VOA标准英语2009年-Attention Intensifies on Afghan War Strate

By Meredith Buel
Washington
21 October 2009

Now that Afghan election officials have agreed to a presidential runoff vote on November 7, attention will intensify¹ on U.S. President Barack Obama's difficult decision about whether to send more American troops to Afghanistan. Mr. Obama has been waiting for the election dispute to be resolved before announcing his new war strategy.

As the fighting continues to rage, U.S. officials stated repeatedly the election process had to be settled before President Barack Obama could make a reasoned decision about sending additional troops and resources to Afghanistan.

Administration officials say the United States needs to make sure it has a credible² partner in the Afghan government before any change in strategy.

 
President Barack Obama (file photo)
 
Analysts³ say the runoff election will add credibility to the new government and Mr. Obama applauded the move.

"President Karzai, as well as the other candidates, I think, have shown that they have the interests of the Afghan people at heart, that this is a reflection of a commitment to rule of law and an insistence⁴ that the Afghan people's will should be done," said the president.

Election officials are scrambling⁵ to organize the new ballot⁶ as the fierce Afghan winter approaches and the country faces a growing threat from the Taliban.

Former CIA officer Bruce Riedel has advised President Obama on Afghan policy. "We have got to make sure that this second round is not marred⁷ by fraud and corruption⁸ like the first round," he said.

Riedel says U.S. and NATO troops are facing a syndicate of terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan consisting of different groups like the Taliban and al-Qaida.

"The status quo in Afghanistan right now is not sustainable. We are losing this war. It is not yet lost but we are losing this war," he said.

Many members of the U.S. Congress that have expressed concern about sending additional troops to Afghanistan are, like President Obama, Democrats⁹.

Some argue the widespread corruption in Afghanistan is undermining support in the United States for the war and the proposal to send more soldiers.

"At least the question that should be put to Congress is not about troop levels and I do not think Congress right now would be very receptive, the majority of Congress, to a request for more troops," said California Congresswoman Jane Harman. "The question that should be put to Congress is how we can partner with this administration to reduce the rampant¹⁰ levels of corruption in Afghanistan."

 
A US Marine¹¹ (R) walks with an Afghan National Army local commander in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, 05 Oct 2009
The United States has nearly 68,000 troops in Afghanistan and there are about 40,000 from NATO and other allied¹² countries.

The top NATO and American commander there, General Stanley McChrystal, has warned the United States could lose the conflict if additional military forces are not deployed¹³.

Analysts arguing against an increase say a larger troop presence would lead to a drop in support from the Afghan people.

CIA veteran Paul Pillar, who is now a professor of security studies at Georgetown University, says public opinion in Afghanistan is already eroding¹⁴.

"Why is this happening? I think it is number one, the perception that we have become occupiers, like the Soviets¹⁵ were, rather than liberators or protectors of Afghanistan. And number two because of the inevitable¹⁶ collateral¹⁷ damage that occurs from even the most carefully planned and skillfully executed military operations," he said.

The debate about strategy and troop strength is occurring as 30,000 Pakistani troops are launching a massive military operation in South Waziristan, along the border with Afghanistan.

The remote and rugged¹⁸ tribal¹⁹ region is a global hub for militants²⁰, who are staging suicide attacks in Pakistan and frequently cross the border to fight NATO and American soldiers in Afghanistan.

Michael O'Hanlon specializes in U.S. national security policy at the Brookings Institution.

"For the first time ever we have the chance to put al-Qaida and related groups between a hammer and an anvil," he said. "We have a chance to go after them in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. I want to do that."

Administration officials say it has not been determined²¹ whether the president will decide on a new strategy before the Afghan runoff election. They say the strategy is to be determined in the coming weeks.  

1 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

2 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

3 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。

4 insistence   

n.坚持；强调；坚决主张

参考例句：

• They were united in their insistence that she should go to college.他们一致坚持她应上大学。
• His insistence upon strict obedience is correct.他坚持绝对服从是对的。

5 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

7 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

8 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

9 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

11 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• 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。

12 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

13 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

14 eroding   

侵蚀，腐蚀( erode的现在分词 )； 逐渐毁坏，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• The coast is slowly eroding. 海岸正慢慢地被侵蚀。
• Another new development is eroding the age-old stereotype of the male warrior. 另一个新现象是，久已形成的男人皆武士的形象正逐渐消失。

15 soviets   

苏维埃（Soviet的复数形式）

参考例句：

• A public challenge could provoke the Soviets to dig in. 公开挑战会促使苏联人一意孤行。
• The Soviets proposed the withdrawal of American ballistic-missile submarines from forward bases. 苏联人建议把美国的弹道导弹潜艇从前沿基地撤走。

16 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

17 collateral   

adj.平行的；旁系的；n.担保品

参考例句：

• Many people use personal assets as collateral for small business loans.很多人把个人财产用作小额商业贷款的抵押品。
• Most people here cannot borrow from banks because they lack collateral.由于拿不出东西作为抵押，这里大部分人无法从银行贷款。

18 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

19 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

20 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

21 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。