VOA标准英语2014--Musharraf: From Powerful Ruler to Prisoner 穆沙拉夫-从执政者到阶下囚

 

Musharraf: From Powerful Ruler to Prisoner 穆沙拉夫-从执政者到阶下囚

WASHINGTON — Former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf is facing trial for treason for imposing¹ a state of emergency in 2007 and detaining several judges.  Prosecutors say Musharraf’s actions violated Pakistan’s constitution and are punishable by death or life in prison.  From powerful military ruler to prisoner, Musharraf’s life has changed dramatically in less than a decade. 

As chief of the Pakistani army, General Pervez Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup² in October 1999.  He later became the country’s president.  Under his leadership, Pakistan joined international efforts to fight terrorism after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, and Musharraf received accolades³ in the west for this policy.  Thomas Lynch is with Washington’s National Defense⁴ University.

“If Pakistan at that time had played hardball [taken a tough position] - decided⁵ not to engage with the U.S. and the Western countries that had decided to take action against al-Qaida and against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan - then Musharraf could have perhaps put Pakistan in an unenviable position of being squeezed by the West from one side and by India from the other side," said Lynch.

During Musharraf’s years in office, Pakistan saw some economic growth, but critics say that, despite so much financial backing from the U.S. and other Western countries, Musharraf did not deliver what he had promised.  Ayaz Amir is a former lawmaker and a leading political analyst⁶ in Pakistan.

"There was no political opposition⁷. The field was absolutely clear. It was a clean slate⁸.  He could have written on it what he wanted, but he could not write," said Amir.

But there is one area where Musharraf should get a lot of credit, and that is allowing free media to expand like never before in Pakistan, says opposition Senator Mushahid Hussain.

"I think Musharraf’s lasting⁹ contribution, in my view, would be that he spawned¹⁰ a media revolution in Pakistan. The free media that we see today is thanks to him, and I think that is something which is going to be enduring," said Hussain.

Just a day before he was to appear at his treason trial, Musharraf spoke¹¹ via video link and tried to defend his record.

"When I appeared on the scene in 1999, Pakistan was a failed or a defaulted state from all socio-economic points of view.  And in eight years we transformed Pakistan from that state to one of the next 11 countries of the world, a vibrant¹², progressive country," said Musharraf.

Like many leaders, Musharraf has left behind a mixed legacy¹³, says Lynch.

"The early part of his tenure¹⁴ was a legacy of playing Pakistan into position through the global war on terror.  But in the latter half, the overreach perhaps, the personal unwillingness¹⁵ to soul-search and critique the difficulty and the untenable nature of the position, pushed Musharraf into difficulties," he said.

Musharraf resigned in 2008 as president amid strong public anger and political opposition and went into self exile.  He returned to Pakistan last year and is now on trial for some of his actions as military ruler. 

1 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

2 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

3 accolades   

n.（连结几行谱表的）连谱号( accolade的名词复数 )；嘉奖；（窗、门上方的）桃尖拱形线脚；册封爵士的仪式（用剑面在肩上轻拍一下）

参考例句：

• Unlike other accolades for literature which tend to value style or experimentation. 有别于其他偏重风格活实验性的文学奖项。 来自互联网
• Build your trophy room while amassing awards and accolades. 建立您的奖杯积累奖项和荣誉。 来自互联网

4 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。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 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。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？

9 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

10 spawned   

（鱼、蛙等）大量产（卵）( spawn的过去式和过去分词 )； 大量生产

参考例句：

• The band's album spawned a string of hit singles. 这支乐队的专辑繁衍出一连串走红的单曲唱片。
• The computer industry has spawned a lot of new companies. 由于电脑工业的发展，许多新公司纷纷成立。

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

13 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

14 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

15 unwillingness   

n. 不愿意，不情愿

参考例句：

• Her unwillingness to answer questions undermined the strength of her position. 她不愿回答问题，这不利于她所处的形势。
• His apparent unwillingness would disappear if we paid him enough. 如果我们付足了钱，他露出的那副不乐意的神情就会消失。