VOA慢速英语2015 对非盟新主席穆加贝的担忧

AS IT IS 2015-02-15 Worry Over New African Union's Chairman, Robert Mugabe 对非盟新主席穆加贝的担忧-

President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe won praise last month when he stood before the African Union and accepted its chairmanship. Mr. Mugabe is Africa’s third longest serving leader. Critics have described his rule as dictatorial¹. They say he is a poor choice for the chairmanship if the African Union wants the world’s respect. But other observers say he is unlikely to do anything to hurt the group.

The African Union works hard to present itself as an organization that works in a calm and collective way.

Yet Robert Mugabe is seen as someone who often expresses strong opinions. The 90-year-old president has publicly criticized European nations, calling them “colonizers and imperialists.” Several Western nations announced travel bans and ordered sanctions against Mr. Mugabe. The measures were meant to punish him for suspected cheating in elections, repressing the opposition² and human rights abuses.

His appointment as AU chairman shocked some governments around the world. But several African states have accepted the appointment without expressing concern. This month, for example, South Africa’s foreign minister said the nation has “no qualms” about the choice.

AU office largely technical

Dimpho Motsamai is with the Institute of Security Studies in South Africa’s administrative³ capital, Pretoria. She says Mr. Mugabe’s appointment is largely technical. The position of chairman moves back and forth⁴ among Africa’s four major areas.     

Ms. Motsamai says the job has limited power. In fact, the head of the AU Commission has more power than the chairman. The Commission is the permanent administrative and policy engine of the AU.

Other opinionated leaders have held the chairmanship. In 2009, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi held the position. He had hoped to form a “United States of Africa.” But, he had no success with that. He also lost his campaign to extend his term as AU chair beyond the one year limit.

Dimpho Motsamai says Mr. Mugabe is unlikely to go against the commission. She says he is also unlikely to deal with complex issues, like African leaders attempting to amend⁵ national laws to extend their terms.

She says Mr. Mugabe probably will not speak out on abuses of democracy. She says he already has failed to do so in his job as chairman of the Southern African Development Community. But she says he will make public statements in support of AU opinions and decisions.

Is Mugabe a risk?

Mr. Mugabe’s critics say he is a poor choice for the job of representing African unity⁶, however. Joy Mabenge works for the Zimbabwe in Crisis Coalition⁷ in South Africa. He says Mr. Mugabe is old and has shown signs of memory problems. Mr. Mabenge says there is a danger that the Zimbabwean leader may say or do something that could cause an international incident.

Mr. Mugabe’s AU chairmanship acceptance speech called into question his mental health. The 25-minute speech dealt with many problems Africa faces, including terrorism and the spread of Ebola. But there was also some aggressive language about “colonialists and imperalists.”

Mr. Mabenge says that is the kind of talk he worries about. Mr. Mugabe is to serve as chairman for 12 months. It is sure to be an interesting year.  

Words in This Story

imperialist – n. a powerful country or group of countries that attempts to change or influence the way people live in other, poorer countries

sanction – n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not permitting economic aid for that country, etc. 

qualm – n. a feeling of doubt or uncertainty⁸ about whether you are doing the right thing

unity – n. the state of being in full agreement

memory – n. the power or process of remembering what has been learned

1 dictatorial   

adj. 独裁的，专断的

参考例句：

• Her father is very dictatorial.她父亲很专横。
• For years the nation had been under the heel of a dictatorial regime.多年来这个国家一直在独裁政权的铁蹄下。

2 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。

3 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

4 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

5 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。

6 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

7 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

8 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。