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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
AS IT IS 2015-04-17 War in Yemen: The Players and the Goals 也门战争的交战双方与目标
Have you been following what is happening in Yemen? Are you wondering exacting1 who is fighting who and for what?
Some Yemenis living overseas say they are not sure what is happening back at home.
This man, a high school teacher, spoke2 to VOA at a Yemeni restaurant in Cairo, Egypt. He says returning to Yemen would be dangerous. Yet he adds that not knowing what is happening to his family and his country is far more difficult.
He says the conflict is mainly between the Houthis and Yemen’s internationally-recognized government. But he says everyone knows the situation is more complex than that.
On one level, observers say Yemen is seen as a proxy3 war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. A proxy war is when a major power fuels a conflict in which it does not become actively4 involved. Both Iran and Saudi Arabia are struggling to either keep or change the balance of power in the Middle East.
The Iranian government has denied providing military support to the Houthi fighters in Yemen. Peter Jenkins is a former British ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency. He says the Houthis are not exactly agents of Iran.
“I think it’s wrong to think of the Houthis as proxies5 for the Iranians. I think it’s more that there is a mutual6 sympathy that rests in part on the Shi’ite brand of Islam, but they’re not proxies so they can’t be controlled by Iran.”
Saudi Arabia, however, is openly fighting the Houthis with airstrikes. A number of countries are supporting the raids. They include the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Morocco, Egypt, Sudan and even the United States.
Activist7 Summer Nasser says this show of force is meant to hurt the Houthi forces, but it is also hurting the Yemeni people. She spoke to VOA from her home in southern Yemen.
“Air bombardments by 10 countries are too much for this small, impoverished8 society. But if Houthis do dialog, I don’t even think Saudi Arabia will take it seriously because Saudi Arabia wants to destroy Houthis as much as they can before any kind of settlement.”
The Houthis are, and have long been, in firm control of territory in Yemen’s north, near the Saudi border. Since their offensive began last year, the Houthis have taken the capital, Sana’a, and many of the towns and cities along the country’s main road and the road from Sana’a to the port of Aden.
In southern Yemen, the battle lines become more unclear because the Houthis often are not even really Houthis. Ousted9 President Ali Abdullah Saleh is now allied10 with the group. While still in power, his government fought with the Houthis for six years.
As a result, Yemen’s armed forces is divided in its loyalties11, with some fighting for Mr. Saleh and some fighting for President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Others soldiers are not fighting at all, leaving the Yemeni people and tribesmen to fight off the Houthis’ allies. And the unrest continues.
The Houthis are a militia12 of Zaidi Shias, a group in power for 1,000 years before the 1960s. At that time, a republican army seized power in Yemen. Today, the Houthis remain a large minority in the mostly-Sunni Muslim country.
The United Nations says nearly 600 people have been killed the since airstrikes began, and hundreds have fled the country. As the violence continues, Yemeni people are increasingly on neither side. They only want the war to stop.
Words in This Story
home – n. the place where one was born or comes from
complex – adj. having many parts that are difficult to understand; not simple
support – n. holding up or in position; agreement with others to help them reach a goal
sympathy – n. sharing feelings or emotions with another person, usually feelings of sadness
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exacting
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adj.苛求的,要求严格的 | |
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spoke
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n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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proxy
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n.代理权,代表权;(对代理人的)委托书;代理人 | |
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actively
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adv.积极地,勤奋地 | |
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proxies
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n.代表权( proxy的名词复数 );(测算用的)代替物;(对代理人的)委托书;(英国国教教区献给主教等的)巡游费 | |
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mutual
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adj.相互的,彼此的;共同的,共有的 | |
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activist
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n.活动分子,积极分子 | |
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impoverished
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adj.穷困的,无力的,用尽了的v.使(某人)贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 );使(某物)贫瘠或恶化 | |
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ousted
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驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 ); 革职; 罢黜; 剥夺 | |
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allied
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adj.协约国的;同盟国的 | |
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loyalties
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n.忠诚( loyalty的名词复数 );忠心;忠于…感情;要忠于…的强烈感情 | |
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militia
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n.民兵,民兵组织 | |
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