VOA常速英语2013--沙特美国分歧致外交紧张局面

 

Saudi-US Rift¹ Causes Severe Diplomatic Strain 沙特美国分歧致外交紧张局面

Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United States are causing a severe strain on what has been a rock-solid relationship. Saudi officials are expressing anger and concern over America’s evolving policies in the Middle East.

Saudi government officials are fuming² over U.S. policy regarding the bloody³ Syrian civil war.

沙特政府官员就美国对叙利亚血腥内战的政策感到愤怒。

In Egypt, the Saudis are supporting the military-backed government.

在埃及，沙特人支持军方支持的政府。

While the United States is suspending hundreds of millions of dollars in aid following the coup⁴ which ousted⁵ president Mohamed Morsi.  

在总统默罕默德·穆尔西在政变中被废除后，美国就暂停了对埃及数亿美元的援助。

But mostly the Saudis are worried about the military strength of arch-rival Iran.

但大多数沙特人都担心劲敌伊朗的军事力量。

And a possible thaw⁶ in relations between Washington and Tehran over the country’s controversial nuclear program.

在伊朗有争议的核项目上，美国和伊朗的关系可能缓和。

Clifford May is president of the Foundation for Defense⁷ of Democracies:

克利福德·梅是保卫民主基金会主席。

“The signs are that the Saudis are angry, that they are exasperated⁸, that they are frustrated⁹ and I think if you had to come down to a one line reason why, it is because the U.S. is not showing leadership in the Middle East at this moment," said May.

“目前的迹象是，沙特人很愤怒很恼火，他们感到沮丧，我想如果真要说出个原因来，那是因为美国目前在中东没有表现出领导权。”

Riyadh is unhappy the U.S. has not been more aggressive in arming the Syrian rebels.

美国没有在对叙利亚叛军提供武器上更积极，这一点令Riyadh不满。

And the Saudis complained about the White House decision to embrace an agreement to remove Syria’s chemical weaponw - rather than launch a cruise missile strike against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who now appears to be in a stronger position.

同时令沙特对美国产生抱怨的是，白宫决定采取协议去除叙利亚的化学武器，而不是对叙利亚总统巴沙尔·阿萨德发起巡航导弹打击，阿萨德目前似乎有优势。

“I don’t see any obstacles to being nominated to run in the next elections," said Assad.

“我看不到有什么障碍来影响下届选举。”

Riyadh even rejected a seat on the U.N. Security Council, citing its lack of success in resolving conflicts in the Middle East.

Riyadh甚至拒绝了联合国安理会的席位，称安理会未能在解决中东危机上取得成功。

Middle East analyst¹⁰ Hany Al-Gamal:

中东问题分析家Hany Al-Gamal说：

“It actually wants the international community to know that Saudi Arabia, as a well-off country and a significant regional power, should have a say on the issue of the Syria crisis, and no one should impose their own views on others," said  Al-Gamal.

“安理会事实上想让国际社会明白，像沙特这样的富裕国家和地区重要大国，应该在叙利亚危机问题上有发言权，没有人可以将自己的观点施加给别人。”

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he understands the Saudis' disappointment with some of Washington’s decisions, but says the allies are working together.

美国国务卿约翰·克里说，他明白沙特对华盛顿的一些决定失望，但他说盟国会协作一致。

“And I am convinced we are on the same page as we are proceeding¹¹ forward, and I look forward to working very closely with our Saudi friends and allies," said Kerry.

“我相信我们在前进的路上会达成一致，我希望与沙特友邦和盟友更紧密地合作。”

Riyadh is most concerned about the Obama’s administration’s potential for warmer relations with Iran, following a highly symbolic¹² phone call between the U.S. president and his new Iranian counterpart.

Riyadh最担心的是奥巴马政府与伊朗更和睦关系的可能，此前有高度象征性的信号，就是美国总统和伊朗新总统进行了通话。

克利福德·梅说：

Again, Clifford May:

“The Saudis depend on U.S. leadership in that region and they see the alternative, frankly¹³ as the rise of Iran as a bully¹⁴, a hegemon, eventually, maybe sooner rather than later, a nuclear-armed master of the Middle East," he said.

“沙特在该地区依靠美国的领导权，他们认为伊朗的崛起为威吓和霸权主义，或许会很快成为中东的核武国家。”

Analysts¹⁵ say it is too early to know whether Saudi Arabia’s anger with Washington is a diplomatic spat¹⁶ or a significant split in bilateral¹⁷ relations.

分析家称，要知道沙特对华盛顿的愤怒是外交口角还是双边关系的重大分裂还为时过早。

1 rift   

n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入

参考例句：

• He was anxious to mend the rift between the two men.他急于弥合这两个人之间的裂痕。
• The sun appeared through a rift in the clouds.太阳从云层间隙中冒出来。

2 fuming   

愤怒( fume的现在分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟

参考例句：

• She sat in the car, silently fuming at the traffic jam. 她坐在汽车里，心中对交通堵塞感到十分恼火。
• I was fuming at their inefficiency. 我正因为他们效率低而发火。

3 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

4 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

5 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

6 thaw   

v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和

参考例句：

• The snow is beginning to thaw.雪已开始融化。
• The spring thaw caused heavy flooding.春天解冻引起了洪水泛滥。

7 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。

8 exasperated   

adj.恼怒的

参考例句：

• We were exasperated at his ill behaviour. 我们对他的恶劣行为感到非常恼怒。
• Constant interruption of his work exasperated him. 对他工作不断的干扰使他恼怒。

9 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

12 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

13 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

14 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。

15 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。

16 spat   

n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声

参考例句：

• Her parents always have spats.她的父母经常有些小的口角。
• There is only a spat between the brother and sister.那只是兄妹间的小吵小闹。

17 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。