VOA标准英语2010-Russia Seeks to Eliminate North Caucasus

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said it is a matter of honor for law enforcement agencies to dredge the militants¹ out of sewer² and to bring them into God's daylight.

Peter Fedynsky | Moscow 31 March 2010

Cars damaged in an explosion are seen in Kizlyar, a town in the southern Russian region of Dagestan, 31 Mar³ 2010

At least 12 people were killed on Wednesday in the Russian republic of Dagestan following twin bombings in Moscow on Monday.  Islamist militants in Chechnya have claimed responsibility for the Moscow blasts and Russian authorities suspect they are behind the Dagestan attack.  Dagestan is one of several republics in Russia's turbulent North Caucasus region. 

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin lashed⁴ out at the militants on Tuesday, saying they will be "destroyed."

Mr. Putin said it is a matter of honor for law enforcement agencies to dredge the militants out of sewer and to bring them into God's daylight.  And he expressed certainty that this would be done.

Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov has claimed responsibility for the Moscow blast, following through on his January threat on the Internet against Russia.

Umarov says that if Russians think the war is far away in the Caucasus, then "praise Allah" his organization intends to prove that the war will come home to them.

Unsettled history

Russia fought two wars against Chechen separatism since the 1990s.  The number of dead is estimated as high as 100,000 people.  This has provoked a reaction among so-called Black Widows - women who lost husbands, fathers, sons, or brothers to violence and who have become suicide bombers⁵.

The Moscow Times newspaper reports that women were involved in about two-thirds of nearly 40 rebel attacks that have killed 900 people in Russia since 2001.  Black Widows are suspected in Monday's bombings in Moscow.

Many analysts⁷ question whether the Kremlin can carry out its threat to eliminate the terrorists.

Sergei Arutyunov, head of the Caucasus Department at the Russian Academy of Sciences, says such efforts could galvanize the separatists and that more blood might be spilled as some Chechen officials kill rebels to silence government critics.

Arutyunov says the rebels can expose misconduct and corruption⁸ by the government's Special Forces.  But he adds that this needs to be done.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, has installed leaders loyal to Moscow in the region, most notably⁹ Ramzan Kadyrov as president in Chechnya.  Human rights groups accuse Kadyrov and his forces of carrying out abductions and extrajudicial executions to battle the insurgency¹⁰ in Chechnya.

Government involvement is suspected in the unsolved July murder of Russian investigative journalist Natalya Estemirova, who sought to expose alleged¹¹ kidnapping, torture, murder, bribery¹², and kickbacks¹³ by police, judges, other officials in Chechnya.  In neighboring Dagestan and Ingushetia, government officials are also frequent assassination¹⁴ targets.

The only solution

Independent Russian military analyst⁶ Alexander Golts says two recent wars, authoritarian¹⁵ leaders and a heavy police presence suggest that security in the North Caucasus cannot be tightened¹⁶ further.  The only solution, he says, is the establishment of "genuine" institutions of government throughout Russia.

Golts says this means establishing the rule of law, rejecting the idea of a police state and promoting the separation of power.  He says that is the only way to create institutions that will begin to do what is needed in the North Caucasus.

Little has changed since Russia conquered the region in the 19th century.  Poet Taras Shevchenko of Ukraine, whose monument in Moscow stands opposite the offices of Prime Minister Putin, wrote about the turmoil¹⁷.  He began his poem about Chechnya entitled "The Caucasus" with the words, "Mountains beyond mountains shrouded¹⁸ in clouds, seeded by grief and streaming with blood."

That was written in 1845.  It could have been written today.

 

1 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。

2 sewer   

n.排水沟，下水道

参考例句：

• They are tearing up the street to repair a sewer. 他们正挖开马路修下水道。
• The boy kicked a stone into the sewer. 那个男孩把一石子踢进了下水道。

3 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

4 lashed   

adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。
• The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

7 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。

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 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

10 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

11 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

12 bribery   

n.贿络行为，行贿，受贿

参考例句：

• FBI found out that the senator committed bribery.美国联邦调查局查明这个参议员有受贿行为。
• He was charged with bribery.他被指控受贿。

13 kickbacks   

n.激烈反应( kickback的名词复数 )；佣金，回扣

参考例句：

• Everyone at City Hall is receiving kickbacks. It's the only way to get anything done there. 市政府里的每个人都收回扣，在那里只有送红包，事情才办得成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• G raft or kickbacks paid to officials or law enforcem ent authorities. 暗中付给官员或执法人员的回扣。 来自互联网

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 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

16 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

17 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。

18 shrouded   

v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密

参考例句：

• The hills were shrouded in mist . 这些小山被笼罩在薄雾之中。
• The towers were shrouded in mist. 城楼被蒙上薄雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》