时代周刊 伊拉克战后重建会成功吗(1)

LIFE after WARTIME

战后生活

Fifteen years on from the U.S. invasion and with ISIS in retreat, Iraq is trying to build a peace that lasts

美国入侵15年后，随着ISIS的撤退，伊拉克正努力建设一个持久和平的伊拉克

By Vivienne Walt/Baghdad

文/（巴格达）薇薇恩·沃尔特

On a crisp afternoon in late winter,

在隆冬时节一个清爽的午后，

Bassem Qassim, a 55-year-old militia¹ fighter, drives past a checkpoint on the edge of Baghdad,

55岁的民兵巴西姆·盖西姆开车驶过巴格达边界的一个检查站，

where the city’s clogged² traffic gives way to sheep grazing and villagers tending small crops next to their houses.

这里没有了城市堵塞的交通，只有放牧的羊群和村民房前屋后的小片庄稼地。

A couple of dozen miles farther, he stops the car in a tiny hamlet

盖西姆继续开出几十英里后把车停在了一个小村庄里，

to show how perilously³ close the Islamic State came to taking the Iraqi capital during its stampede into the country in 2014.

随后他向我们展示了ISIS2014年涌入伊拉克时如何距离攻陷伊拉克首都仅差一步之遥。

He points to a cluster of trees on the edge of a small community.

他指着一个小村落边缘的一片小树林，

"They were right here,” says Qassim, who fought a fierce battle against the jihadists for 3.5 years.

说到，“他们都已经到那儿了，”他曾与圣战分子激战了三年半之久。

This was our line of defense⁴."

“我们的防线就设在这儿的。”

The sleepy dot on the map does not look like a war front.

地图上那个沉睡的点看着并不像什么前线。

And yet, after years of conflict, countless⁵ fault lines like this crisscross Iraq,

然而，经过多年的混战，伊拉克境内这种壕沟已经到处都是，连数也数不清了，

leaving riven communities and millions of upturned lives in their wake.

社区因此变得四分五裂，数以百万计的百姓的生活也随之发生了天翻地覆的变化。

Now, as the country digs out from its grueling war against ISIS,

如今，该国终于从与ISIS的严酷战争中抽出身来了，

it is trying to forge from its victory a lasting⁶ peace

它正努力在战争胜利后创建一个持久和平的国家，

for the first time since the U.S. led a military invasion of Iraq in March 2003, in defiance⁷ of the U.N., to overthrow⁸ the autocrat⁹ Saddam Hussein.

这还是自2003年3月美国无视联合国，率领军队入侵伊拉克以推翻萨达姆·侯赛因的独裁统治以来，该国首次做出这样的举措。

Fifteen years on, TIME returned to Baghdad to speak to Iraqis of almost every stripe,

十五年过去了，此次，本刊记者重返巴格达，采访了各个阶层的伊拉克人，

from battle-hardened fighters and grieving civilians¹⁰ to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

从久经沙场的士兵，到悲伤的平民，到总理海德尔·阿巴迪。

All are trying to determine how they can finally prosper¹¹, and whether this relative calm can last.

所有人都想知道他们究竟要怎样才能重振旗鼓，想知道这种相对的平静能否持续。

Having all but obliterated¹² ISIS’s caliphate, Iraqis are grappling with a question that had largely receded¹³ during years of fighting,

除了被消灭的ISIS哈里发之外，伊拉克人正在努力解决一个在多年的战争期间很大程度上已经退到幕后的问题，

and that now looms¹⁴ large over the parliamentary elections scheduled for May 12:

这一问题也将成定于5月12日举行的议会选举的一个主要问题：

Can their country emerge as a functioning democracy, with its Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish populations relatively¹⁵ united?

他们的国家能否成为一个运转正常，什叶派，逊尼派和库尔德人口相对团结的民主国家？

And can it do that without the safety net of the U.S. military?

伊拉克能否在不依靠美国的安全网的情况下做到这一点？

If it succeeds—and it is a big if—

如果做到了 - 这是一个很大的假设-

Iraq could become that beacon¹⁶ of freedom that U.S. officials once promised 15 years ago, in arguing for a war many now regard as a disastrous¹⁷ decision.

她将成为一座自由的灯塔，一座15年前美国官员为发动战争，这场战争被当今很多人都视为灾难性的决定，辩解时就曾许诺他们的自由灯塔。

"We have sacrificed a great deal of blood and treasure for the future of Iraq,” says Lieut. General Paul Funk, the top U.S. commander in the country.

“我们为伊拉克的未来牺牲了大量的生命和财富，”美国最高指挥官，陆军中将保罗·芬克说到。

He believes that under ideal circumstances, Iraq could act as a multiethnic buffer¹⁸ between the region’s bitter rivals,

他认为，在理想的情况下，伊拉克可以在该地区激烈竞争的两大对手之间扮演一个多民族缓冲器，

both of which are Iraq’s neighbors: Shiite-dominated Iran and Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia.

这两大对手都是伊拉克的邻国：一个是什叶派主导的伊朗，一个是逊尼派占主导地位的沙特。

"I see in Iraq the future of the Middle East," he says.

“我觉得中东的未来在伊拉克，”他说。

Yet if Iraq fails and slips back into conflict, the country could again play host to the region’s violent proxy¹⁹ wars—

然而，如果伊拉克重振失败并再次陷入冲突的话，该地区残酷的代理人战争可能会再次在伊上演——

potentially embroiling²⁰ the U.S. in a yet another protracted²¹ engagement.

美国也可能再次卷入一场旷日持久的战争。

Already, ISIS survivors²² have begun to launch attacks, and Iraqi leaders believe that they are attempting to regroup.

目前，ISIS余孽已经开始发动进攻了，伊拉克领导人认为这些人正在试图重新集结起来。

No country can withstand such onslaught,” al-Abadi tells TIME.

“没有哪个国家能够承受这种攻击，”阿巴迪告诉《时代周刊》。

1 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。

2 clogged   

（使）阻碍( clog的过去式和过去分词 )； 淤滞

参考例句：

• The narrow streets were clogged with traffic. 狭窄的街道上交通堵塞。
• The intake of gasoline was stopped by a clogged fuel line. 汽油的注入由于管道阻塞而停止了。

3 perilously   

adv.充满危险地，危机四伏地

参考例句：

• They were perilously close to the edge of the precipice. 他们离悬崖边很近，十分危险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It'seemed to me that we had come perilously close to failure already. 对我来说，好像失败和我只有一步之遥，岌岌可危。 来自互联网

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 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

6 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

7 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

8 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

9 autocrat   

n.独裁者；专横的人

参考例句：

• He was an accomplished politician and a crafty autocrat.他是个有造诣的政治家，也是个狡黠的独裁者。
• The nobles tried to limit the powers of the autocrat without success.贵族企图限制专制君主的权力,但没有成功。

10 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。

11 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。

12 obliterated   

v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭

参考例句：

• The building was completely obliterated by the bomb. 炸弹把那座建筑物彻底摧毁了。
• He began to drink, drank himself to intoxication, till he slept obliterated. 他一直喝，喝到他快要迷糊地睡着了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 receded   

v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• The floodwaters have now receded. 洪水现已消退。
• The sound of the truck receded into the distance. 卡车的声音渐渐在远处消失了。

14 looms   

n.织布机( loom的名词复数 )v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的第三人称单数 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• All were busily engaged,men at their ploughs,women at their looms. 大家都很忙，男的耕田，女的织布。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The factory has twenty-five looms. 那家工厂有25台织布机。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 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。

16 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。

17 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

18 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。

19 proxy   

n.代理权，代表权；（对代理人的）委托书；代理人

参考例句：

• You may appoint a proxy to vote for you.你可以委托他人代你投票。
• We enclose a form of proxy for use at the Annual General Meeting.我们附上委任年度大会代表的表格。

20 embroiling   

v.使（自己或他人）卷入纠纷( embroil的现在分词 )

参考例句：

21 protracted   

adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The war was protracted for four years. 战争拖延了四年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We won victory through protracted struggle. 经过长期的斗争，我们取得了胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者