NATO exercises near Russia: Is it a show of force or a provocation?

NATO exercises near Russia: Is it a show of force or a provocation¹?

　　Transcript²

　　Tensions between Russia and NATO countries may be higher than at any time since the cold war. Why would the U.S. and its allies stage war games right on Russia's doorstep in northern Norway.

　　RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

　　Tensions between Russia and NATO countries are higher than at any time since the Cold War. So why would the U.S. and dozens of allies stage war-games right on Russia's doorstep in northern Norway? NPR's Quil Lawrence has been observing the exercises. He's on the line with us now from the city of Tromso.

　　Quil, this, as I understand it, was a preplanned set of exercises. But obviously, I mean, there's so much symbolism involved here, right?

　　QUIL LAWRENCE, BYLINE³: Right. Over the weekend, I spoke⁴ with U.S. Marine⁵ Corps⁶ General Anthony Henderson, who commands the U.S. element here in Norway. And he described the scenario⁷ that this war-game is acting⁸ out, which happens every two years.

　　ANTHONY HENDERSON: Hypothetical mission is to counter an invasion of Norway, to counter that force.

　　LAWRENCE: And what do you want that force, which may or may not be Russia in the future, to see when they watch this exercise?

　　HENDERSON: We don't want just that force - we want anyone who would take on a defensive⁹ alliance like NATO to understand that it is prepared to defend all of its members unequivocally.

　　MARTIN: Ah. So he's being very careful there. Hey, it's not just about Russia. But, I mean, clearly it is. Is there any sign Russia is taking notice?

　　LAWRENCE: Well, I was interviewing him about aboard this Italian aircraft carrier, which is here for the exercise. And the captain of that ship, Marcello Grivelli, said that the Russian navy is watching them from just over the horizon.

　　MARCELLO GRIVELLI: They are just outside the Norwegian territorial¹⁰ waters. Their behavior is professional. They are not seeking any escalation¹¹. So they are doing what they normally do in this kind of a situation, where they just observe.

　　MARTIN: So what exactly is Russia observing? I mean, what is NATO showcasing? Or maybe, what are they trying to learn from these exercises?

　　LAWRENCE: Well, they're showing off a lot of weapons that Ukraine would love to have right now - antiaircraft systems, artillery¹², antitank weapons. But Norway is nothing like where the U.S. and NATO forces have been fighting for the past 20 years. It's all - up here, it's fjords and snowstorms. The camouflage¹³ people wear is white instead of green. We saw it go from ten miles perfectly¹⁴ clear visibility to a complete whiteout on that ship over the weekend. And looming¹⁵ over all of this is the fact that four U.S. Marines died when their aircraft crashed this month. And it's not clear whether the weather was a factor in that. But it definitely hampered¹⁶ the search and rescue.

　　MARTIN: Why, Quil, is this big exercise happening in Norway? I mean, does anyone expect to be fighting in the Arctic?

　　LAWRENCE: I mean, that's what this exercise is meant to deter¹⁷. We spoke with - I mean, and Russia also seems to have its hands completely full in Ukraine right now. But the war is definitely being felt up here. It's stressing Norway's long history of coexistence with Russia.

　　We spoke, actually, to the Norwegian prime minister, Jonas Gahr Store, over the weekend during this exercise. And here's what he - here's how he described it.

　　PRIME MINISTER JONAS GAHR STORE: We have been at peace with Russia for a thousand years. We live next to the world's most important nuclear weapons arsenal¹⁸, which has called for what I call high north, low tension.

　　MARTIN: What does that mean, high north, low tension?

　　LAWRENCE: Well, for all of these years, Norway has been right on the doorstep, even during the worst moment of the Cold War. And Russia has a huge nuclear navy up here. Now, part of that - those ships are actually down supporting the fight in Ukraine right now. So there doesn't seem to be an immediate¹⁹ question.

　　But there are all sorts of new resources opening up up here in the Arctic, energy resources, which are all the more precious as the prices of fuel go up worldwide. There are a lot of places where people are afraid that Russia could start pushing little boundaries or making little bits of expansion, much as they did in Ukraine, you know, in 2014. And the world didn't really take much notice. So Norway doesn't want to provoke. NATO says they don't want to provoke, but they just want to make sure Russia doesn't think that there's any sort of soft target up here.

　　MARTIN: Quil Lawrence is reporting from Norway on these NATO exercises. We will hear more of his reporting later this week. Thank you so much.

　　LAWRENCE: Thanks, Rachel.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF THE AMERICAN DOLLAR'S "UNDER A WARM RAIN")

1 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 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。

5 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

6 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

7 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

8 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

9 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

10 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

11 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

12 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

13 camouflage   

n./v.掩饰，伪装

参考例句：

• The white fur of the polar bear is a natural camouflage.北极熊身上的白色的浓密软毛是一种天然的伪装。
• The animal's markings provide effective camouflage.这种动物身上的斑纹是很有效的伪装。

14 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

15 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

16 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

17 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

18 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

19 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。