2009年-New Afghan Strategy Elicits Hope, Anxiety

The Obama administration's new proposal for strengthening the Afghan government, training more security forces and ending the country's grinding insurgency¹ is a key focus at meetings this week in Europe. But while the plan has broad political support in the United States, Afghans have some reservations.
　
President Barack Obama, accompanied by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, announces a new comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, 27 Mar² 2009

When the U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban government, international interest and the vast resources of Western nations persuaded many that their country was poised³ for swift improvement. In the years since, as the Iraq war drained resources and attention from Afghanistan, momentum⁴ has stalled.

Parliament member Daoud Sultanzoi told VOA that President Obama's new plan has rekindled⁵ hopes for improvement.

"Mr. Obama and his administration have created very high expectations in the world, especially in light of the fact [that] the previous administration steadily⁶ lost credibility and appeal in this part of the world," said Sultanzoi.

Many Afghans agree with the Obama plan's assessment⁷ that improving security is the key to building a stronger, more capable government.

But plans to nearly double the number of U.S. troops to about 60,000 this summer have many concerned that violence, already at record highs, will worsen before the situation improves.

Some Afghans such as Hedayatullah, a driver who works in Kabul, say bringing in more foreigners could further strain relations between the international forces and locals.

He says in the past seven years as more foreign troops came, more Afghans died. He says local people are rising up against them and so the best hope is to increase the number of Afghan police and soldiers.
　
An Afghan laborer⁸ sifts⁹ sand for construction of a road as bulldozers flatten¹⁰ the ground in Kabul, Afghanistan (file)

Other Afghans support bringing in more foreign troops, as long as they are focused on protecting civilians¹¹.

Parliament member Shukria Barikzai says the additional forces must demonstrate they are doing everything they can to avoid unnecessary killings¹² and improve security.

"The most important one for us as Afghans is which kind of security is NATO going to provide for Afghans. What we need is human security," said Barikazai. "It should be a bunch of humanitarian¹³ aid assistance, physical security and in politics, supporting institutions, rather than individuals, for Afghanistan."

Afghanistan's political structure faces an important test in upcoming presidential elections this August.

For critics of President Hamid Karzai, such as parliament member Sultanzoi, the credibility of the elections will be a crucial, early barometer¹⁴ of how the new international strategy is faring.

"If we do not have a good election, if the election is stolen by Mr. Karzai, then no matter how much force and how much money the United States and our allies spend in Afghanistan, the results will be very minimal¹⁵."

Beyond the elections, the additional foreign troops and the expanding corps¹⁶ of Afghan police and soldiers are expected to factor into peace talks with Taliban factions¹⁷.
　
Afghan President Hamid Karzai (file photo)

Proposals for holding reconciliation¹⁸ talks are popular in Afghanistan and President Karzai has even said he is open to speaking with former Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

But Afghan analyst¹⁹ Farooq Bashar says right now, the government is negotiating from a position of weakness.

"Why are we right now considering bringing the Taliban to the peace negotiation²⁰ process? They show that they do have the power, they have the energy, they have the capacity to create problems not only for Afghanistan, but also for Pakistan and possibly the world," said Bashar.

He added that if foreign troops and the expanded ranks of Afghan security forces can counter the Taliban's growing influence, it will strengthen the government's negotiating position, dramatically improving the chances for a peaceful end to a conflict.

 

1 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

2 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

3 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

4 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

5 rekindled   

v.使再燃( rekindle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• As soon as they met again his dormant love for her was rekindled. 他们一见面，他对她的旧情如乾柴烈火般又重新燃起。 来自辞典例句
• Ive found rekindled my interest in re-reading the books. 我发觉这提起了我再次阅读这些书的兴趣。 来自互联网

6 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

7 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

8 laborer   

n.劳动者，劳工

参考例句：

• Her husband had been a farm laborer.她丈夫以前是个农场雇工。
• He worked as a casual laborer and did not earn much.他当临时工，没有赚多少钱。

9 sifts   

v.筛( sift的第三人称单数 )；筛滤；细查；详审

参考例句：

• He sifts you to free you from your husks. 他将你们筛选，使你们摆脱麸糠。 来自互联网
• The sunshine sifts through the cloud. 阳光透过云层照射下来。 来自互联网

10 flatten   

v.把．．．弄平，使倒伏；使(漆等)失去光泽

参考例句：

• We can flatten out a piece of metal by hammering it.我们可以用锤子把一块金属敲平。
• The wrinkled silk will flatten out if you iron it.发皱的丝绸可以用熨斗烫平。

11 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

12 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

13 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。

14 barometer   

n.气压表，睛雨表，反应指标

参考例句：

• The barometer marked a continuing fall in atmospheric pressure.气压表表明气压在继续下降。
• The arrow on the barometer was pointing to"stormy".气压计上的箭头指向“有暴风雨”。

15 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。

16 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

17 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

18 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

19 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

20 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。