中东—谁会成为叙利亚领导人还是个迷

Analysis: Syria's Leader Remains¹ an Enigma²

谁会成为叙利亚领导人还是个迷

 

Had it not been for the premature³ death of the eldest⁴ son of the Assad clan⁵, Bashar al-Assad might well be enjoying the quiet life of a private medical practice in Damascus, or London, or perhaps Paris, as he speaks both English and French. 

 

But when his brother was killed in an automobile⁶ accident in 1994, his father, Syrian President Hafez al-Assad called him home from London where he had been studied in and began grooming⁸ him for a political life. Six years later, Hafez died and Bashar al-Assad was Syria's new president.

 

At the recent annual conference of the Middle East Institute in Washington, journalist and political analyst⁹ Hisham Melhem of al-Arabiya TV said that was one of the few mistakes made by the wily Hafez al-Assad.

 

Hisham Melhem: But I would argue that one of his biggest mistakes, if you will, was to bequeath the realm, so to speak, to his son, a 35-year old inexperienced young man. Now, Bashar's era shows, I would argue, the pitfalls¹¹ of political inheritance in the Arab world. And it's very hard, five years after he began his rule, to point out to a single domestic, regional or international decision that this regime made that was wise or farsighted.  And I'm not being harsh on him.

 

Originally trained in the West as an ophthalmologist, President Assad, 40, finds himself navigating¹² treacherous¹³ political waters.  His government is accused of, at least, some involvement in the February 14 car bomb in Beirut that killed former Lebanese President Rafik Hariri. The assassination¹⁴ sparked widespread protest in Lebanon, forcing a withdrawal¹⁵ of Syrian troops and intelligence agents from that country. On Thursday, Mr. Assad grudgingly¹⁶ promised to cooperate with the U.N. investigation¹⁷, led by German prosecutor¹⁸ Detlev Mehlis, in the face of a Security Council resolution and threats of greater international condemnation¹⁹, if Damascus did not cooperate.

 

U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said recently that the United Nations is solidly behind efforts to force Syria to cooperate.

 

Mr. McCormack: The use of threat, intimidation²⁰, violence or terror is something that the international community will not tolerate. And we think that this resolution is an appropriate mechanism²¹ to make that very clear to the Syrian government. And also, we hope to compel Syrian cooperation, which has not been to this point forthcoming, to compel Syrian cooperation with the Mehlis investigation, which is ongoing²³.

 

But speaking at the Middle East Institute, investigative journalist Seymour Hersh warned against any rush to judgment²⁴ of Syria, saying the United States has an agenda in the region.

 

Seymour Hersh: I'm exceedingly skeptical²⁵, and I have been all along, of the point of view of what happened to Hariri. The American point of view is that it was Syria with the aid of some people in Lebanon. Despite all the back and forth²² about how the American press corps²⁶ was totally manipulated, to its embarrassment²⁷, about WMD, I would still argue, we're still being totally manipulated by this administration about Syria and Lebanese involvement."

 

Before he died, the late President Hafez al-Assad was in something of a competition with now-ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein for leadership in the Arab world. He backed Iran in its war with Iraq, and joined the U.S.-led coalition²⁸ to expel Iraq from Kuwait in 1990. 

 

Mr. Melhem: He [Hafez] was the only man in the region who could have good, warm relationship with the Saudis, and good, warm - well, not warm, but good, practical marriage of convenience with the Iranians. Only Hafez could pull something like this. Now, under Bashar, this veneer²⁹ of Sunni Arab nationalist regime began to disappear. In its place, we saw the rise of a crude dynastic rule. It's all about the family. It's a family affair.

 

Mr. Melhem said the elder Assad could manage a balancing act that his son could not emulate³⁰.

 

Bashar al-Assad has been pointedly³¹ against the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. The United States has repeatedly complained about cross-border infiltration³² from Syria into Iraq by insurgents³³.

 

Theodore Kattouf, president of America-Mideast Training Services (AMIDEAST), says Bashar al-Assad has no doubt made mistakes. But he says, the United States has made some missteps with Syria, as well, especially right after the defeat of Saddam Hussein.

 

Theodore Kattouf: Right after the war, we should have told Syria, 'you've screwed up terribly. You've not just angered the administration, you've angered the American public, you've angered the media, Congress. And you need to make amends³⁴, and here are some things you could do concerning Iraq, and you need to do them quickly. And if you do them, then we can get into a dialogue.' But we didn't do that. And the regime in Syria has continued to show that it has a lot of ignorance of how its actions play out on the world stage, and it's paying a high price for that.

 

Analysts³⁵ say it is not clear just how much power Bashar al-Assad actually wields³⁶ in the murky³⁷ backwaters of Syrian power politics.

 

注释：

premature [7premE5tjuE] adj. 过早的，未成熟的

Damascus [dE5mAskEs] n. 大马士革

groom⁷ [^rum] vt. 培养，推荐

bequeath [bi5kwi:T] vt. 遗留，把……传下去

realm [relm] n. 王国，领域

pitfall¹⁰ [5pitfC:l] n. 缺陷，陷阱

ophthalmologist [7CfWAl5mClEdVist] n. 眼科专家

intimidation [in7timi5deiFEn] n. 胁迫

exceedingly [ik5si:diNli] adv. 非常地，极度地

embarrassment [im5bArEsmEnt] n. 困窘，阻碍

emulate [5emjuleit] n. 仿效

infiltration [7infil5treiFEn] n. 渗透

misstep [5mis5step] n. 错误

murky [5mE:ki] adj. 黑暗的

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 enigma   

n.谜，谜一样的人或事

参考例句：

• I've known him for many years,but he remains something of an enigma to me.我与他相识多年，他仍然难以捉摸。
• Even after all the testimonies,the murder remained a enigma.即使听完了所有的证词，这件谋杀案仍然是一个谜。

3 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

4 eldest   

adj.最年长的，最年老的

参考例句：

• The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。
• The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。

5 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

6 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

7 groom   

vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁

参考例句：

• His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
• George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。

8 grooming   

n. 修饰, 美容，（动物）梳理毛发

参考例句：

• You should always pay attention to personal grooming. 你应随时注意个人仪容。
• We watched two apes grooming each other. 我们看两只猩猩在互相理毛。

9 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

10 pitfall   

n.隐患，易犯的错误；陷阱，圈套

参考例句：

• The wolf was caught in a pitfall.那只狼是利用陷阱捉到的。
• The biggest potential pitfall may not be technical but budgetary.最大的潜在陷阱可能不是技术问题，而是预算。

11 pitfalls   

（捕猎野兽用的）陷阱( pitfall的名词复数 )； 意想不到的困难，易犯的错误

参考例句：

• the potential pitfalls of buying a house 购买房屋可能遇到的圈套
• Several pitfalls remain in the way of an agreement. 在达成协议的进程中还有几个隐藏的困难。

12 navigating   

v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃

参考例句：

• These can also be very useful when navigating time-based documents, such as video and audio. 它对于和时间有关的文档非常有用，比如视频和音频文档。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Vehicles slowed to a crawl on city roads, navigating slushy snow. 汽车在市区路上行驶缓慢，穿越泥泞的雪地。 来自互联网

13 treacherous   

adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的

参考例句：

• The surface water made the road treacherous for drivers.路面的积水对驾车者构成危险。
• The frozen snow was treacherous to walk on.在冻雪上行走有潜在危险。

14 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

15 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

16 grudgingly   

参考例句：

• He grudgingly acknowledged having made a mistake. 他勉强承认他做错了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Their parents unwillingly [grudgingly] consented to the marriage. 他们的父母无可奈何地应允了这门亲事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

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。

18 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

19 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

20 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

21 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

22 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

23 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

24 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

25 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

26 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

27 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

28 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

29 veneer   

n.(墙上的)饰面，虚饰

参考例句：

• For the first time her veneer of politeness began to crack.她温文尔雅的外表第一次露出破绽。
• The panel had a veneer of gold and ivory.这木板上面镶饰了一层金和象牙。

30 emulate   

v.努力赶上或超越，与…竞争；效仿

参考例句：

• You must work hard to emulate your sister.你必须努力工作，赶上你姐姐。
• You must look at the film and try to emulate his behavior.你们必须观看这部电影，并尽力模仿他的动作。

31 pointedly   

adv.尖地，明显地

参考例句：

• She yawned and looked pointedly at her watch. 她打了个哈欠，又刻意地看了看手表。
• The demand for an apology was pointedly refused. 让对方道歉的要求遭到了断然拒绝。 来自《简明英汉词典》

32 infiltration   

n.渗透；下渗；渗滤；入渗

参考例句：

• The police tried to prevent infiltration by drug traffickers. 警方尽力阻止毒品走私分子的潜入。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A loss in volume will occur if infiltration takes place. 如果发生了渗润作用，水量就会减少。 来自辞典例句

33 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

34 amends   

n. 赔偿

参考例句：

• He made amends for his rudeness by giving her some flowers. 他送给她一些花，为他自己的鲁莽赔罪。
• This country refuses stubbornly to make amends for its past war crimes. 该国顽固地拒绝为其过去的战争罪行赔罪。

35 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

36 wields   

手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的第三人称单数 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响）

参考例句：

• She wields enormous power within the party. 她操纵着党内大权。
• He remains chairman, but wields little power at the company. 他还是主席，但在公司没有什么实权了。

37 murky   

adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗

参考例句：

• She threw it into the river's murky depths.她把它扔进了混浊的河水深处。
• She had a decidedly murky past.她的历史背景令人捉摸不透。