VOA常速英语2014--奥巴马面临挑战 谨防伊拉克行动蔓延（在线收听）

Obama Challenged to Avoid Mission Creep in Iraq 奥巴马面临挑战 谨防伊拉克行动蔓延

WHITE HOUSE — As the U.S. deploys hundreds of American troops to deal with the Iraqi crisis, the Obama administration is facing tough questions on whether the mission will inevitably evolve into a renewed, full-fledged involvement in the country.

华盛顿 — 在美国派数百名军人协助应对伊拉克危机之际，奥巴马政府面临的难题是，这次任务是否将不可避免地扩大成为再次全面卷入伊拉克事务。

With Sunni rebels consolidating control of more towns, there are questions about whether the deployment of up to 300 military advisers may be too little, too late.

随着逊尼派反政府武装控制越来越多伊拉克城镇，现在的问题是，派遣300名军事顾问前往伊拉克，人数是否太少？时间是否太晚？

President Obama dispatched Secretary of State John Kerry to Iraq this week to push for unity against the Islamist insurgents — and an Iraqi solution.

奥巴马总统这个星期委派克里国务卿前往伊拉克，推动通过团结抗击伊斯兰反叛武装来解决伊拉克问题.

The U.S. troops are meant to give the Iraqi government the support it needs to put down the insurgency.

美国部队的任务是为伊拉克政府平息反叛活动提供所需要的支持。

“This administration does believe that there is time for Iraq's political leaders to make the necessary decisions that will unify the country to confront the terrorist threat, the extremist threat that they're facing in Iraq right now," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

白宫发言人欧内斯特说： “美国政府相信，伊拉克政治领导人有时间做出必要的抉择，团结整个国家，应对他们面对的恐怖主义和极端主义威胁。”

In addition to the combat-ready military advisers, the president has ordered up to 275 troops to safeguard the U.S. Embassy and other American interests in the country.

除了随时可以作战的军事顾问，奥巴马总统还命令275名军人保护美国大使馆和美国在伊拉克的其他利益。

The job of the U.S. advisers is to assess the capabilities of an Iraqi military troubled by desertions and weak morale.

美国军事顾问的工作是评估受开小差和士气低落困扰的伊拉克军队的能力

It may be difficult for the administration to keep troop numbers low, says Julian Zelizer, a political history professor at Princeton, via Skype.

普林斯顿大学政治史教授泽利泽认为，美国政府可能难以把美军的人数控制在一个低水平。

"Once you send 300 people there at a minimum, if they recommend the need for more it's hard for the president to then ignore the very people he sent to find out what should be done," he said.

泽利泽是普林斯顿大学教授，他说：“你派了300人去那里。如果他们建议说，需要更多的人，总统很难不理会他派去评估应采取什么行动的这些人的建议。”

Past conflicts like those in Vietnam and Korea, he added, have shown how small deployments can become the opening wedge for much bigger operations.

泽利泽说，过去的冲突--例如越战和韩战--都证明了，最初的小规模部署如何成为大得多的行动的切入口。

"Each time the mission gets bigger, the involvement gets bigger," he said. "It's very difficult to contain these situations.”

泽利泽说：“每次都是任务越来越大，参与程度也相应越来越高。很难控制这种局面。”

In Iraq, where the situation is growing more fragile, and where the U.S. has already invested deeply, the challenge to limit involvement is perhaps even greater.

在伊拉克，形势越来越危急，而美国在那里又有重大利益，限制参与程度可能是更大的挑战。