VOA慢速英语2019--How Americans Decide to Go to War

 

Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump¹ defended his targeted killing² of an Iranian general.

Qassem Soleimani was the head of Iran's Quds Force. He died last Friday in a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad International Airport.

His death increased tensions in the area. Iran has already answered by firing missiles into Iraq. The missiles landed at two military bases that house U.S. troops.

No casualties from that attack were reported. Trump did not speak Wednesday about using additional military force against Iran. Instead, he said he would put more economic restrictions³ on the country.

But many American lawmakers are expressing concerns about open war between the two countries. They will vote this week on a measure to prevent U.S. military forces from taking action against Iran unless Congress approves.

How does the U.S. declare war?

The U.S. Constitution says Congress has the authority to declare war. And it says the president is the commander-in-chief of the military.

The men who wrote the Constitution divided these powers on purpose. They wanted to prevent one person or group from making a sudden move toward war without others in the government agreeing.

But lawmakers and the president have often clashed over how to operate within the rules of the Constitution. The last time Congress officially declared war was almost 80 years ago, during World War II. American military actions since then have happened without an official declaration of war.

In 1973, Congress passed the War Powers Act to further define the president's role in directing military actions. The law required that U.S. presidents had 38 hours to report to Congress after committing U.S. forces to military actions overseas. The president must also officially say why she or he is committing forces.

In 2001, lawmakers and the president worked together to create a resolution permitting actions to answer terrorist threats. It is called the Authorization⁴ for Use of Military Force, or AUMF. The AUMF is unusual because it permits actions against groups or people, as opposed to nations or areas.

The resolution has created debate under Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Trump. All three leaders have used the AUMF's large definition of a terrorist threat to say military actions are needed.

What does Trump say?

Observers say Trump appears to be using his ability to strike under the War Powers Act, which permits the president to use military force to answer an attack. Trump's government noted⁵ intelligence they say pointed⁶ to planned attacks on Americans as a reason for the airstrike.

In a tweet on Sunday, Trump wrote, "These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully⁷ strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless!"

How is Congress reacting?

Lawmakers from the opposition⁸ party to the president, the Democrats⁹, have expressed concerns about how Trump's government told lawmakers about the airstrike. Some want to require Trump to discuss increasing hostilities¹⁰ against Iran with Congress and the public before taking action.

For his part, Trump on Wednesday called on the security alliance of NATO to become "much more involved in the Middle East process."

Words in This Story

casualty - n. a person who is hurt or killed during an accident, war, etc.

authority - n. the power to give orders or make decisions : the power or right to direct or control someone or something

role - n. a part that someone or something has in a particular activity or situation

commit - v. to decide to use something for some particular purpose or use

disproportionate - adj. having or showing a difference that is not fair, reasonable, or expected : too large or too small in relation to something

nevertheless - adv. in spite of what has just been said

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

4 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 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。

9 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 hostilities   

n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事

参考例句：

• Mexico called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. 墨西哥要求立即停止敌对行动。
• All the old hostilities resurfaced when they met again. 他们再次碰面时，过去的种种敌意又都冒了出来。