VOA标准英语2010年-US Withdrawal from Iraq Looms Over Afg

As U.S. combat troops are pulled out of Iraq, attention is turning to Afghanistan.  President Barack Obama has pledged to begin pulling out troops there as well, starting next year.  The Iraq withdrawal¹ might have an effect on political and military calculations by officials in Washington and Kabul, particularly by Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

In announcing the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq, President Obama made it clear that Afghanistan's turn is next.

"Next August, we will begin a transition to Afghan responsibility," he said. "The pace of our troop reductions will be determined² by conditions on the ground, and our support for Afghanistan will endure.  But make no mistake - this transition will begin because open-ended war serves neither our interests nor the Afghan people's."

Analysts⁴ say the Iraq withdrawal has highlighted for leaders in Iran, Pakistan and other regional states that the United States intends to pull out its forces.

Larry Goodson of the U.S. Army War College says no one is considering the implications more than Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

"All of the regional actors now alter their calculus⁵ a bit, but none more obviously and skittishly⁶ than Karzai because he is really the one whose neck is in the noose⁷.  He is the one who would literally⁸ be hanging from a lamppost within a month, let us say, if the U.S. and NATO forces withdrew today.  Or at least that is what I think would happen."

'Morale⁹ boost for the Taliban'

President Karzai recently told a visiting U.S. congressional delegation¹⁰ that the withdrawal date is a morale boost for the Taliban.

Larry Goodson says Mr. Karzai might be looking for ways to keep U.S. troops around longer than President Obama and his advisors¹¹ have planned.

"I think he is looking for the,  'O.K., the U.S. is no longer here or maybe I can, through certain political moves and maneuvers¹², continue to play the United States and keep them here a bit longer or keep them engaged in some fashion a bit longer.'  I realize I attributed some Machiavellian¹³ sort of tendencies to Hamid Karzai.  But I think that he has demonstrated that he has got some political skills," he said.

The U.S.-Karzai relationship has been through some rough patches, especially lately.  President Karzai has been sharply critical of the United States, especially over civilian¹⁴ casualties, and U.S. officials continue to pressure the Afghan leader to clean up corruption¹⁵ in his government. 

Analyst³ Brian Katulis of the Center for American Progress in Washington says the United States has been inconsistent in its approach to President Karzai.

"We have wavered under President Bush and even under President Obama," he said. "One moment it seems like we are reading him the riot act; the next moment we are rolling out the red carpet for him here in Washington, D.C.  And none of it seems to work."

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are radically¹⁶ different, but the overall strategy is similar - to build up indigenous¹⁷ forces to the point that they can handle security duties on their own, thus allowing U.S. troops to go home.  But many analysts voice concern about when or if Afghan security forces will be capable to stand on their own.

The presence of Taliban sanctuaries¹⁸ across the border in Pakistan remains¹⁹ a nagging²⁰ issue. 

Analyst Brian Katulis says the handling of the matter of Pakistan has been what he terms a quiet success for the Obama administration.  He says the U.S.-Pakistan relationship was "hanging by a thread" in 2007, but that Pakistan has since become more energetic about taking on the militants²¹.

"So there has been a much more aggressive counter-terrorism approach," said Katulis. "There has been an outreach to a range of Pakistani leaders to take a different approach.  They have changed."

"They have not changed 100 percent, but they have moved in the right sort of direction.  And I think what we need to see, and ultimately a key to Afghanistan and our ability to complete the mission there, is actually getting actors like Pakistan to play a more responsible role.  And I think we have taken some modest steps in the right direction there," he added.

But Taliban fighters have not reduced their attacks on international forces, although the coming winter is expected to slow them down.  Many analysts say the Taliban wants to keep up the pressure on the Karzai government until the United States and its allies leave and then try to strike a political deal with President Karzai, or whoever is in charge of the Afghan government at the time.
 

1 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 calculus   

n.微积分；结石

参考例句：

• This is a problem where calculus won't help at all.对于这一题，微积分一点也用不上。
• After studying differential calculus you will be able to solve these mathematical problems.学了微积分之后，你们就能够解这些数学题了。

6 skittishly   

参考例句：

• The horse pranced around skittishly. 那匹马在周围欢快地腾跃。 来自互联网

7 noose   

n.绳套，绞索（刑）；v.用套索捉；使落入圈套；处以绞刑

参考例句：

• They tied a noose round her neck.他们在她脖子上系了一个活扣。
• A hangman's noose had already been placed around his neck.一个绞刑的绳圈已经套在他的脖子上。

8 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

9 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

10 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

11 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

12 maneuvers   

n.策略，谋略，花招( maneuver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He suspected at once that she had been spying upon his maneuvers. 他立刻猜想到，她已经侦察到他的行动。 来自辞典例句
• Maneuvers in Guizhou occupied the Reds for four months. 贵州境内的作战占了红军四个月的时间。 来自辞典例句

13 machiavellian   

adj.权谋的，狡诈的

参考例句：

• A Machiavellian plot was suspected.人们怀疑背后有不可告人的阴谋。
• In this layer,Obama implied American policies that are cautious and Machiavellian.在这个层面，奥巴马含蓄地表达了美国的谨慎、权谋的（新）政策。

14 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

15 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。

16 radically   

ad.根本地，本质地

参考例句：

• I think we may have to rethink our policies fairly radically. 我认为我们可能要对我们的政策进行根本的反思。
• The health service must be radically reformed. 公共医疗卫生服务必须进行彻底改革。

17 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

18 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

19 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。

20 nagging   

adj.唠叨的，挑剔的；使人不得安宁的v.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的现在分词 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责

参考例句：

• Stop nagging—I'll do it as soon as I can. 别唠叨了—我会尽快做的。
• I've got a nagging pain in my lower back. 我后背下方老是疼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 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。