美国国家公共电台 NPR--Griner-Bout prisoner swap disappoints many on the African continent

Griner-Bout¹ prisoner swap² disappoints many on the African continent

Transcript³

NPR's Rob Schmitz talks to Liberian journalist Massa Washington about the role that Viktor Bout, known as the Merchant of Death played in conflicts in Africa, and what his release means for victims.

ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:

Prisoner swap between Russian arms dealer⁴ Viktor Bout for American basketball player Brittney Griner came as a disappointment to many on the African continent. The so-called merchant of death helped fuel several bloody⁵ conflicts by selling arms and munitions⁶ to oppressive regimes and rebel forces there. Joining me now is Massa Washington, a Liberian journalist who covered the Liberian civil war in the 1990s. She was threatened for criticizing the government and eventually sought asylum⁷ in the United States. Massa, welcome.

MASSA WASHINGTON: Good morning. Thank you.

SCHMITZ: Massa, Viktor Bout sold weapons to regimes throughout the world and throughout Africa. What was his role in your home country of Liberia during its civil wars in the '90s and early 2000s?

WASHINGTON: Well, in Liberia, through the early years of our civil war, he was known for being the major arms dealer to the NPFL, the rebels of Mr. Charles Taylor, who is now incarcerated⁸ in a British prison...

SCHMITZ: And, of course, Charles Taylor was, of course, the Liberian warlord who then became...

WASHINGTON: Turned president.

SCHMITZ: Exactly. And was - became a notorious war criminal.

WASHINGTON: Yes. So Mr. Bout was his business partner and also arms supply and arms dealer that fueled the Liberian civil war in Liberia. And as a result of that war, Liberia has an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 people that died in the Liberian civil war. And more than 20,000 child soldiers were forcibly conscripted and thrown into killing⁹ machines. Most of them were killed. And the vast majority of them are now - what? - street children. Well, they're men and women now, but what we call zogos. So they are now the outcasts of society. So Mr. Viktor Bout's role in the civil war in Liberia has left devastating¹⁰ impact for the people of Liberia, including myself.

So we are worried. And we are concerned now that he's been released. And our concern is that Liberia is a porous¹¹ country in terms of governance. There's been no accountability for war crimes that took place in Liberia. And most of the warlords and rebel generals who fought the war in Liberia, they are in position of trust. They've rebranded themselves. They're in position of trust. Some of them are in the legislature and the senate. Some of them are in mainstream¹² government. Some of them are now businessmen. They are millionaires.

So we are worried because former colleagues and partners of Mr. Viktor Bout are in Liberia. They're running Liberia. You know, they have political power. They have the economic strength. So we are worried what this portends¹³ for Liberia. Is he going to come back to Liberia? Is Mr. Viktor Bout going to rekindle¹⁴ his relationships with his former war partners, who are now the people who are running Liberia? This is very worrisome for us, for - we worry what it portends for the security, safety and stability of Liberia that is still struggling with the aftereffect of the civil war.

SCHMITZ: Massa, was Bout's role in these conflicts that you're talking about in the past well-known at the time that they were happening?

WASHINGTON: No. At the time, the people of Liberia really didn't know. Don't forget the war was going on. The war was vicious. We had - by the first year of the war, we had more than 1 million people who had fled externally into refugee camps in the subregion. We have another more - 1 million people internally displaced. So Liberians didn't know what role this guy was playing. But as the West African peacekeeping force came to Liberia, as the United Nations came and brokered¹⁵ peace, people began to hear this guy's name. And I also serve on the truth commission. Besides being a journalist, I serve on the truth commission. And we investigated what happened in Liberia. And his name came up. As a matter of fact, Mr. Viktor Bout is listed in a report of the Truth and Reconciliation¹⁶ Commission for further investigation¹⁷ in his role that he's played. He's named in our report.

SCHMITZ: That's Liberian journalist Massa Washington. Massa, thank you very much.

WASHINGTON: You're welcome.

1 bout   

n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛

参考例句：

• I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
• That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。

2 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

5 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。

6 munitions   

n.军火，弹药；v.供应…军需品

参考例句：

• The army used precision-guided munitions to blow up enemy targets.军队用精确瞄准的枪炮炸掉敌方目标。
• He rose [made a career for himself] by dealing in munitions.他是靠贩卖军火发迹的。

7 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

8 incarcerated   

钳闭的

参考例句：

• They were incarcerated for the duration of the war. 战争期间，他们被关在狱中。 来自辞典例句
• I don't want to worry them by being incarcerated. 我不想让他们知道我被拘禁的事情。 来自电影对白

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 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

11 porous   

adj.可渗透的，多孔的

参考例句：

• He added sand to the soil to make it more porous.他往土里掺沙子以提高渗水性能。
• The shell has to be slightly porous to enable oxygen to pass in.外壳不得不有些细小的孔以便能使氧气通过。

12 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

13 portends   

v.预示( portend的第三人称单数 )；预兆；给…以警告；预告

参考例句：

• Fame portends trouble for men just as fattening does for pigs. 人怕出名猪怕壮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It portends we are in danger. 这预示我们陷入危险。 来自互联网

14 rekindle   

v.使再振作；再点火

参考例句：

• Nothing could rekindle her extinct passion.她激情已逝,无从心回意转。
• Is there anything could rekindle his extinct passion?有什么事情可重燃他逝去的热情呢？

15 brokered   

adj.由权力经纪人安排（或控制）的v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的过去式和过去分词 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• a peace plan brokered by the UN 由联合国出面协商的和平计划
• Your husband brokered the deal to go in, transfrer the assets and get our man out. 你丈夫后来插了一脚，把生意都抢了过去，我们的人也被挤了出来。 来自电影对白

16 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。

17 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。