VOA标准英语2011--US Troops Leave Iraq, Controversy Over War Continues

US Troops Leave Iraq, Controversy¹ Over War Continues

 

The war in Iraq lasted nearly nine years and as the remaining U.S. troops pull out of the country, Middle East analysts² continue to disagree over the success or failure of the mission.

As military convoys³ roll across the border from Iraq to Kuwait and the American flag comes down at bases across the country, a recent CBS News poll shows 77 percent of Americans surveyed approve of the decision to withdraw U.S. troops by the end of the year.

Sergeant⁴ Fred Fox agreed, saying “We did as much as we can to help them out and they are taking the lead on everything. So honestly, it is time for us to go home and let them take care of their own.”

It is too early to know how future historians will view the war, but most analysts agree on one accomplishment⁵.

Frederick Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute said, “Well we eliminated Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and that was a very important success.”

But others question whether broad U.S. goals for the conflict have been accomplished⁶.

U.S. servicemen line up to board a bus as they begin their journey home at al-Asad Air Base west of Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Nov. 1 , 2011.

Author Peter Van Buren is an American diplomat⁷. In his recent book, We Meant Well, he is highly critical of the war. “Two presidents told us that our job in Iraq was to create a stable democracy that was going to be an ally to the United States and bulwark⁸ against terrorism in the Middle East. It would be difficult to say that we succeeded on those goals," he said.

By the end of 2006, violence was raging in Iraq and analysts say the country was on the brink⁹ of a sectarian civil war.

Then President George W. Bush ordered a surge of additional U.S. troops, which led to a significant reduction in the fighting.

Frederick Kagan said, “So I think the surge of forces and the change of strategy in 2007 and 2008 was one of the most remarkable¹⁰ accomplishments¹¹ in the history of counterinsurgency warfare¹².”

Although the U.S. spent more than $60 billion on development projects in Iraq, critics say only a small percentage was actually spent on reconstruction¹³.

“The rest of it was siphoned off by security costs, by waste, fraud and mismanagement, corruption¹⁴, various forms of money disappearing, including profit margins¹⁵, such that very little was spent on the ground," said author and diplomat Peter Van Buren

The decision to pull U.S. troops from Iraq has raised questions about continuing violence there and the threat of Iranian intervention¹⁶.

Adam Mausner of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “The troop pullout definitely creates a major power vacuum in the region, and the Middle East abhors¹⁷ a vacuum, so the withdrawal¹⁸ of U.S. troops creates major leverage¹⁹ for Iran to influence Iraq," he said.

Iraq and the United States are now entering a new relationship, says U.S. Ambassador James Jeffrey. "We support diplomatically, we support financially, we support through trade and we support through our general security presence in the region, which tends to keep military situations under control," he said.

Nearly 4,500 U.S. troops died in Iraq, in a war that so far has cost more than $800 billion.

Now home for the holidays, with a hero’s welcome, Mike Williams and other soldiers call the U.S. military role a great accomplishment. “And, I think, in the long run I think it has saved a lot of soldiers and a lot of civilians²⁰ in our country from having to make the ultimate sacrifice and having another [September 11, 2001 terrorist attack]," he said.

For U.S. soldiers the war in Iraq has come to an end. For millions of Iraqis, a new and uncertain future is just beginning.

1 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

2 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。

3 convoys   

n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队

参考例句：

• Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here. 车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A UN official said aid programs will be suspended until there's adequate protection for relief convoys. 一名联合国官员说将会暂停援助项目，直到援助车队能够得到充分的保护为止。 来自辞典例句

4 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

5 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

6 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

7 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

8 bulwark   

n.堡垒，保障，防御

参考例句：

• That country is a bulwark of freedom.那个国家是自由的堡垒。
• Law and morality are the bulwark of society.法律和道德是社会的防御工具。

9 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

10 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

11 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

13 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

14 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。

15 margins   

边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数

参考例句：

• They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
• To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙，加左或者右的margins来定义链接。

16 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

17 abhors   

v.憎恶( abhor的第三人称单数 )；（厌恶地）回避；拒绝；淘汰

参考例句：

• For the same reason, our party abhors the deification of an individual. 因为这样，我们党也厌弃对于个人的神化。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She abhors cruelty to animals. 她憎恶虐待动物。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

18 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。

19 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

20 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。