2006年VOA标准英语-Iraq Aims for Inclusive Government, Curbin

By Bill Rodgers
Washington
15 March 2006

The latest sectarian violence in Iraq has raised questions about the future of the U.S. mission to establish a secure and democratic country, three years after U.S. troops invaded Iraq to overthrow¹ dictator Saddam Hussein.   As part of our series marking the third anniversary of the invasion, VOA's Bill Rodgers reports on the challenges ahead for the United States and Iraq.

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 It was called "Shock and Awe," the overwhelming force used in the March 2003 invasion of Iraq that enabled U.S. troops to quickly achieve their objectives.  The regime of Saddam Hussein easily collapsed² and the former dictator was captured some months later, hiding ignominiously³ in a hole in the ground.    

Other successes followed when Iraqis went to the polls in three separate elections despite terrorist threats.  Iraqis voted in the first election in January 2005 to elect a transitional assembly.  They went to the polls again last October to approve a constitution, and in December they voted for a parliament.  These last two elections attracted large numbers of Sunni Arabs who had boycotted⁴ the January 2005 vote.

An Iraqi holds up his ink-stained finger showing he voted in election  
  
Michael Rubin of the American Enterprise Institute says the significance of these elections should not be minimized.

"At this point, a new political system is taking root, we've had three successive polls, elections, and Iraqis, the vast majority of them, are looking forward to getting on with their lives," he said.

But insurgent⁵ violence threatens this progress, with suicide bombings and other attacks taking a heavy toll⁶ on Iraqi civilians⁷.  Between 28,000 to 32,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed in the conflict over the past three years, according to the Iraq Index compiled by the Brookings Institution in Washington. 

 
Iraqi soldiers patrol Baghdad
  
To curb⁸ the violence, the U.S. strategy is to train Iraq's military and police, a force now numbering some 230,000, to assume a greater role in maintaining security.  The Pentagon says the training is going well, and that the Iraqi army is increasingly capable of taking on the insurgents⁹. 

But analyst¹⁰ Tamara Wittes of the Brookings Institution says training alone will not be enough.

"For an Iraqi army to be effective at the function of defending the Iraqi people, of fighting a counterinsurgency, it is not enough if you have trained men with weapons on the ground, they have to have the whole infrastructure¹² of government behind them," she said.  "They have to have effective decision-making, they have to have reliable budgets to pay salaries and purchase equipment and get it to where it needs to be, and they have to have an effective chain of command that's not tainted¹³ by political squabbling or corruption¹⁴.  So if the government institutions aren't working, the army can't work either."

Forming a permanent, inclusive government will be key for Iraq's future.  Last December's vote was largely along sectarian lines, and while Shiite and Kurdish coalitions¹⁵ won the most seats in the 275-member parliament, they do not hold an absolute majority needed to govern.  The United States, through its ambassador in Iraq, has been pressing for the creation of a national unity¹⁶ government that would include Sunni representatives. 

But James Jeffrey, the State Department's special Iraq coordinator¹⁷, tells VOA the effort has encountered resistance.

"People who have power don't want to give it up," he said.  "The Shia did very well in both elections, but particularly in the first of them which is why they have so many positions in the current government.  The Sunni Arabs did very well for hundreds of years dominating a country whose population is largely not Sunni Arab. But all of these folks have to learn they are going to have to share power with other people in something equal to their proportion of power in the population."

Iraqis gather at ruins of Shrine¹⁸ in Samarra   
  
However, attempts at unity were undermined by the February 22 bombing  of the sacred Shiite mosque¹⁹ in Samarra, which unleashed²⁰ the worst sectarian violence in Iraq since the downfall of Saddam Hussein.   Retaliatory²¹ attacks were carried out against Sunni mosques²² while bodies of Shiite and Sunni civilians piled up at morgues, many of them killed execution style.

Militias²³, most drawn²⁴ up on ethnic²⁵ or religious lines or even under seeming official cover, are believed responsible for some of the recent violence, especially the executions of civilians.  Experts say the militias have emerged because U.S. troops and Iraq's security forces have been unable to impose their authority on the whole country.

Tamara Wittes warns they pose a danger for Iraq's future.

"While the issue of sectarian tension had not been fueling the insurgency¹¹ up until recently, it may happen now that local communities which had been keeping some distance from the insurgency are being forced into their arms, because they feel threatened by the militias representing other communities," she said.  "That is very unfortunate.   It reminds me, in some ways, of the situation in the former Yugoslavia in the early 90's where communities did not support the extreme, nationalist claims of the militias felt compelled to embrace them and enjoy their protection, because there was no larger authority that could provide them with safety and security."

James Jeffrey of the State Department says the outbreak of sectarian violence is of grave concern, but doubts the situation in Iraq will deteriorate²⁶ into civil war.  He notes some of the violence has diminished and Iraqi security forces have been effective in curbing²⁷ some of the attacks.  However, he warns if there is widespread sectarian violence, it could affect any U.S troop withdrawal²⁸ plans.

"What we have said, if the conditions permit, and I underline that, there could well be further withdrawals²⁹ in the course of this year," he noted³⁰.  "But there's been no decision taken, there's no level of concreteness to possible plans or possible force levels, and again everything is dependent upon the conditions on the ground."

One of those conditions will be quelling³¹ the insurgency, made up mainly of disaffected³² Sunnis but also of foreign fighters led by terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.  This task may be long and arduous³³ as the United States learned in Vietnam. 

And some observers, such as Marina Ottoway of the Carnegie Endowment, have become pessimistic overall about the U.S. mission in Iraq.

"If we look at what has been happening, there does not seem to be much progress in forming a government and sectarian violence is increasing in the country, so that suggests we are not following a winning strategy," she said.

The Bush administration clearly thinks otherwise, and remains³⁴ determined³⁵ to give the Iraqi government time to strengthen all of its institutions, including its security forces, to ensure stability.

1 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

2 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

3 ignominiously   

adv.耻辱地，屈辱地，丢脸地

参考例句：

• Their attempt failed ignominiously. 他们的企图可耻地失败了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She would be scolded, abused, ignominiously discharged. 他们会说她，骂她，解雇她，让她丢尽脸面的。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

4 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

5 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

6 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

7 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

8 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

9 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

10 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。

11 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

12 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

13 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

15 coalitions   

结合体，同盟( coalition的名词复数 )； （两党或多党）联合政府

参考例句：

• History testifies to the ineptitude of coalitions in waging war. 历史昭示我们，多数国家联合作战，其进行甚为困难。
• All the coalitions in history have disintegrated sooner or later. 历史上任何联盟迟早都垮台了。

16 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。

17 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

18 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

19 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

20 unleashed   

v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The government's proposals unleashed a storm of protest in the press. 政府的提案引发了新闻界的抗议浪潮。
• The full force of his rage was unleashed against me. 他把所有的怒气都发泄在我身上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 retaliatory   

adj.报复的

参考例句：

• The process can take years before the WTO approves retaliatory action. 在WTO通过此行动之前，这个程序恐怕要等上一阵子了。 来自互联网
• Retaliatory tariffs on China are tantamount to taxing ourselves as a punishment. 将惩罚性关税强加于中国相当于对我们自己实施课税惩罚。 来自互联网

22 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

23 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

24 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

25 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

26 deteriorate   

v.变坏；恶化；退化

参考例句：

• Do you think relations between China and Japan will continue to deteriorate?你认为中日关系会继续恶化吗？
• He held that this would only cause the situation to deteriorate further.他认为，这只会使局势更加恶化。

27 curbing   

n.边石，边石的材料v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Progress has been made in curbing inflation. 在控制通货膨胀方面已取得了进展。
• A range of policies have been introduced aimed at curbing inflation. 为了抑制通货膨胀实施了一系列的政策。

28 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。

29 withdrawals   

n.收回，取回，撤回( withdrawal的名词复数 )；撤退，撤走；收回[取回，撤回，撤退，撤走]的实例；推出（组织），提走（存款），戒除毒瘾，对说过的话收回，孤僻

参考例句：

• He has made several withdrawals from his bank account. 他从银行账户上提了几次款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is not the bank's policy to deduct interest on withdrawals. 提款需扣除利息这并非是本银行的政策。 来自辞典例句

30 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。

31 quelling   

v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Quelling her grief, she said 'Good-bye! 'again and went on. 她把悲痛压下去，二番说了一声再见，又转身走去了。 来自辞典例句
• The police succeeded in quelling the riot. 警方把暴乱镇压了下去。 来自辞典例句

32 disaffected   

adj.（政治上）不满的，叛离的

参考例句：

• He attracts disaffected voters.他吸引了心怀不满的选民们。
• Environmental issues provided a rallying point for people disaffected with the government.环境问题把对政府不满的人们凝聚了起来。

33 arduous   

adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的

参考例句：

• We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
• The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。

34 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。

35 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。