VOA常速英语2007年-Security Improves in Iraq During 2007, But Poli

By Al Pessin
Pentagon
19 December 2007

It has been an eventful year in Iraq, with a surge of U.S. forces and sweeping¹ changes in the security situation, but efforts at national political reconciliation² have lagged behind. VOA Pentagon Correspondent Al Pessin reports on the year in Iraq.

A year ago, the co-chairman of the U.S. government's Iraq Study Group, Lee Hamilton, offered this stark³ assessment⁴ of spiraling violence in Iraq.

"The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating," Hamilton said.

His co-chair, former Secretary of State James Baker⁵, summarized the group's call for change.

"It is time to find a new way forward, a new approach," Baker said.

President Bush acknowledged that his policies had not produced the results he wanted.

"2006 was a difficult year for our troops and the Iraqi people," Mr. Bush said.

The Iraq Study Group called for a reduction of U.S. troops in Iraq. But President Bush chose a different approach. In January, he announced an increase of 30,000 troops and a new strategy designed to improve security and give Iraqi politicians a chance to deal with key issues like oil revenue sharing and reintegrating Sunni Baathists into the government and the military.

"Overall it was a stunning⁶ military success, and I think exceeded the expectations even of those who believed in the idea from the start," O'Hanlon said.

That is analyst⁷ Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution, who was a critic of the administration's Iraq policy for years, and a skeptic⁸ of the new strategy's potential.

"We were losing the war for three-and-a-half years, and now we're at least building momentum⁹, along with our Iraqi colleagues of course, in a way that seems to give us a decent chance. And that's a radical¹⁰ turnaround from where we were a year ago," he said.

According to the U.S. military, insurgent¹¹ attacks in Iraq are down 60 percent from a year ago. Senior officials attribute the decline to the surge, to improvements in the Iraqi security forces, to a ceasefire by a key Shiite militia¹² and to what is called 'The Awakening,' a decision by Sunni tribal¹³ sheikhs in Anbar Province to reject al-Qaida and cooperate with the coalition¹⁴ and the Iraqi government.

But the news was not all good. Increased fighting during surge operations made 2007 the deadliest year of the war for U.S. troops, with the casualty toll¹⁵ approaching 900. Most of the casualties were early in the year, and recent months have seen steadily¹⁶ declining casualty figures for U.S. troops, and for Iraqi troops and civilians¹⁷, too.

Still, U.S. Defense¹⁸ Secretary Robert Gates, who took office a year ago after the departure of Donald Rumsfeld, says the turnaround is not yet complete.

"The progress is real, but it is also fragile," Gates noted¹⁹. " The Iraqi government must use this breathing space bought with the blood of American, coalition and Iraqi troops to pass critical legislation."

Former Pentagon official Michele Flournoy, of the Center for a New American Security, says if the Iraqi political stalemate continues it will undermine the military progress.

"There's been success with damping down the violence and creating space," Flournoy said. "But whether that tactical success translates to strategic success will depend on whether anything comes of it politically. At the end of the day, if it doesn't translate into real political progress on the issues that will define the future of the country, it won't make a big difference."

U.S. officials agree that progress on national political issues is essential. But they also note that provincial²⁰ and local governments are performing better than the national government, and that even without major revenue-sharing legislation passed Baghdad is providing more money to the provinces.

By the end of the year, one of the 20 U.S. military combat brigades in Iraq will be withdrawn²¹, and by the end of July, four more will be out and will not be replaced, as long as the security situation does not deteriorate²². Those are the surge troops that were sent earlier this year. In March, the commander of coalition forces in Iraq, General David Petraeus, is to make a recommendation on future U.S. troop levels.

Many analysts²³ expect a continuing, but slower, U.S. withdrawal²⁴, perhaps with a relatively²⁵ small contingent²⁶ remaining in Iraq for several years to support Iraqi forces and help ensure stability. And they note that the coming U.S. presidential election will likely affect future U.S. policy toward Iraq.

But Michele Flournoy says the mission of U.S. troops in Iraq is already changing.

"The nature of the mission and the operations are starting to change," Flournoy said. "One transition that could and should happen over the next year is that U.S. forces would be doing less direct counterinsurgency operations, meaning less direct provision of security themselves, and would be doing more to back up Iraqi forces."

The story of Iraq was very different in 2007 from what it was the previous two years. Analysts agree that 2008 will be yet another crucial period for the country, one which could determine whether it achieves the 'sustainable stability' Iraqi leaders and President Bush want, accompanied by a further withdrawal of U.S. troops, or whether terror cells, ethnic²⁷ rivalries²⁸ and political stalemate combine to extend the fighting for another year, and perhaps beyond.

1 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

2 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。

3 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。

4 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

5 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

6 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

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 skeptic   

n.怀疑者，怀疑论者，无神论者

参考例句：

• She is a skeptic about the dangers of global warming.她是全球变暖危险的怀疑论者。
• How am I going to convince this skeptic that she should attention to my research?我将如何使怀疑论者确信她应该关注我的研究呢？

9 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。

10 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

11 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。

12 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

13 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

14 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。

15 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。

16 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

17 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。

18 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。

19 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。

20 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

21 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

22 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。

23 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

24 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。

25 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

26 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。

27 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。

28 rivalries   

n.敌对，竞争，对抗( rivalry的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new government was torn by rivalries. 新政府由于各派对立而四分五裂。 来自辞典例句
• Rivalries could bring about pain and hatred or give rise to fighting. 竞争会带来痛苦、仇恨，或者引起争斗。 来自互联网