Blair Suggests British Public Should Prepare

 

By Michael Drudge¹

British Prime Minister Tony Blair's declaration that "a new Iraqi conflict" is under way has fueled controversy², and raised questions about whether more British troops will be sent to Iraq.

Prime Minister Blair's latest comments are widely seen as the first step toward preparing the British public for a long and difficult struggle in Iraq.

During a Sunday news conference with the visiting interim³ prime minister of Iraq, Iyad Allawi, Mr. Blair said Iraq had become a crucible⁴ for global terrorism, and the war had entered a new and distinct phase.

"In this new Iraqi conflict, whatever the disagreements about the removal of Saddam, there is only one side for sensible and decent people to be on in this conflict," he said.

The Guardian⁵ newspaper said Mr. Blair's words amounted to what the paper called "a stark⁶ re-labeling" of the Iraq war. The Mail newspaper called it an "astonishing admission," while the Daily Telegraph said Mr. Blair has changed tactics to convince Iraq invasion critics that the new conflict must be won.

A Middle East analyst⁷ at Oxford⁸ University, Alan George, says he fears Mr. Blair's remarks reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of the roots of the Iraqi insurgency⁹.

"These are not terrorists," he said. "This is a nationalist insurgency against an illegal foreign occupation of their country. So, to dismiss this as terrorism and part of the global war on terrorism is simply silly, in the end."

Britain's former chief of defense¹⁰ staff, Tim Garden, says security and reconstruction¹¹ must go hand-in-hand, or the Iraqis will throw their support behind the insurgents¹².

"They've got to get on with rebuilding the infrastructure," he said. "And that may mean that you've got to do an awful lot more in terms of the security to make it possible. As it is, all the [foreign] workers are hunkering down, or leaving the country, and, of course, that means that most Iraqis are not seeing improvement in their daily life, which means they become more supportive of their local militias¹³ and the insurgents."

An Iraq expert in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman¹⁴ Mark Kirk, told British radio, Prime Minister Blair is right to point out the challenges that lie ahead.

"I think the prime minister was exactly right to prepare the peoples of the West for a longer and difficult struggle, really a political struggle, well known to the British people that have closely watched an armed minority trying to shoot their way into power in Northern Ireland," he said.

Mr. Blair's comments came amid speculation¹⁵ that Britain will increase the size of its 8,000-member military contingent¹⁶ in Iraq, ahead of Iraqi elections planned for January.

Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon says more troops may be sent, and Mr. Blair does not rule it out, saying troop levels are under constant review.

Even Britain's leading anti-war party, the Liberal Democrats¹⁷, has suggested more troops may be needed during the Iraq election, though party leaders say Britain should pull out soon after the voting.

Michael Drudge, VOA news, London.
注释：
controversy 争论
interim 临时的
crucible 严酷的考验
sensible 明智的
decent 正派的
tactics 战术，策略
insurgency 叛乱
insurgent 起义者
infrastructure 基础设施
contingent 分遣队

1 drudge   

n.劳碌的人；v.做苦工，操劳

参考例句：

• I feel like a real drudge--I've done nothing but clean all day!我觉得自己像个做苦工的--整天都在做清洁工作！
• I'm a poor,miserable,forlorn drudge;I shall only drag you down with me.我是一个贫穷，倒运，走投无路的苦力，只会拖累你。

2 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

3 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

4 crucible   

n.坩锅，严酷的考验

参考例句：

• The alliance had been forged in the crucible of war.这个联盟经受了战争的严峻考验。
• Put the required amount of metal into the crucible.把适量的金属放入坩埚。

5 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

6 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

7 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。

8 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

9 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

10 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

11 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

12 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

13 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

14 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

15 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

16 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

17 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》