VOA标准英语2015--斯科普里的抗议活动凸显了巴尔干半岛的紧张局势

Skopje Protests Underscore Balkan Tensions 斯科普里的抗议活动凸显了巴尔干半岛的紧张局势

LONDON—

Protest marches on consecutive¹ days in the Macedonian capital, Skopje, brought tens of thousands of people into the streets this week, some to call for the government’s resignation and others to show their support. The flare-up of political strife² is in part related to the frustrations³ of all the Balkan states at the long timeframe for their possible membership in the European Union. And Macedonia has the additional problem that Greece insists it change its name, which is the same as a Greek province.

Anti-government protesters were out on Sunday, bringing together members of several of Macedonia’s ethnic⁴ groups in a call for the prime minister to resign. The opposition⁵ accuses the government of electoral fraud, repressing journalists, and other abuses, including covering up a murder.

The next day, Prime Minister Nicola Gruevski spoke⁶ at a similar-sized pro-government rally. Supporters said last year’s election results should be respected and the prime minister should continue his nine-year rule.

But some experts say although Gruevski was elected and re-elected, he has become increasingly autocratic, partly enabled by the European Union’s imposition of an extremely slow process for Macedonia and other Balkan countries to join.

 “The government has become very comfortable in its position because it hasn’t been subject to the reforms that would have to have taken place had it moved closer to NATO or the EU,” said James Ker-Lindsay, at the London School of Economics. “And is actually starting to move against the idea of EU membership, and I think that this is what makes it so very risky⁷.”

Speaking via Skype, the former EU special representative for Macedonia, Erwan Fouere, is even more critical of the government. “The current regime has lost whatever credibility it had and any legitimacy⁸ to remain in government. And I think the only way that a peaceful process can be restored is by the government resigning and making way for a transition process,” he said.

Some of the opposition protesters have set up a tent city to demand just that. But their prospects⁹ for success are not clear. Ker-Lindsay said they are not likely to get as much attention as their counterparts in Ukraine did last year. “The country just doesn’t sit on that fault line between East and West in the way that Ukraine has," he stated.

Still, Ker-Lindsay ssid the EU’s policy has created an opening for Russia to try to re-establish some influence in a region it controlled until 1989. But Erwan Fouere is not too concerned. “There is no strategic interest for Russia in this, apart from annoying the West and suggesting that the West are not fulfilling their commitments toward the Balkans as they should,” Fouere said.

The commitment is to bring the Balkan countries into the European Union. The delay is related to the need for reforms and concerns about immigration into current EU countries.

Ker-Lindsay ssid the EU has to balance its concerns with a strong message that the Balkan states will become members, though likely not in the next several years.

1 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

2 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。

3 frustrations   

挫折( frustration的名词复数 )； 失败； 挫败； 失意

参考例句：

• The temptation would grow to take out our frustrations on Saigon. 由于我们遭到挫折而要同西贡算帐的引诱力会增加。
• Aspirations will be raised, but so will frustrations. 人们会产生种种憧憬，但是种种挫折也会随之而来。

4 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

5 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。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

8 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

9 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。