VOA标准英语2014--分析师称尼日利亚与俄罗斯有军火交易

 

Analysts² Weigh Nigeria-Russia Arms Deal 分析师称尼日利亚与俄罗斯有军火交易

Nigeria has turned to Russia to buy heavier weapons following a recent strain in relations with the United States. After the U.S. rejected a request for Cobra attack helicopters, Nigeria cancelled a U.S. military training program linked to the fight against Boko Haram militants³. Analysts now are weighing the effects of the arms deal with Russia.

Jennifer Cooke of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies follows U.S.-Nigeria relations.

“In the broad sense, I think the relationships are good and enduring," she said. "But at this particular moment there is a great deal of tension particularly over the security relationship.”

Cooke is director of CSIS’ Africa Program. Also watching developments in Nigeria is Ben Moores, senior analyst¹ at the defense⁴ and security analysis organization IHS Jane's 360.

“I think the U.S. is still fully⁵ committed to supporting democracy in Nigeria in terms of a trading relationship, in terms of military equipment. I think it has changed somewhat with [the] withdrawal⁶ of trainers – a training team from Nigeria,” he said.

There are several reasons, Moores said, why the U.S. would not sell Nigeria advanced weapons systems.

“The advanced helicopters and fighter jets the U.S. has, they wouldn’t want to go to Nigeria because that equipment could be passed onto a third party. And also selling fighter jets and attack helicopters to Nigeria doesn’t perhaps solve the problem that Nigeria has when dealing⁷ with the insurgency⁸. What you really need is a better motivated force, a more professional force to deal with some of the social and cultural problems that exist in Nigeria.”

Jennifer Cooke said that each side has a different perception of the situation.

“Nigeria’s perception [is] that the U.S. is somehow abandoning Nigeria in its moment of need as it’s threatened by Boko Haram and not providing the kind of security and military assistance that Nigeria feels it needs right now. For the United States, there’s deep concern over Nigeria’s response to Boko Haram – a very military heavy response -- and one that has raised a lot of allegations about mass human rights abuses,” she said.

Rights groups have reported those abuses include the killing⁹ and detention¹⁰ of innocent civilians¹¹. Cooke said the U.S. considers human rights an important issue in Nigeria.

“The human rights standard is not just for moral reasons. It’s that the U.S. has learned the hard way that human rights abuses in failing to engage communities really becomes a security setback¹² over the long-run, as well,” she said.

But defense analyst Moores said U.S. concerns go beyond human rights when it comes to weapons sales and military training.

“My understanding is that there were leaks or moles¹³ inside the Nigerian military, who were leaking information to Boko Haram. They were leaking certain bits of information, training information and perhaps information on the team itself.”

Moores explained why Nigeria would turn to Russia for the types of weapons it could not get from the United States.

“Russia is known to sell equipment at a relatively¹⁴ low cost. It’s known to sell to pretty much anyone without any questions asked. It doesn’t ask for any guarantees in terms of the where the equipment will go – how the equipment is used. There’s no oversight¹⁵. They don’t have to sign up for agreements. Not only that, but Russia is able to supply equipment relatively quickly – and to supply equipment that is fairly easy for less technically¹⁶ capable militaries to get that equipment into the frontline at a relatively fast pace,” he said.

What’s more, he said, Russia may give Nigeria a billion-dollar line of credit to buy the weapons.

The IHS Jane’s analyst said that Nigeria has a long wish list of military hardware, including jet trainers, light to medium fighter jets, some tactical transports and ground attack helicopters. Moores added that Nigeria has agreed to buy some Russian MI-35s and MI-17s.

He said, “These are fairly older aircraft and quite expensive to run. So, that’s probably why the Nigerians would have wanted to go to America first.”

Moores also said that Russia is now training Nigerian Special Forces.

Cooke, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the Nigeria/Russia relationship is one to watch.

“Russia is willing. It has arms available to sell. It’s willing to train. And it’s early to tell, but one wonders if there’s maybe a larger play by Russia in terms of winning new partners and poking¹⁷ a stick in the eye of the United States, for example. I think the Nigerian government, right now, is looking for help wherever it can get it.”

Cooke said it’s easy to criticize Nigeria for alleged¹⁸ human rights abuses and corruption¹⁹. However, she said, it’s important to understand the position that Nigeria is in.

“I think there has to be this fundamental acknowledgement of what a difficult problem they’re facing when a group straps²⁰ suicide bombs onto 14-year-olds -- or suicide bombers²¹ into mosques²² – or dresses up as police and security forces and kidnaps hundreds of girls. The Nigerian government does not have the kind of training, the kind of equipment, the kind of command and control that the U.S. military has.”

Cooke said the U.S. should have a more positive and constructive²³ dialogue with Nigeria. A lot of that, she says, has to do with diplomatic tone.

The relationship between the U.S. and Nigeria has changed in another way, too. The U.S. used to buy a lot of Nigerian oil. But sales have dropped sharply as the United States has become much more energy independent. The U.S. itself has become a major exporter.

Oil prices have plunged²⁴ this year and more declines are forecast for next year. That means a lot less money in Nigeria’s coffers, as it does for Russia, also an oil exporter. Russia’s economy has also been hit hard by economic sanctions due to its political and military moves against Ukraine.

1 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。

2 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。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 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。

5 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

6 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。

7 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

8 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

9 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。

10 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

11 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。

12 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

13 moles   

防波堤( mole的名词复数 )； 鼹鼠； 痣； 间谍

参考例句：

• Unsightly moles can be removed surgically. 不雅观的痣可以手术去除。
• Two moles of epoxy react with one mole of A-1100. 两个克分子环氧与一个克分子A－1100反应。

14 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。

15 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

16 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

17 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

18 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

19 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。

20 straps   

n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• the shoulder straps of her dress 她连衣裙上的肩带
• The straps can be adjusted to suit the wearer. 这些背带可进行调整以适合使用者。

21 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

24 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。