VOA慢速英语2014 利比亚正在成为一个“恐怖主义的中心”

 

AS IT IS 2014-09-12 Libya Is Becoming a 'Terrorist Hub' 利比亚正在成为一个“恐怖主义的中心”

President Barack Obama has proposed an expanded American military effort against Islamic State militants² in Iraq and Syria. His plan is meant to answer the rising threat of Islamist extremism in the Middle East, including parts of North Africa.

One area of concern is Libya. Three years ago, rebels ousted³ Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Media reports now describe Libya as a failed state, like Somalia.

Earlier this week, French defense⁴ minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned that Libya could become what he called a terrorist center, or “hub”. And he urged other countries to “mobilize” – to prepare for action.

The defense chief spoke⁵ to the French publication Le Figaro. He said that Libya’s economic and political centers are now at risk of falling under the control of jihadist groups. Jihad is an expression for a war to defend or spread one’s beliefs.

Mr. Le Drian added that southern Libya is a place where terrorist groups go to re-supply and reorganize.

The Reuters news service says supporters of the Ansar al-Sharia militant¹ group are threatening to take control of Benghazi, Libya’s second largest city.

The Associated Press reported that an Islamist-allied militia⁶ captured the capital, Tripoli, last month. The militia reportedly set up a government in opposition⁷ to the elected government. The Guardian⁸ newspaper says Libyan parliament members sought shelter on a Greek transport ship.

Mahmoud Jibril served as acting⁹ prime minister after the overthrow¹⁰ of Moammar Gadhafi. An advisor¹¹ to Mr. Jibril told VOA that Islamic fighters have started to arrive in Libya. He also said the country could become a safe place for jihadists.

Ian Lustick is an expert on the Middle East. He teaches at the University of Pennsylvania. Professor Lustick told VOA that it was Gadhafi himself who warned the country would explode without a strongman at the top.

“He was right because he had a very easy time taking power. He pushed aside a kingdom that had not had to do any state-building in Libya. It had oil and it had American support. … So when he was pushed aside, there had never been any preparation for a real state of Libya. That’s fundamentally the problem.” 

Professor Lustick says competing tribes in Libya are excited about the possibility of getting very rich from oil sales. He says they are now fighting for control of the country.

Traditionally, he says, Islam offered a way to unite opposing sides in the Middle East. But the new government in Egypt and conservative Gulf¹² states oppose creating an Islamic state in Libya. Ian Lustick says Western countries also oppose creation of such a state. So, he says, foreigners oppose the one possible solution for Libya.

Mr. Lustick says he does not expect Egypt, the United States or NATO to get involved in the Libyan conflict. But he does think they will try to prevent what they do not want to happen in Libya.

For example, he says, the Egyptians do not want the Islamists coming to power. But he does not see a force willing to take the risks of entering Libya and organizing it.

“Of course, what this does is open the prospect¹³ of a Syrian-like struggle in a much more, you know, smaller country in terms of population. But it also opens the prospect of another field of operations for al-Qaida and ISIS-type extremists. If they don’t take over, at least they have a playground and a training area where they will definitely have opportunities to attack targets and perhaps take hostages again.”

Mr. Lustick says the West has no interest in intervening in Libya after its experiences at nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan. He says the West is now paying the cost of ignoring Libya for years -- what he calls its “benign neglect.”         

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 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。

3 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

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 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。

6 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

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 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

9 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。

10 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

11 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

12 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

13 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。