2006年VOA标准英语-Lebanon Struggles Year After Hariri Killin

By Challiss McDonough
Beirut
13 February 2006

A Lebanese supporter of Rafik Hariri, holds a picture of Hariri with a candle, a day ahead of the first anniversary of his assassination¹   
  
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri was killed one year ago Tuesday in a massive bomb blast that triggered major changes in Lebanon's political landscape, starting with the withdrawal² of Syrian troops.

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Rafik al-Hariri's picture is everywhere in Beirut these days. 

It is plastered on walls all over town and beams down at the city from countless³ billboards⁴.  One near his burial site has a clock that has been counting the days since the former prime minister was killed.  It has ticked over to 365.

Tuesday marks the first anniversary of Mr. Hariri's death, and a large rally is planned for the occasion.  In the weeks after his assassination, massive protests in those same downtown streets drove political changes that seemed unimaginable just a year ago.  They call it the Cedar⁵ Revolution.

Syrian troops have been driven out of the country, and for the first time Lebanon has a government led by people opposed to Syrian intervention⁶ in Lebanese affairs. 

Young people were at the heart of those protests last year, but at the American University of Beirut students are divided about whether they will take to the streets again to mark the anniversary of Rafik al-Hariri's death.  Walking across campus under an umbrella in the pouring rain, business student Mayssa Rishani says she would not dream of missing the rally.

"Yeah, of course, that is for sure, you know," she said.  "Because it is something really sad for the Lebanese people, what happened, and I think all of us should be there, for him, for the things that he had done for us."

But some others who joined the protesters last year will not be going to the square this year.  A student named Kim says she has lost faith in the movement's leaders.

"We all went down the streets and we all demonstrated.  And yeah, there have been many changes, but I do not think it is enough," she explained.  "And I do not know how to continue, because I do not think I am going to go down tomorrow.  I do not get the point of this demonstration⁷, the one of tomorrow.  And I do not know how to continue the changes we started."

The withdrawal of Syrian troops was followed by a parliamentary election, in which most of the seats were won by anti-Syrian alliance led by Mr. Hariri's son, Saad al-Hariri.

Professor Fadia Kiwan heads the political science department at St. Joseph University in Beirut.  She says the Hariri camp made a strategic error by forging political alliances for the election, instead of capitalizing on the national unity⁸ expressed in the aftermath of Rafik al-Hariri's death.

"The first step was the spontaneous reaction of people to demonstrate a solidarity⁹ with Hariri's family and movement, and asking for the withdrawal of the Syrians," she noted¹⁰.  "But later on, the elections were a very big error.  They won the elections, but they lost the Lebanese unity, the Lebanese reconciliation¹¹."

One major complaint of many anti-Syrian forces is the fact that President Emile Lahoud is still in office.  He is a close ally of Damascus, which engineered the extension of his term in office in 2004. 

His foes¹² are pushing for him to leave, but Mr. Lahoud says he has no plans to resign.  And divisions in the anti-Syrian camp means there is no consensus¹³ on who should replace him.

Prominent human-rights lawyer Chibli Mallat was heavily involved in last year's protests, and has declared himself a candidate for president.

"We are in the middle of an unachieved revolution," he said.  "We have overall succeeded in our sovereignty revolution, we have the Syrian troops out.  But even on that score, we know that the Syrians are interfering¹⁴ heavily, either directly, through the assassinations¹⁵, or indirectly¹⁶ through remnants of the old regime, most particularly the current president who remains¹⁷ in power.  They are continuing to interfere¹⁸ directly and indirectly, and shamelessly, in the conduct of Lebanese politics.  That must stop, so even that is unachieved business."

The Hariri assassination was just one of a string of killings²⁰ and bombings that many Lebanese blame on Syria.  The most recent victim was newspaper editor and newly elected member of parliament Gibran Tueni, who like most of the other targets was an outspoken²¹ critic of Syrian interference.

Some local journalists say the continued violence has sapped the momentum²² of the pro-democracy movement, forcing its leaders into exile for their own protection.  Gibran Tueni had just returned to Lebanon from France the day before he was killed.

Saad al-Hariri stayed mainly in Saudi Arabia for six months, returning to Beirut Saturday, before the anniversary of his father's killing¹⁹.

Political science professor Fadia Kiwan says the later assassinations have radicalized the anti-Syrian forces even more than the killing of Mr. Hariri did, and she recalls another victim.

"We had among them unfortunately one of our colleagues and friends," she added.  "The day before, he was sitting on this chair, and we were exchanging on the situation, Samir Kassir, he [was] one of our team of the faculty²³ … here.  The day before, we were here, trying to make the point on the political situation.  He was very optimistic that day.  He was very optimistic."

After Rafik al-Hariri died, the protesters who camped in a downtown Beirut square for weeks believed they could make a change, and they did.  But in the wake of continued assassinations and political uncertainty²⁴, that kind of optimism is hard to find.

Back at the university campus, a student named Mohammed wears a tiny lapel pin bearing Mr. Hariri's photo. 

"With everything happening with the political situation, it is hard to be somehow optimistic.  But I am very happy that certain events, such as 14 February, will keep us together in order to keep the problems away, because I think this event is very important to keep the Lebanese people together, to keep the unity," he said.

Mohammed gently twists his lapel pin and says that the rally on Tuesday must make it clear that Lebanese will work hard to preserve everything Mr. Hariri helped build.

1 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

2 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

3 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

4 billboards   

n.广告牌( billboard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Large billboards have disfigured the scenery. 大型告示板已破坏了景色。 来自辞典例句
• Then, put the logo in magazines and on billboards without telling anyone what it means. 接着我们把这个商标刊在杂志和广告看板上，却不跟任何人透漏它的涵意。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年4月号

5 cedar   

n.雪松，香柏(木)

参考例句：

• The cedar was about five feet high and very shapely.那棵雪松约有五尺高,风姿优美。
• She struck the snow from the branches of an old cedar with gray lichen.她把长有灰色地衣的老雪松树枝上的雪打了下来。

6 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。

7 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

8 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。

9 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

10 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。

11 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

12 foes   

敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They steadily pushed their foes before them. 他们不停地追击敌人。
• She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。

13 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

14 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

15 assassinations   

n.暗杀( assassination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most anarchist assassinations were bungled because of haste or spontaneity, in his view. 在他看来，无政府主义者搞的许多刺杀都没成功就是因为匆忙和自发行动。 来自辞典例句
• Assassinations by Israelis of alleged terrorists habitually kill nearby women and children. 在以色列，自称恐怖分子的炸弹自杀者杀害靠近自己的以色列妇女和儿童。 来自互联网

16 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

17 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

18 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

19 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。

20 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

21 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

22 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

23 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

24 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。