VOA标准英语2013--关于未来的美国军队在阿富汗的角色的讨论

 

Future Role of US Troops in Afghanistan Debated 关于未来的美国军队在阿富汗的角色的讨论

PENTAGON — The number of U.S. troops who remain in Afghanistan after the withdrawal¹ of NATO forces in 2014 depends largely on what the Loya Jirga, or gathering² of tribal³ elders, decides in the coming days when it reviews a draft security agreement between the Afghan and U.S. governments. An Afghan government spokesman said the two sides have agreed to allow home raids by U.S. troops if President Barack Obama acknowledges mistakes by the U.S. military in Afghanistan. The U.S. says it has not agreed to this, and that Washington has its own conditions.  

A key U.S. condition for leaving any troops in Afghanistan is that no American soldier can be tried under Afghan law if he or she is charged with a crime while deployed⁴.  

Defense⁵ Secretary Chuck Hagel, speaking at a gathering of NATO ministers in October, indicated that point remains⁶ non-negotiable.

"Our position has been very clear on this, especially on jurisdiction," he said.

The memory of crimes committed by U.S. Army Staff Sergeant⁷ Robert Bales, now serving a life sentence for massacring 17 villagers, is perhaps the most poignant⁸. The dead, in Kandahar province last year, included several children.

Enforcing U.S. law

Michael O'Hanlon, at the Brookings Institution, said the U.S. has a longstanding policy of not allowing its soldiers to be tried under foreign laws.  

“We recognize that our troops sometimes do criminal acts. And sometimes heinous⁹ acts, but we will hold them accountable," he said. "We will never give them a pass, but we will be the ones who are in charge because there are just too many countries around the world with too many different legal systems to allow our troops to be caught up in things that could be politicized, and that could often involve legal systems that are not as well developed and penal¹⁰ systems that are not as well developed."

Whether U.S. forces would be allowed to enter Afghan homes while pursuing militants¹¹ is another sensitive issue.

U.S. officials have expressed confidence that Afghans will accept a bilateral¹² security agreement, in part because many believe that peace beyond 2014 depends on the presence of U.S. troops.

Continuing presence

Afghan security forces are developing, but still have a long way to go before they can stand up on their own against insurgents¹³. U.S. officials are talking about leaving a force of as many as 12,000 troops to train, advise and assist the Afghans. The number depends on how stable Afghanistan remains, how far reconciliation¹⁴ efforts go, the strength of Taliban insurgents, the presence of al-Qaida militants, and the level of cooperation from neighboring Pakistan.

Hagel said any decision to stay will have to be at the invitation of the Afghans, and that should come soon.

"Obviously the sooner the better," he said. "We all need time to plan, to prepare."

For the U.S., the growing violence in Iraq is a reminder¹⁵ of a mistake Washington does not want to repeat. A failure to reach a security agreement there led to a complete pullout of U.S. forces.  

The U.S. effort to stabilize¹⁶ Afghanistan has been going on for 12 years, the longest war in American history. Its outcome depends on decisions reached in the next few days. 

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 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

3 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。

4 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 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。

7 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？

8 poignant   

adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的

参考例句：

• His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。
• It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了，这尤其令人悲恸。

9 heinous   

adj.可憎的，十恶不赦的

参考例句：

• They admitted to the most heinous crimes.他们承认了极其恶劣的罪行。
• I do not want to meet that heinous person.我不想见那个十恶不赦的人。

10 penal   

adj.刑罚的；刑法上的

参考例句：

• I hope you're familiar with penal code.我希望你们熟悉本州法律规则。
• He underwent nineteen years of penal servitude for theft.他因犯了大窃案受过十九年的苦刑。

11 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。

12 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

13 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

14 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

15 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

16 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。