VOA标准英语2014--US, Pakistan Work to Mend Strained Relations 美国、巴基斯坦努力修补关系紧张

 

US, Pakistan Work to Mend Strained Relations 美国、巴基斯坦努力修补关系紧张

WASHINGTON — The United States and Pakistan are trying to start a new chapter in their long-strained relationship. The two nations will resume their Strategic Dialogue on Monday, and they are hoping to end years of acrimony over such issues as drone strikes and the raid that killed Osama bin¹ Laden².

Since September 11, 2001, U.S. relations with Pakistan have been defined by the fight against terrorism.

The war in Afghanistan has severely³ strained the bilateral⁴ relationship. But now the U.S. is drawing down its troops, and Secretary of State John Kerry says it’s time to resume a strategic dialogue.

“The United States is committed to a long-term partnership⁵ with the people of Pakistan,” said Kerry.

Analysts⁶ say the Afghan conflict is likely to top the list of concerns when officials from both countries meet in Washington.

President Barack Obama says the goals are clear. “The prime minister and I both agreed that it is in America and Pakistan’s interests for Afghanistan to be stable and secure.”

Analysts say it's time to change the relationship with Pakistan. South Asia expert Dan Markey of the Council on Foreign Relations said, “Rather than seeing Pakistan really as a subset of the Afghanistan war and the counterterrorism campaign, we need to broaden our perspective. We need to think more seriously about how Pakistan fits into U.S. long-term interests in Asia."

Ties were badly hurt when U.S. commandos killed bin Laden in Pakistan.

A constant irritant in the relationship has been American drone strikes aimed at militants⁷ in Pakistan along the Afghan border. The number of strikes has been sharply reduced, but that has not stopped the protests. And some NATO supply trucks are still being blocked from entering Afghanistan.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said, "The government of Pakistan has made its position clear - that drone strikes constitute a violation⁸ of Pakistan's sovereignty.”

The U.S. has pumped billions of dollars of aid into Pakistan, but polls say that has not improved America’s image. Analysts predict aid will be reduced.

James Goldgeier of American University said, “You know Congress is skeptical⁹ about spending money anyway. And spending money where it doesn’t seem to be appreciated is going to be a tough sell.”

Pakistan has a large army, and the perceived threat from rival India has driven military strategy.

Analysts say the U.S. is concerned Islamabad is developing tactical nuclear warheads and the missiles to deliver them.

“You put all these pieces together, not to mention the fact that Pakistan continues to have a deeply entrenched¹⁰ terrorist problem, and you can see that Pakistan is going to be a concern to the United States for certainly years, perhaps generations to come,” said Markey.

So in the short term, the Afghan war will continue to shape U.S.-Pakistan relations.

 

That is expected to change, however, as the sun sets on America’s military presence in Afghanistan.

1 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

2 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

3 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

4 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。

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 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。

7 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。

8 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

9 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

10 entrenched   

adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯)

参考例句：

• Television seems to be firmly entrenched as the number one medium for national advertising.电视看来要在全国广告媒介中牢固地占据头等位置。
• If the enemy dares to attack us in these entrenched positions,we will make short work of them.如果敌人胆敢进攻我们固守的阵地，我们就消灭他们。