VOA常速英语2013--阿富汗将面临艰巨一年:选举、安全是关键

 

Afghanistan Faces Crucial Year of Elections, Security Transition 阿富汗将面临艰巨一年:选举、安全是关键

KABUL — After more than a decade of war, Afghans have another tough year ahead. In 2014, they face the complete withdrawal² of international combat forces, a tapering³  off of aid money, a weak economy, a continuing insurgency⁴, and elections for a new president.

喀布尔— 在经历了十多年的战乱后，摆在阿富汗人面前的仍将是艰辛的一年。2014年，各国作战部队将全部撤出阿富汗、外国对阿富汗的资金援助减少，经济疲软、持续的武装叛乱活动，再 加上总统大选。

The April 2014 presidential elections will usher⁵ in the first government since the U.S. overthrow⁶ of the Taliban that does not have Afghan leader Hamid Karzai at the  top.

定于2014年4月的阿富汗总统大选将产生自美国推翻塔利班以来阿富汗首个没有领导人卡尔扎伊在上的政府。

Over the years, critics say Karzai has transformed from a reliable U.S. ally into an unpredictable leader, to the frustration⁷ of both his foreign partners and domestic  allies. Nonetheless, despite his political maneuvering⁸, Karzai has become a symbol for continuity in Afghanistan.

卡尔扎伊本人正在从一个美国可以信赖的盟友变成一个难以捉摸、让国际伙伴和国内盟友都困惑不解的人。尽管他在政治上采取了一些手段，但卡尔扎伊仍被视为是阿富汗国家存在的象征.

Young people growing up in busy cities like Kabul have expectations of a better future, but fierce power rivalries⁹ and lawlessness in the country mean it is unlikely  next year's election will be free and fair, according to analyst¹⁰ Kate Clark.

居住在像喀布尔这样繁忙都市的年轻人对期待着能有一个更美好的未来。但分析人士凯特·克拉克表示，激烈的权力斗争和乡村地区的无法制状态意味明年的大选将不会是自由和公平的。

“The ideal is that you have someone that has a popular consensus¹¹. And I think that’s difficult,” she said. “The fraud is so much that you are not going to get  anyone happy, and it’s a question of how messy it’s going to be.”

阿富汗分析网络人员凯特·克拉克说：“理想的局面是能够有一位有广泛支持的人物。但我认为这将是很困难的。猖獗的选举舞弊使不会让任何一方满意。问题的关键在于这场选举造成的乱 局到底会有多乱。”

Also in question is what is going to happen to U.S. forces in Afghanistan. By early December, Karzai had refused to sign a bilateral¹² security pact¹³ that would keep a  contingent behind to train, assist and equip Afghan forces.

另外一个问题是驻阿富汗美军将何去何从。截止到12月初，卡尔扎伊仍然拒绝签署双边安全协议。该协议将允许保留一支机动部队用于给阿富汗军队提供培训、协助和装备。

Karzai snubbed the nation’s tribal¹⁴ elders, who approved the security deal and called for it to be signed immediately,JirgaJ and instead declared that the agreement  should be signed after the elections and peace and stability are established in the country.

卡尔扎伊指责批准这一安全协议的阿富汗部族长老们。他说，协议要在大选后阿富汗实现和平和稳定后才能签署。

U.S. officials are working hard to convince Karzai to finalize¹⁵ the security agreement before the end of the year, and say delaying the signing will make it harder to  keep the estimated 12,000 U.S. troops in country.

但这么做并没有帮助阿富汗政府与塔利班激进分子谈判的和平协议取得任何进展。塔利班也反对阿富汗与美国达成安全协议。

Another thorny¹⁶ issue is neighboring Pakistan. The U.S. is concerned about Pakistan's harboring of militants¹⁷ and the security of U.S. transit¹ routes out of Afghanistan.  An Afghan peace deal with Taliban militants - who also rejected the security pact - does not seem any closer.

Former Taliban and now Afghan High Peace Council member Abdul Hakim Mujahid says that without a deal with the militants, the country risks sliding backwards¹⁸.

前塔利班、现在是阿富汗高级和平委员会成员的穆贾希德说，如果不能够和塔利班达成协议，阿富汗的局面将有倒退的风险。

“If we couldn’t reach a political settlement and we went to the general election, and a president came in power who is not assured of a political settlement, we will  [have] lost at least five years, unfortunately for peace, and we will for more five years, and the fighting and the crisis will be continued for more than five years  in this country,” predicted Mujahid.

穆贾希德说：“如果我们无法在政治上达成妥协，同时我们还举行大选，那么新总统将没有一个政治上的保障。那么不幸的是我们将丧失至少五年的和平，阿富汗的内战和危机将再持续五年 。”

Afghan security forces are increasingly taking the lead across the country, but attrition and casualty rates have been high. A July 2013 Pentagon report noted¹⁹ that in  March, Afghan force casualties spiked²⁰ to more than 300 a month. March is the start of the traditional Taliban fighting season.

阿富汗安全部队正逐步在全国各地占据优势，摩擦和伤亡率仍然很高。2013年7月美国五角大楼的一份报告显示，3月份阿富汗部队的伤亡率攀升至每月300人。3月是传统上塔利班开始作战的 时期。

Clark said that as of September, Afghan security forces were dying at the rate of 100 per week.

Former minister Hamidullah Farooqi, who is also a member of the Truth and Justice party, says the national forces will need substantial help beyond 2014.

真理与正义党成员、前部长法鲁基说，2014年后阿富汗军队将需要大量援助。

“We are a little behind in that case, that is why we don’t know if Afghan security forces will be able to defend this country without support, and our economy, our  national resources are not enough for our national and security needs,” said Farooqi.

法鲁基说：“我们还有一段距离。这也是为什么我们不清楚阿富汗部队是否能够在没有外援的情况下保卫国家，而且我们的经济、我们的国力还无法满足我们的国家和安全需要。”

International patience is wearing thin with Karzai. Analysts²¹ say much will depend on how much Washington is willing to accommodate the Afghan leader and his demands.  If the United States does withdraw all forces and a related eight billion dollars in aid, analysts warn that Afghanistan is headed for some very hard times. 

与此同时，国际社会对卡尔扎伊的耐心正在被消磨。分析人士警告说，如果华盛顿到时候真的全部撤走美军和与其相关的80亿美元援助，阿富汗就将面临极其艰巨的挑战。

1 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

2 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。

3 tapering   

adj.尖端细的

参考例句：

• Interest in the scandal seems to be tapering off. 人们对那件丑闻的兴趣似乎越来越小了。
• Nonproductive expenditures keep tapering down. 非生产性开支一直在下降。

4 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

5 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

6 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

7 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。

8 maneuvering   

v.移动，用策略( maneuver的现在分词 )；操纵

参考例句：

• This Manstein did, with some brilliant maneuvering under the worse winter conditions. 曼施坦因在最恶劣的严冬条件下，出色地施展了灵活机动的战术，终于完成了任务。 来自辞典例句
• In short, large goals required farsighted policies, not tactical maneuvering. 一句话，大的目标需要有高瞻远瞩的政策，玩弄策略是不行的。 来自辞典例句

9 rivalries   

n.敌对，竞争，对抗( rivalry的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new government was torn by rivalries. 新政府由于各派对立而四分五裂。 来自辞典例句
• Rivalries could bring about pain and hatred or give rise to fighting. 竞争会带来痛苦、仇恨，或者引起争斗。 来自互联网

10 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。

11 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

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 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

14 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。

15 finalize   

v.落实，定下来

参考例句：

• Let us finalize tonight.让我们今天晚上干完
• 。At the same time,industrial designers work with engineers to finalize components and assembly.同时，工业设计师和工程师一道来完成部件和组装部分的工作。

16 thorny   

adj.多刺的，棘手的

参考例句：

• The young captain is pondering over a thorny problem.年轻的上尉正在思考一个棘手的问题。
• The boys argued over the thorny points in the lesson.孩子们辩论功课中的难点。

17 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。

18 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

19 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

20 spiked   

adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的

参考例句：

• The editor spiked the story. 编辑删去了这篇报道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They wondered whether their drinks had been spiked. 他们有些疑惑自己的饮料里是否被偷偷搀了烈性酒。 来自辞典例句

21 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。