美洲—美立法者加大力度平息穆斯林世界中的反美情绪

US Lawmakers Push Effort to Counter Anti-Americanism in Muslim World

美立法者加大力度平息穆斯林世界中的反美情绪

 

US lawmakers have urged the State Department's top public diplomacy¹ official to use her new position to counter anti-Americanism in the Muslim world.  Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes appeared at a House of Representatives hearing, which also highlighted differences over Bush administration policies in Iraq.

 

Mrs. Hughes has traveled to a number of Muslim countries carrying the primary message that there is no justification² for extremism and terrorism.

 

Since her appointment, she traveled to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey and most recently to Indonesia and Malaysia, and will soon go to Pakistan to view areas hit by the South Asian earthquake.

 

A longtime advisor³ to, and close confidant of President Bush, she has also forcefully delivered another message, that America's war against terrorism is not a conflict with Islam.

 

In testimony⁴ to the House International Relations Committee, she cited the terrorist attacks in Jordan as further proof of the challenges facing her efforts.

 

Karen Hughes: We have been once again reminded of the stakes and what we are up against. People who are willing to even kill innocent Jordanians attending a wedding, and we will work together with countries throughout and people throughout this world to defeat this threat.

 

Ms. Hughes faced lawmakers frustrated⁵ with what many see as a lack of a cohesive⁶ plan to convey American values abroad and counter anti-Americanism in the Muslim world. Congressman⁷ Henry Hyde chairs the committee.

 

Henry Hyde: What we need is a permanent campaign aimed at the minds of our estranged⁸ audiences. A combative⁹, aggressive, fully-engaged political campaign, one that directly counters assertions and distortions by presenting a convincing case for what we are doing, for countering our enemies' assertions and lies, and proving our case.

 

Republican Congressman Ed Royce is a key supporter of U.S. public diplomacy programs and international broadcasting.

 

Ed Royce: Four years after [the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks] I think we all agree that we are struggling. Radical¹⁰ ideologies¹¹ are proliferating¹², because they are using the airwaves and if we are going to succeed we need a complete reevaluation of our efforts.

 

Thursday's hearing highlighted differences among lawmakers over the most effective ways to repair the U.S. image abroad, and disagreements over Bush administration policies.

 

Congressman Gary Ackerman asserts that Bush administration policies on Iraq, as well as controversy¹³ over the mistreatment of detainees in Iraq by some U.S. soldiers, and the recent news report about secret CIA prisons housing terrorist suspects, have made the job of changing hearts and minds more difficult.

 

Gary Ackerman: Don't these things all contribute to the hobbling of the effort and the mission upon which you have embarked¹⁴?.

 

Such issues pose challenges, Mrs. Hughes acknowledged, adding that U.S. officials trying to explain U.S. positions need to provide contrasts.

 

Karen Hughes: Let's contrast the way we treat our detainees. Humanely¹⁵, those in Guantanamo are given culturally appropriate meals, they're allowed the opportunity to worship, they are given the Koran, they are given medical care and treatment.  Let's contrast that with the way our enemies treat their prisoners.  They have beheaded them.  I'm sorry if that sounds blunt, [but] those are the facts.  There is no justice, there is no rule of law, there is no compliance¹⁶ with any international standards.

 

Mrs. Hughes says one of her main goals is to ensure that the voices of Muslim clerics and others who are willing to condemn¹⁷ acts of terror are highlighted in U.S. information efforts.

 

Karen Hughes: We think that is important, to amplify¹⁸ those voices so that this is not just America saying that acts of terror against innocents are bad, these are also voices within Islam that are saying the acts of terror are bad.

 

In Thursday's hearing, lawmakers emphasized the importance of honesty and openness in the process of telling America's story to the Muslim world, with one cautioning against making generalizations¹⁹ about how the United States should present itself.

 

Dan Robinson, VOA news, Capitol Hill.

 

注释：

undersecretary [5QndE5sekritEri] n. 次长，副部长

confidant [7kCnfi5dAnt] n. 心腹朋友，知己

cohesive [kEu5hi:siv] adj. 有附着力的，凝聚性的

proliferate²⁰ [prEu5lifEreit] v. 扩散

airwaves [5eEweivz] n. 电视广播

behead [bi5hed] vt. 斩首，砍头

amplify [5Amplifai] vt. 放大，增强

1 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

2 justification   

n.正当的理由；辩解的理由

参考例句：

• There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
• In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。

3 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

4 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

5 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 cohesive   

adj.有粘着力的；有结合力的；凝聚性的

参考例句：

• She sealed the parcel with cohesive tape.她用粘胶带把包裹封起来。
• The author skillfully fuses these fragments into a cohesive whole.作者将这些片断巧妙地结合成一个连贯的整体。

7 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

8 estranged   

adj.疏远的，分离的

参考例句：

• He became estranged from his family after the argument.那场争吵后他便与家人疏远了。
• The argument estranged him from his brother.争吵使他同他的兄弟之间的关系疏远了。

9 combative   

adj.好战的；好斗的

参考例句：

• Mr. Obama has recently adopted a more combative tone.奥巴马总统近来采取了一种更有战斗性的语调。
• She believes that women are at least as combative as are.她相信女性至少和男性一样好斗。

10 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

11 ideologies   

n.思想（体系）( ideology的名词复数 )；思想意识；意识形态；观念形态

参考例句：

• There is no fundamental diversity between the two ideologies. 这两种思想意识之间并没有根本的分歧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Radical ideologies require to contrast to their own goodness the wickedness of some other system. 凡是过激的意识形态，都需要有另外一个丑恶的制度作对比，才能衬托出自己的善良。 来自辞典例句

12 proliferating   

激增( proliferate的现在分词 )； （迅速）繁殖； 增生； 扩散

参考例句：

• Computerized data bases are proliferating fast. 计算机化的数据库正在激增。
• Crown galls are cancerous growths composed of disorganized and proliferating plant cells. 冠瘿是无组织的正在不断增殖的植物细胞所组成的癌状物。

13 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

14 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

15 humanely   

adv.仁慈地；人道地；富人情地；慈悲地

参考例句：

• Is the primary persona being treated humanely by the product? 该产品对待首要人物角色时是否有人情味？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• In any event, China's interest in treating criminals more humanely has limits. 无论如何，中国对更人道地对待罪犯的兴趣有限。 来自互联网

16 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

17 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

18 amplify   

vt.放大，增强；详述，详加解说

参考例句：

• The new manager wants to amplify the company.新经理想要扩大公司。
• Please amplify your remarks by giving us some examples.请举例详述你的话。

19 generalizations   

一般化( generalization的名词复数 )； 普通化； 归纳； 概论

参考例句：

• But Pearlson cautions that the findings are simply generalizations. 但是波尔森提醒人们，这些发现是简单的综合资料。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 大脑与疾病
• They were of great service in correcting my jejune generalizations. 他们纠正了我不成熟的泛泛之论，帮了我大忙。

20 proliferate   

vi.激增，(迅速)繁殖，增生

参考例句：

• We must not proliferate nuclear arms.我们决不能扩散核武器。
• Rabbits proliferate when they have plenty of food.兔子有充足的食物就会繁衍得很快。