VOA常速英语2008年-Bush Comments Spark Debate on AFRICOM in Liberi

By Nico Colombant
Monrovia
20 February 2008

Recent comments by President Bush about Liberia as a possible host nation for headquarters of the U.S. military African command have ignited a debate in the West African nation itself.  The Liberian government is expressing its support, but security analysts¹ are wondering about such a command's usefulness.  VOA's Nico Colombant reports from Monrovia.

Just prior to his Africa trip, which will take him to the Liberian capital Thursday, President Bush said the United States would seriously consider Liberia as the headquarters for the new African command.

In an interview with VOA, Liberia's minister of national defense², Brownie Samukai reiterated³ his government's willingness to host the U.S. African command, known as AFRICOM.

"It is beneficial not only to the country to host it, but also to the entire continent, particularly, the West African region, where we have been a big center of conflict," he said.  "So to have an assistance that can build up local capacities and improve infrastructure⁴, and assisting interdiction⁵ on the high seas, where there is narco-trafficking, and that kind of stuff, we think that is very important. Liberia stands to support such an initiative. So the president [Ellen Johnson Sirleaf] was very clear that she would be more than willing to make our nation of Liberia available for such an initiative."

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who took office in 2006 following decades of war and poor governance, will meet with Mr. Bush Thursday.

Mr. Bush says AFRICOM is aimed at assisting African countries in strengthening capacities to deal with traffickers and terrorists.  He said AFRICOM's main purpose is to promote peace, security and common goals of development, health, education, democracy and economic growth in Africa.  Since its creation last year, it has been headquartered in Germany.

The general in charge of the command, William Ward⁶, said this week in London the U.S. command for Africa has often been misperceived by Africans as a plan to invade the continent. 

Liberian Defense Minister Samukai says that has not been a problem in Liberia, and that his government has been trying to convince neighbors of the usefulness of AFRICOM.

"I think the entire continent, and particularly West Africa benefits, where the local capacities are improved, infrastructure assistance is provided, where there is maritime⁷ safety and security, all as a way of ensuring that there is peace and stability not only in Liberia but in the region and around the world, so we do not see it in a negative way," he added.

But a human rights activist⁸ in Monrovia, James Makor, says he does not know if it is even in the interest of Liberia to host AFRICOM headquarters.  He says previous U.S. military assistance to Liberia did not help prevent civil wars.

"And from the past, they have had a lot of military installations here, but I do not know what were the benefits," he said.  "So if AFRICOM will come here, at least let them create the awareness⁹ of some of the benefits we stand to gain, then everybody will be a bit happy and we will be willing to embrace it.  But besides telling us or assuming that you will create stability, what are the other benefits? Because we can assume now that it will create stability, but you say there is confusion and you say it is internal, it is none of your business, and you sit out of it, things will go off here. What is the stability you have created in that case?"

Winston Tubman, a leading Liberian politician, lawyer and nephew of the former Liberian president William Tubman, remembers previous U.S. military help.

"During the Cold War, money was spent, but it was a defensive¹⁰ kind of thing," he said.  "When the coup¹¹ happened in 1980, they were building military barracks and doing various things to strengthen the military here and during that period the United States spent something like $500 million in Liberia in that short period.  But that amount of money was more money they had spent in all of the previous history of the country.  But it was not spent for development. It was spent to bring stability, to satisfy the army, to make sure that what led to the coup did not happen again."

But instead in 1989, Charles Taylor, who had escaped from a U.S. jail four years before, started a rebellion, which would eventually engulf¹² the entire West Africa region in a cycle of brutal¹³ civil war. 

Mr. Taylor, who became Liberia's president, is now on trial in The Hague on charges of war crimes in Sierra Leone.  He says he is a victim of an international conspiracy¹⁴ against him.

Tubman, who served as the U.N. secretary-general special representative to war-torn Somalia from 2002 to 2005, says he has been interested by another idea recently talked about by U.S. officials, to help fund a large contingent¹⁵ of permanently¹⁶ mobile African peacekeepers.

"We do not always want to go around begging for people to send troops here. If, we, ourselves, are in a posture¹⁷ where we have troops already trained with such a mission in mind, then when the trouble comes, they will be quickly made available and they will be able to go to the trouble spots to contain things," he explained.

For the time being, U.S. officials say they are focusing on expanding AFRICOM, which is due to become fully¹⁸ operational by October, with a staff of about 1,300, 40 percent of whom will be civilians¹⁹.

1 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。

2 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。

3 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 interdiction   

n.禁止；封锁

参考例句：

• the Customs Service's drug interdiction programs 海关的毒品查禁方案
• In addition to patrol duty, blastboats are dispatched for planetary defense and interdiction missions. 除了例行巡逻，炮艇还被赋予行星防御和封锁的任务。

6 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

7 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

8 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

9 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

10 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

11 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

12 engulf   

vt.吞没，吞食

参考例句：

• Floodwaters engulf a housing project in the Bajo Yuna community in central Dominican Republic.洪水吞没了多米尼加中部巴杰优那社区的一处在建的住房工程项目。
• If we are not strong enough to cover all the minds up,then they will engulf us,and we are in danger.如果我们不够坚强来抵挡大众的意念，就会有被他们吞没的危险。

13 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

14 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

15 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

16 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

17 posture   

n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势

参考例句：

• The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
• He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。

18 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

19 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。