VOA标准英语2014--克里前往约旦谈判ISIS安全问题

 

Kerry Heads to Jordan for IS Security Talks 克里前往约旦谈判ISIS安全问题

STATE DEPARTMENT—

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry travels to Jordan Tuesday for talks on building an international alliance against Islamic State militants¹ who control parts of Syria and Iraq. reports on what that instability means for Jordan.

Jordan is looking for help from the United States to prevent Syria's civil war from spilling across the border, with U.S. officials discussing better aerial surveillance and more training for Jordanian special operations forces.

Jordanian King Abdullah met with President Barack Obama at the NATO summit in Wales last week to discuss the Syrian war and the rise of Islamic State militants. The militants’ brutal² conquest of swaths of Syria and Iraq has heightened security concerns in Jordan, said Steve Heydemann, an analyst³ for the U.S. Institute of Peace, an independent, government-funded institution in Washington.

"The threat level that Jordan confronts has increased, and it is taking measures to tighten⁴ its control over borders, to tighten its control over local sympathizers of ISIS," Heydemann said.

Cleric inspires militants

Security officials say many young militants are inspired by Muslim cleric Abu Qatada, who was extradited from Britain last year. Jordan has postponed⁵ his trial on charges of plotting to attack tourists at New Year celebrations in 2000 but previously⁶ convicted him for conspiring⁷ to attack U.S. targets in Jordan.

Heydemann says Jordan's long-standing ties with Europe and the United States make it a more difficult target for Islamic State leaders looking to expand beyond Syria and Iraq.

The country "has a far more effective military. It has very close security relationships with the United States,” Heydemann said. "It is seen as, in some respects, … a ‘red line,’ which if ISIS were to cross it might trigger much more extensive U.S. and Western intervention⁸."

Refugees strain security

Complicating⁹ Jordanian security – and stretching government resources – are hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria and Iraq, says former U.S. ambassador Adam Ereli.

"Twenty percent of the population is refugees," Ereli said. "That's not a good situation to be in. So I'm worried about Jordan."

Jordanian authorities have so far kept that refugee crisis from undermining internal security.

But those strains will only grow worse the longer conflicts in Syria and Iraq continue, says analyst Nora Bensahel.

She said Jordan has been getting international support, including the United Nations’ very active help with the refugee situation. But, she wondered how long the country could withstand the strain.

"The answer has been for a long time: more than we might have expected," Bensahel said. "But at some point, that will no longer continue to be true."

Continuing to address the refugee crisis and safeguard Jordan's borders will remain important to keep King Abdullah in a coalition¹⁰ against the Islamic State extremists.

1 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。

2 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

3 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。

4 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

5 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 conspiring   

密谋( conspire的现在分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致

参考例句：

• They were accused of conspiring against the king. 他们被指控阴谋反对国王。
• John Brown and his associates were tried for conspiring to overthrow the slave states. 约翰·布朗和他的合伙者们由于密谋推翻实行奴隶制度的美国各州而被审讯。

8 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。

9 complicating   

使复杂化( complicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。
• In America these actions become executive puberty rites, complicating relationships that are already complicated enough. 在美国，这些行动成了行政青春期的惯例，使本来已经够复杂的关系变得更复杂了。

10 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。