VOA标准英语2010年-Clout and All that Goes With It

Throughout the Middle East and North Africa - or MENA - wasta is a currency more powerful than dirhams or dinars.  Wasta is the clout¹ you get from whom you know and it can make every aspect of your life easier - from getting a new phone line installed to getting a foot in the corporate² door.   In the past, wasta was the chief means of keeping peace within societies.  But today, most people agree that wasta is breaking societies down.

In historic times, wasta was the chief means for solving conflicts and managing relationships within the tribe or family group:  An elder respected by both sides of a dispute is called on to mediate³ a problem - say, a land dispute or to intercede⁴ on behalf of a groom's family in an arranged marriage.  Wasta could also ensure that the poor or marginalized got what was rightfully theirs. 

Robert Cunningham is Professor Emeritus⁵ of Political Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.  He is also the co-author of Wasta: the Hidden Force.  He likes to tell a story about how he first discovered he had earned some wasta of his own.   Cunningham flew to Amman, Jordan for a visit.  After the plane landed, he discovered the airline had lost his luggage.  He made many calls to the airline, which could not resolve his problem.

That is when he remembered a former student in Aleppo, who had a friend in the airline industry.  He made one phone call to the former student, and the next day, his luggage was hand delivered to his hotel. 

"I couldn't accomplish in several days what he was able to accomplish with a phone call to his friend at Royal Jordanian," said Cunningham. "It has positive benefits.  In the system, I was a disadvantaged person.  It was only by going around the system that I was able to get what I needed to get, justifiably⁶.

Justifiably.  That's a key word when discussing wasta.  If you have enough wasta, you can get that dream job over a candidate who might be far more qualified⁷ than you.  You can get out of serving time for a crime or get elected to political office - and then hire all of your relatives to work for you, whether they are competent or not.

Persuasive⁸

Lubna Alzaroo is a second-year student at Bethlehem University in the Palestinian West Bank.   She talks about just how persuasive wasta is. It's everywhere in your daily life.  It's one of the most common words used in daily life," said Alzaoo.  "Everybody talks about it.  When I talk to my friends about my plans in the future, they always tell me, 'Well, you need a wasta.'

If she does not have enough wasta, she may not ever get a good job. It makes me nervous," said Alzaroo.  "I'm going to graduate in two years.  Basically, what they are telling me is that whatever qualifications I have and whatever university I go to, if I don't know somebody, and they [don't] help me, then I probably won't get a job."

Wasta is not just a Palestinian problem.  It is prevalent throughout the entire MENA region.  Earlier this year, the Qatar-based youth employment initiative Silatech partnered with Gallup to conduct a comprehensive poll of youth in the League of Arab States.   It found that the majority of Arab youth perceive wasta as critical to their future success.

Combating wasta

Dr. Azmi Shuabi is a former member of the Palestinian Legislative⁹ Council and founder¹⁰ of AMAN - or Transparency International Palestine.  He says that while wasta is so ingrained into Middle Eastern culture and behavior, most people in the MENA region perceive themselves as victims of wasta.  "There is a feeling of injustice¹¹ and sometimes frustration¹² and loss of equal opportunities," he said. "There is no trust of those officials who are responsible."

Shuabi's group helped push for a new Palestinian Authority law which criminalizes wasta and other forms of corruption¹³.   He now heads a new commission set up to investigate charges of wasta.  Those found guilty of favoritism could face from three to15 years in prison. 

But changing the law is only the first step, and Shuabi admits that combating wasta will not be easy. "We can initiate¹⁴ the starting, but we need the help and supporting [sic] of all the good people in the society and the government," he said.

Eliminating systematic wasta will also require the combined energy of educational systems, the media, and religious groups and even, says Shuabi,
 

1 clout   

n.用手猛击；权力，影响力

参考例句：

• The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。
• He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。

2 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

3 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

4 intercede   

vi.仲裁，说情

参考例句：

• He was quickly snubbed when he tried to intercede.当他试着说情时很快被制止了。
• At a time like that there has to be a third party to intercede.这时候要有个第三者出来斡旋。

5 emeritus   

adj.名誉退休的

参考例句：

• "Perhaps I can introduce Mr.Lake Kirby,an emeritus professor from Washington University?"请允许我介绍华盛顿大学名誉教授莱克柯尔比先生。
• He will continue as chairman emeritus.他将会继续担任荣誉主席。

6 justifiably   

adv.无可非议地

参考例句：

• There General Walters would come aboard to greet me, justifiably beaming with pride at his arrangement. 在那儿沃尔特斯将军会登上飞机来接我，理所当然为他们的安排感到洋洋得意。 来自辞典例句
• The Chinese seemed justifiably proud of their economic achievements. 中国人似乎为他们的经济成就感到自豪，这是无可非议的。 来自互联网

7 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

8 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

9 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

10 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

11 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

12 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

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 initiate   

vt.开始，创始，发动；启蒙，使入门；引入

参考例句：

• A language teacher should initiate pupils into the elements of grammar.语言老师应该把基本语法教给学生。
• They wanted to initiate a discussion on economics.他们想启动一次经济学讨论。