PBS高端访谈:英国国防大臣希望能保持打击ISIS的良好势头

 　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Defense¹ chiefs and other leaders from more than 30 countries are here in Washington for two days of meetings on the war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

　　The summit comes as ISIS loses territory in both countries, but the group and its followers² lash³ out with terrorist strikes globally.

　　Meantime, there is continuing turmoil⁴ in Turkey, which borders both Syria and Iraq, after Friday's coup⁵ attempt.

　　For more on all of this, I spoke⁶ a short time ago with Michael Fallon, the United Kingdom's defense secretary.

　　Defense Secretary, welcome.

　　MICHAEL FALLON, United Kingdom Defense Secretary: Thank you, Hari.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: First off, right now, we're hearing that the Turkish president has declared a state of emergency for another three months. This comes in a week where there has been a significant purge⁷ of people who might have been in opposition⁸ to him. Is Turkey still a reliable ally in NATO?

　　MICHAEL FALLON: Well, yes, it's still a key ally in NATO. It's a cornerstone of NATO. It's very important in the southeast corner of NATO to have Turkey there as a longstanding member.

　　It has formidable armed forces. And it's helping⁹ us fight ISIL as well in the Middle East. So, Turkey is important.

　　Now, it's obviously concerning that there's been this coup. And we're particularly concerned that Turkey keeps to the path of respecting human rights when it's dealing¹⁰ with the aftermath of the coup.

　　英国国防大臣希望保持打击ISIS的良好势头

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: And does what's happening now compromise your ability to fight ISIS together with Turkey?

　　MICHAEL FALLON: Well, Turkey's made it clear that this doesn't affect their commitment to the fight against ISIL. We want to seal that border with Syria to stem the flow of foreign fighters.

　　And they have every interest in not having ISIL flourish on their doorstep.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Now, you're here for a series of conversations among defense secretaries and other world leaders on what to do in this fight. What is the United Kingdom prepared to do? What more are you prepared to do?

　　MICHAEL FALLON: Well, we're already playing the second part, after the United States, in this fight. We have carried out the second highest number of airstrikes.

　　We provide a large portion of the surveillance through aircraft ahead. And we have trained around 19,000 Iraqi and Kurdish troops, specialist training in how to deal with improvised¹¹ explosive devices. So we're playing a big part in this. And we have announced recently that we're stepping up, putting more troops in, as the United States has asked every member of the coalition¹² to do.

　　We are doubling the number of troops we have in Iraq itself, so that they can do more training, to really pick up on the momentum¹³ there is now. ISIS is being pushed back along the Tigris and the Euphrates. Towns and cities are being liberated¹⁴. And we want to keep that momentum up.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: But when you think of fighting wars as a defense secretary, how do you deal with the shift that's happened in your enemies? We're no longer fighting enemies who are on a battlefield wearing a uniform with certain colors on the other side of a line. Right?

　　But we have shifted to an insurgency¹⁵ strategy. And then now it seems, with the attacks that have been happening all through Europe, these are lone¹⁶ wolves, self-radicalized. And it somehow falls on your doorstep to say, let's keep the country safe.

　　MICHAEL FALLON: You're right. There is no front line in these conflicts anymore.

　　So this requires new tactics. You need to deal with their hybrid¹⁷ warfare¹⁸, the kind of messages they're pumping out to sustain this very poisonous ideology¹⁹. And then you need to deal with them where they have captured particular cities and they're imposing²⁰ barbaric punishments on the citizens or imposing very high taxes.

　　So you need to deal with all these things. In the end, these things can only be done locally. They have to be won by local forces with security provided by the government in that country. Now, we can help. We can help with airpower, with technology, with training, with resources, help to stabilize²¹ these countries once they have been liberated.

　　But, in the end, the fight has to be on the ground by local forces that can retain the hearts and minds of the people that they're freeing.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Now, Britain went through a big decision-making process just a few weeks ago. Before that decision, you were a remainer. You wanted to stay in the E.U., it's no secret. You said during that time that U.K.'s departure would actually weaken Europe, it would strengthen Russia's hand.

　　Here we are, after the vote. Your thoughts?

　　MICHAEL FALLON: Well, NATO is the — the North Atlantic alliance is the principal security that we have that Britain is part of in Europe. And we have added more troops to the eastern border of NATO. We have stepped up to that.

　　Being inside the European Union gave us another lever. It was the union, not NATO, for example, that imposed sanctions on Russia, and we will continue in the remaining years we're inside the European Union to keep those sanctions up, to keep the pressure up on Russia.

　　I would rather we would have stayed. But the people have decided²². We have had the vote now. And what we have to do is make a success of leaving the European Union, develop new relations with Europe, ensure our trade is protected, and to continue to play our part in the security of Europe, which we're doing through a greater commitment to NATO and more work with our key allies, like the United States.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Just in the last few weeks, we had a series of reports coming out of Eastern Europe on how NATO is preparing for the possibility of Russian aggression²³ in places like Poland, places like Estonia.

　　What happens if Estonia raises its hand and says, NATO, I need help right now? How likely is the U.K. to want to help a member of the E.U. that also might may be a member of the NATO alliance?

　　MICHAEL FALLON: Well, all members of NATO are committed to help each other.

　　And, in fact, the Baltic states, including Estonia, have put their hands up and said, we want more reassurance²⁴. We have got Russia conducting large-scale exercises right on their doorstep, flying planes over the Baltic, and intimidating²⁵ them through hybrid and social media.

　　So, we are stepping forward, as one of the four countries deploying²⁶ a new forward presence, an entire battalion²⁷ in Estonia from next year, with French and Danish troops added to it. The United States is doing the same in Poland itself. So we're all helping there to give more reassurance on the on the eastern side of NATO and making it very clear to Russia that, if they attempt to intervene in a NATO country, in the way that they did in Ukraine, which is outside NATO, then there will be consequences.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: All right, Defense Secretary Michael Fallon, thanks for joining us.

　　MICHAEL FALLON: Thank you.

1 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。

2 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

3 lash   

v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛

参考例句：

• He received a lash of her hand on his cheek.他突然被她打了一记耳光。
• With a lash of its tail the tiger leaped at her.老虎把尾巴一甩朝她扑过来。

4 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

5 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。

6 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。

7 purge   

n.整肃，清除，泻药，净化；vt.净化，清除，摆脱；vi.清除，通便，腹泻，变得清洁

参考例句：

• The new president carried out a purge of disloyal army officers.新总统对不忠诚的军官进行了清洗。
• The mayoral candidate has promised to purge the police department.市长候选人答应清洗警察部门。

8 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。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

11 improvised   

a.即席而作的,即兴的

参考例句：

• He improvised a song about the football team's victory. 他即席创作了一首足球队胜利之歌。
• We improvised a tent out of two blankets and some long poles. 我们用两条毛毯和几根长竿搭成一个临时帐蓬。

12 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。

13 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

14 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

15 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

16 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

17 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

18 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

19 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

20 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。

21 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

22 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。

23 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

24 reassurance   

n.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• He drew reassurance from the enthusiastic applause.热烈的掌声使他获得了信心。
• Reassurance is especially critical when it comes to military activities.消除疑虑在军事活动方面尤为关键。

25 intimidating   

vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词)

参考例句：

• They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them. 他们被控胁迫选民投他们的票。
• This kind of questioning can be very intimidating to children. 这种问话的方式可能让孩子们非常害怕。

26 deploying   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的现在分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications. 为开发和部署基于组件的分布式应用程序提供支持。
• Advertisement, publishing, repair, and install-on-demand are all available when deploying your application. 在部署应用程序时提供公布、发布、修复和即需即装功能。

27 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。