美国有线新闻 CNN 2013-09-20

 We start today in Switzerland, the country has a reputation for neutrality. The Swiss city of Geneva has been a regular spot for diplomatic meetings and programs. The Red Cross was founded there. The Geneva Convention to protect war prisoners was signed there. Right now US and Russia officials are meeting there to discuss the idea of Syria handing over control of its chemical weapons. Yesterday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a diplomatic solution would make a military strike against Syria unnecessary. US Secretary of State John Kerry said any agreement needs to be comprehensive and carried out in a timely fashion. Secretary Kerry also said there ought to be consequences if it doesn’t take place. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said yesterday that Syria would only agree to hand over its chemical weapons when the US stops threatening to attack. He is not the only world leader arguing against US military action. Brianna Keilar looks at an article written by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin is criticizing US policy in an op-ed in the New York TIMES, saying US military action in Syria would hurt civilians¹ and spread conflict. He says a strike would increase violence and unleash² a new wave of terrorism. Putin also suggest the US is being duped by the rebels and that Bashar al-Assad may not be responsible for recent chemical attacks, saying there is every reason to believe it was used not by the Syrian army but by opposition³ forces to provoke intervention⁴ by their powerful foreign patrons. Putin is taking aim at Obama’s claims that America is an exceptional nation, stating it is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional whatever the motivation. We are all different but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings⁵ we must not forget that God created us equal. And the leader of a country who is being accused of use of force to get his way is now criticizing the US. He writes it is alarming that military intervention in internal conflict in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. One American lawmakers’ reaction on CNN.

1 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。

2 unleash   

vt.发泄，发出；解带子放开

参考例句：

• They hope to create allies to unleash against diseases,pests,and invasive species.他们希望创造出一些新群体来对付疾病、害虫和一些有侵害性的物种。
• Changing water levels now at times unleash a miasma of disease from exposed sewage.如今，大坝不时地改变水位，从暴露的污水释放出了疾病瘴气。

3 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

4 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

5 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》