VOA标准英语2009年-Afghan War Draws Comparisons to Vietnam

By Gary Thomas
Washington
08 October 2009

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US Soldiers in Afghanistan
As the situation in Afghanistan grows more deadly and complex, the Obama administration finds itself confronted with difficult questions over strategy and policy. Comparisons between the Afghan war's bid to defeat the Taliban and the 1960s war to defeat the communist backed insurgency¹ in Vietnam have become frequent, especially regarding the growing U.S. military presence.

With 68,000 American troops due in Afghanistan by the end of this year, the current mission in Afghanistan is being increasingly compared to the U.S. involvement decades ago in Vietnam.

 
Anthony Cordesman
"What I found being in Afghanistan was all too familiar of problems not only in Iraq, but in Vietnam years ago. We are fighting a war a half a century later that we lost for similar reasons a half a century earlier," said Anthony Cordesman, who with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

In Afghanistan the U.S. and NATO allies are fighting the black-turbaned Taliban in much the same way as American troops fought black-clad Viet Cong guerrillas some 40 years ago.

Some of the weaponry is similar. But while uniforms and equipment have evolved, the basic tactic² of searching out an elusive³ enemy who melts into the population remains⁴ the same.

Retired⁵ Army Colonel Larry Wilkerson is a Vietnam veteran who became chief of staff to Colin Powell, a secretary of state under President George W. Bush. He says the parallels between the two conflicts are strong, especially in terms of corrupt⁶ governments in Saigon then and Kabul now.

"I see the same thing developing in Kabul. I see a corrupt leader. I see a leader who has as a vice⁷ president one of the most corrupt men, [Muhammad Qasim] Fahim, in Afghanistan, probably," said Wilkerson. "I see a leader who may have even orchestrated or tried to orchestrate his own supermajority in the current elections through fraud and abuse. I see a real problem." 

President Obama is considering a request for more troops by his commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal. What used to be called an escalation⁸ is called a troop surge today.

The biggest similarity is the issue of sanctuaries⁹. The Taliban flee across the border into Pakistan, where U.S. troops cannot pursue them. Pakistan's efforts to clear them out have been ineffective, analysts¹⁰ say.

President Obama cannot invade Pakistan for diplomatic and political reasons, but he has continued unmanned drone attacks on Taliban hideouts.

Viet Cong fighters in the 1960s and 1970s took refuge and ran supplies from Cambodia and Laos into Vietnam. President Nixon bombed the border areas and invaded Cambodia in a bid to clean out the sanctuaries.

American troop strength in then-South Vietnam went from 184,000 at the end of 1965 to more than 500,000 by the end of 1968.

The United States had conscription during the Vietnam War, and that fueled massive antiwar protests. 

Today the U.S. has an all-volunteer armed force, and that, analysts say, is the reason there have not been large anti war demonstrations¹¹.

 
Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution
But Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution says public skepticism about the Afghan effort is increasing, even in the president's own party.

"I know the American public's support for this war is declining," he said. "People have a lot of questions whether we should be in Afghanistan, whether it's becoming the next Vietnam."

More than 58,000 American servicemen were killed in Vietnam. Fewer than 1,000 American troops have died in Afghanistan - so far.

 

1 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

2 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

3 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

4 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。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

9 sanctuaries   

n.避难所( sanctuary的名词复数 )；庇护；圣所；庇护所

参考例句：

• The designation of special marine reserves and marine sanctuaries shall be subject to the State Council for approval. 海洋特别保护区、海上自然保护区的确定，须经国务院批准。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After 1965 he acquiesced when they established sanctuaries on that soil. 1965年以后，他默认了他们在那块土地上建立庇护所。 来自辞典例句

10 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。

11 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。