2020年经济学人 也门战争(1)

The war in Yemen

也门战争

Looking for an exit

寻找出口

Saudi Arabia declares a ceasefire, while the Houthi rebels fight on

沙特阿拉伯宣布停火，而胡塞组织叛军则继续作战

Rarely has Saudi Arabia sounded so magnanimous. For five years it has been fighting the Houthis, a group of Shia rebels in Yemen, on behalf of the government they toppled. The war has devastated¹ Yemen's infrastructure² and killed more than 100,000 people. But on April 8th Saudi Arabia and its allies promised to lay down their arms for two weeks. The reason for the ceasefire, said a Saudi official, was "to alleviate³ the suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people and maintain their health and safety". Two days later Yemen, the region's poorest country, announced its first confirmed case of covid-19.

很少听说沙特阿拉伯如此大度。五年来，沙特一直代表其所推翻的政府与也门什叶派胡塞武装组织叛军作战。这场战争摧毁了也门的基础设施，造成10万多人死亡。但4月8日，沙特阿拉伯及其盟国承诺将停火两周。一位沙特官员说，停火的原因是“为了减轻兄弟之邦也门人民的苦难，维护他们的健康与安全”。两天后，也门，这个在该地区最贫穷的国家，宣布出现第一例新冠肺炎确诊病例。

Cynics doubt that compassion⁴ is truly motivating Saudi Arabia, a majority Sunni nation. For years its bombs have hit hospitals, houses and schools in Yemen—often, it seemed, on purpose. Rather, the war is turning and the Saudis are losing heart.

沙特大部分信奉逊尼派伊斯兰教，批评人士怀疑，沙特这么做是否真出于怜悯之心。 多年来，其投下的炸弹袭击了也门的医院、房屋和学校，而这些往往都是故意为之。不如说，战争在转变，令沙特人感到心灰意冷。

Despite its vicious air campaign, Saudi Arabia has been unable to dislodge the Houthis from most of Yemen's population centres, including the capital, Sana'a. Its main international ally, the United Arab Emirates, began scaling back its involvement in the war last year. The Saudis themselves are bombing less: their air strikes are down by more than 90% compared with 2015. In recent months they have held secret talks with the Houthis. Gone is the hope of returning Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, the exiled Yemeni president, to Sana'a. Now the kingdom's goal is to stop Houthi missile strikes on its own territory. "The Saudis want a way out and are using the coronavirus as a figleaf," says Abdulghani al-Iryani, a Yemeni analyst⁶.

尽管沙特进行过恶毒的空袭，但仍然无法将胡塞武装组织赶出也门大部分人口聚集的中心地区，包括首都萨那。其主要国际盟友阿拉伯联合酋长国去年开始减少参与这场战争，沙特自己也在减少轰炸袭击的次数：与2015年相比，其发起的空袭数量减少了90%以上。近几个月来，他们与胡塞武装组织进行过秘密会谈。流亡也门总统阿布德·拉博·曼苏尔·哈迪（Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi）重返萨那的希望一去不复返，现在沙特的目标是阻止胡塞组织的导弹对本国领土的袭击。“沙特想要一条出路，并将新冠状病毒作为遮羞布，”也门分析师阿卜杜勒加尼·艾里亚尼（Abdulghani al-Iryani）说道。

The Saudi intervention⁷ began as a vanity project for Muhammad bin⁵ Salman, the crown prince, who sought to flex⁸ his muscles in the face of rival Iran. But the Houthis stood tough and Shia Iran, sensing an opportunity, increased its support for the rebels. Prince Muhammad is now looking at a quagmire⁹ that is diverting resources at a time of plummeting¹⁰ oil revenues. Houthi attacks on the kingdom threaten its reputation for stability. Their missiles have struck oil pipelines¹¹ and targeted the capital, Riyadh.

沙特的干预行动始于王储穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼（Muhammad bin Salman）的一项政绩工程，他试图在对手伊朗面前大展拳脚。但是，胡塞组织立场强硬，什叶派盟友伊朗意识到时机到来，就增加了对叛军的支持。穆罕默德亲王现在面对着，在石油收入暴跌之际转移资源的困境。胡塞组织对沙特的袭击威胁到其局势稳定的声誉，那些导弹袭击了石油管道，还瞄准了首都利雅得。

1 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

2 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

3 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

4 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

5 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

6 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。

7 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

8 flex   

n.皮线，花线；vt.弯曲或伸展

参考例句：

• We wound off a couple of yards of wire for a new lamp flex.我们解开几码电线作为新的电灯花线。
• He gave his biceps a flex to impress the ladies.他收缩他的肱二头肌以吸引那些女士们的目光。

9 quagmire   

n.沼地

参考例句：

• On their way was a quagmire which was difficult to get over.路上他俩遇到了—个泥坑,很难过得去。
• Rain had turned the grass into a quagmire.大雨使草地变得一片泥泞。

10 plummeting   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Prices are rising, falling, going up, going down, shooting up, plummeting, etc. 物价在上涨、下跌、上升、下落、猛然上涨、骤然下跌等。 来自辞典例句
• The enemy plane went plummeting into the sea. 敌机直直掉进海里。 来自辞典例句

11 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。