VOA标准英语2009-Strategy for Stabilizing Afghanistan Pivots Towa

The growing instability in Pakistan and Afghanistan tops the agenda when U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Zardari this week in Washington. The regional talks were initially¹ expected to focus on countering the Taliban in Afghanistan, but recent turmoil² in Pakistan has generated concern that Islamabad's problems are more serious.
　
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Swat alley³

Last week Pakistani security forces directly confronted Taliban militants⁵ in mountainous areas just 100 kilometers from the capital. Airstrikes and artillery⁶ barrages⁷ effectively ended months of negotiations⁸ to try to avoid violence by establishing Islamic law in parts of the northwest.

Professor Pervez Hoodbhoy of Islamabad's Quaid-e-Azam University says the Talibans rapid advance towards the capital was a wake-up call for the government.

"The fact is the situation is grim," Hoodbhoy said. "The fact is that the Taliban have made enormous inroads into the country. And it's not just that they are in FATA, the tribal⁹ areas. They are in our cities and that is even more dangerous."

Pakistan has battled Taliban militants in its northwest tribal areas since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, but the fighting is now moving closer to population centers, forcing tens of thousands of civilians¹⁰ to flee.

Professor Hoodbhoy says the government for years tried to ignore or minimize the spreading influence of the militants, without acknowledging that the situation continued to worsen.

"The present situation is where religious extremists - whether they be the Taliban or whether they be one of the very many other jihaidst groups that were early on nurtured¹¹ by the Pakistan army - they are pretty much beyond control now," Hoodbhoy said.

Government attempts to strike peace deals with the militants have not stopped the fighting and have sparked criticism from U.S. officials. But the failure of the talks has also hurt the Taliban's image among the Pakistani public.

Military analyst¹² Talat Masood says militant⁴ leaders' denunciation of government and religious leaders as un-Islamic, hardened Pakistani attitudes against the Taliban.

"They do not want the present administration to function," Masood said. "They want a Pakistan of their own vision. Which completely undermines the Pakistani state. I think the people are seeing it and that is where a good thing is happening."

Pakistan's new offensive against Taliban militants has been praised by U.S. officials eager for a more aggressive approach. But the army's limited capacity for counterinsurgency operations and a weak central government have many concerned that the situation could worsen.

Relations between Pakistan and the U.S. government remain tense. U.S. drone strikes against suspected militants in the tribal areas are unpopular - especially when they kill civilians.

Masood says there are still tensions with Afghanistan, which many Pakistanis blame for their own worsening security.

"There will be other concerns as well in regards to the stability of Afghanistan," Masood said. "How it is impacting Pakistan and especially in the areas of drug trafficking, in the areas of corruption¹³ that exist in Afghanistan which have given power to a lot of warlords which make Afghanistan in a state of perpetual instability."

The last time the leaders of the three countries met, in 2006, their summit in Washington was overshadowed by bickering¹⁴ over who was to blame for the Taliban's growing strength. Two years and two leaders later, the tensions remain and the Taliban control more territory in both countries.

1 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

2 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

3 alley   

n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路

参考例句：

• We live in the same alley.我们住在同一条小巷里。
• The blind alley ended in a brick wall.这条死胡同的尽头是砖墙。

4 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

5 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。

6 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

7 barrages   

n.弹幕射击( barrage的名词复数 )；火力网；猛烈炮火；河上的堰坝v.火力攻击（或阻击）( barrage的第三人称单数 )；以密集火力攻击（或阻击）

参考例句：

• In many Basidiomycetes barrages develop. 在许多担子菌中也发生一些栅栏。 来自辞典例句
• It's fun to be able to run around and do instant Barrages. 一边瞬发奥术弹幕一边四处跑确实很有趣。 来自互联网

8 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

9 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。

10 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。

11 nurtured   

养育( nurture的过去式和过去分词 )； 培育； 滋长； 助长

参考例句：

• She is looking fondly at the plants he had nurtured. 她深情地看着他培育的植物。
• Any latter-day Einstein would still be spotted and nurtured. 任何一个未来的爱因斯坦都会被发现并受到培养。

12 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。

13 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。

14 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》