VOA标准英语2012--Morsi Ushers in New Era in Egyptian Politics, Relations with US

 

Morsi Ushers¹ in New Era in Egyptian Politics, Relations with US

Thousands celebrated² Mohamed Morsi's victory in Tahrir Square last Sunday - the same square where 18 months ago Egyptians demanded the departure of then-president Hosni Mubarak.

David Schenker is with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He says Egyptians can be commended for holding free and fair elections, but the hard work starts now.

“You still have, by the way, the military, which stands above politics and above accountability to elected officials in the country," said Schenker.

Schenker says this power shift could affect relations with the United States.

“The U.S. government is going to have to give the Morsi government time to get in place its policies and we’ll set our policies accordingly," he said. "We give Egypt $1.5 billion a year. We’ll want to continue it, but I don’t think Congress is going to give the new government a free pass indefinitely.”

One Western concern is the rights of women, as once-banned Islamist parties gain more power.

But a recent Gallup survey in Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Libya and Yemen found that Arab women are as likely as Arab men to favor Sharia law as a source of legislation. Dalia Mogahed is the executive director of the Center for Muslim Studies at Gallup.

“The percentage of women and men who see no role of Sharia is quite small. It ranges from only 1-2 percent in Egypt and Yemen, and 10 percent in Tunisia, which obviously means that a vast majority across the region see a role for Sharia to varying degrees," said Mogahed. "In Tunisia most people want it as a source but not the only source. In Egypt it’s about half and half.”

Adel Iskander is with the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University:

“To a large extent, political Islam is playing an instrumental part because it’s filling a void, void of pan-era politics or nationalist politics," said Iskander. "They are incredibly successful across the board and extremely organized.”

And he says the U.S. is taking notice.

“It seems like the U.S. government has begun making public overtures³, that whatever democracies will bring is going to be acceptable to the U.S. so long as mutual⁴ interests and mutual sovereignty are respected. I think it’s a major shift for America foreign policy in the region as well," he said.

Another big change - what's expected of the region's newest leaders.

“Whether it’s in Tunisia with Ennahda or Muslim Brotherhood⁵ in Egypt or similar factions⁶ in Libya and elsewhere, unless they are able to deliver on what is functionally⁷ important for the average citizen, they are not going to be contenders for very long," said Iskander.

In his congratulatory call to Mohamed Morsi, President Barack Obama said the U.S. will continue to support Egypt’s transition to democracy and stand by the Egyptian people as they fulfill⁸ the promise of their revolution. 

1 ushers   

n.引座员( usher的名词复数 )；招待员；门房；助理教员v.引，领，陪同( usher的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Seats clicked, ushers bowed while he looked blandly on. 座位发出啪啦啪啦的声响，领座员朝客人们鞠躬，而他在一边温和殷勤地看着。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• The minister then offers a brief prayer of dedication, and the ushers return to their seats. 于是牧师又做了一个简短的奉献的祈祷，各招待员也各自回座位。 来自辞典例句

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 overtures   

n.主动的表示，提议；（向某人做出的）友好表示、姿态或提议( overture的名词复数 )；（歌剧、芭蕾舞、音乐剧等的）序曲，前奏曲

参考例句：

• Their government is making overtures for peace. 他们的政府正在提出和平建议。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had lately begun to make clumsy yet endearing overtures of friendship. 最近他开始主动表示友好，样子笨拙却又招人喜爱。 来自辞典例句

4 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

5 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

6 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

7 functionally   

adv.机能上地，官能地

参考例句：

• Objective To explore occlusion reconstruction by computer aided design (CAD) with functionally-generated pathway (FGP). 目的探索借助功能性？记录(functionally-generated pathway,FGP)技术进行口腔固定修复体计算机辅助设计(Computer aided Design,CAD)生理性建？的方法。 来自互联网
• In this respect, the proceeding was functionally similar to a comparative licensing adjudication. 在这一点上，手续在作用上即类似于比较许可证发放的裁断。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

8 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。