2006年VOA标准英语-A Difficult Year in Iraq, With Changes Ahead

By Al Pessin
Washington
19 December 2006

2006 was a difficult year in Iraq, with increasing violence and a shift toward more sectarian clashes and more civilian¹ casualties. The result was a defeat for President Bush's Republican Party in congressional elections in November, the departure of Defense² Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and a major review of U.S. Iraq policy. VOA Pentagon Correspondent Al Pessin looks at the past year in Iraq, and at what lies ahead.

 
US troops inspect the site following an explosion in Kirkuk, 1 Dec 2006
Since U.S.-led troops invaded Iraq in 2003, coalition³ forces have been dealing⁴ with terrorist attacks from groups like al-Qaida and a mainly Sunni Muslim insurgency⁵ involving angry supporters of the former ruler, Saddam Hussein. Even so, political developments proceeded, including the writing of a constitution and a series of elections resulting in the seating of Iraq's first democratic government in April.

But during the four months it took Iraqi political leaders to agree on that government, an event happened that had an at least equally profound impact on how the year unfolded. In February, Sunni insurgents⁶ bombed and severely⁷ damaged the gold-domed Askiriya Shrine⁸ in the town of Samara. Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Rodman says with that attack, the Sunni extremists succeeded in what they had failed to accomplish during two previous years of insurgency.

"I used to say that the strategic prize in Iraq was the political process. The insurgents were trying to derail the political process, and they were consistently failing to achieve this. The tragedy of Iraq is that in February, in Samara, the insurgents achieved what one could call a partial strategic success, namely to trigger what we've been dealing with ever since, which is the cycle of sectarian violence," he said.

According to a Pentagon report issued in December, that violence has resulted in a sharp increase in attacks and in Iraqi civilian casualties. That trend has continued, particularly in Baghdad, in spite of a small increase in the U.S. troop presence and growing capabilities⁹ in the Iraqi security services. And the report acknowledges that the new Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, has failed to convince factional leaders to reign¹⁰ in their militias¹¹ and kidnapping and death squads¹².

In August, the commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, General John Abizaid, told Congress conditions exist in Iraq that could plunge¹³ the country into civil war. Many analysts¹⁴ say they believe that has already happened.

One result of the deteriorating¹⁵ situation was the formation early in the year of a group of 10 senior former U.S. officials to study what the United States can do to restore order in Iraq, stabilize¹⁶ the government and move toward a situation in which U.S. troops can be withdrawn¹⁷. In December, the Iraq Study Group issued a damning evaluation¹⁸, stated by cochair Lee Hamilton.

 
Lee Hamilton 
"The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating," he said.

The group recommended that the mission of U.S. troops be changed to focus on training Iraqi forces, that the Iraqi government establish milestones¹⁹ for national reconciliation²⁰ and move toward them, and that the United States launch a regional dialogue on Iraq, including talks with Iran and Syria. The report says if all that and many other factors fall into place, it might be possible to start withdrawing U.S. troops in 2008.

The report was controversial and provocative²¹, and is now only one of many documents President Bush is using in his review, along with reports from the State Department, the National Security Council and top U.S. military officers. The president is also consulting with the new defense secretary, Robert Gates, and others as he moves toward a decision expected in January.

 
Robert Gates appears before US Senate Armed Services Committee, 5 Dec 2006 
At his confirmation²² hearing, Gates had this exchange with Senator Carl Levin, who becomes chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee in January.

Levin: "Mr. Gates, do you believe that we are currently winning in Iraq?

Gates: "No, sir."

But Gates made clear that allowing the insurgents and militias to prevail in Iraq would be devastating²³ for the Iraqi people, and for the United States. President Bush says he does not intend to let that happen. "I'm going to continue making decisions based on what I think is right for the country. I've never been one to try to fashion the principles I believe, or the decisions I make, based upon ... short-term popularity. But the reality is ... that it's a tough fight, and we're going to win the fight. And I truly believe the only way we won't win it is if we leave before the job is done," he said.

Officials are not saying which options the president favors for his new policy, but proposals have included everything from a large short-term increase in U.S. troops in Iraq to a fairly rapid withdrawal²⁴ starting immediately. Secretary Gates says there are no new ideas on Iraq, and that the challenge is to combine existing ideas into a strategy that will work.

Former senior Pentagon official Lawrence Korb, who now does research at the Center for Defense Information, has a similar view. "There are no good options. I think if we knew the good option, we would embrace it. But we have no good options. You have to basically choose the option that maximizes the chances to achieve a reasonable outcome, and also protects your overall security interest," he said.

U.S. officials say all the bad news from Iraq this past year has obscured many positive developments. They point to an increase in the numbers and capability²⁵ of the Iraqi army and police, the handover of many parts of the country to Iraqi security control, improvements in performance at Iraqi government ministries²⁶ and some increase in the availability of public services. They also note that a U.S. air strike killed the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Musab Zarqawi, in June. And officials cite the trial of Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity. He was convicted in November and sentenced to death by hanging.

But U.S. officials also acknowledge that the situation in Iraq deteriorated²⁷ badly in 2006, and that something must be done to reverse the trend in 2007.

"As a matter of humanitarian²⁸ concern, as a matter of national interest and as a matter of practical necessity, it is time to find a new way forward, a new approach," said Iraq Study Group co-chair James Baker²⁹.

That is what President Bush has promised will come early in the new year.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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

6 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

7 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。

8 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

9 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

10 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

11 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

12 squads   

n.（军队中的）班( squad的名词复数 )；（暗杀）小组；体育运动的运动（代表）队；（对付某类犯罪活动的）警察队伍

参考例句：

• Anti-riot squads were called out to deal with the situation. 防暴队奉命出动以对付这一局势。 来自辞典例句
• Three squads constitute a platoon. 三个班组成一个排。 来自辞典例句

13 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

14 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。

15 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

16 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。

17 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

18 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

19 milestones   

n.重要事件( milestone的名词复数 )；重要阶段；转折点；里程碑

参考例句：

• Several important milestones in foreign policy have been passed by this Congress and they can be chalked up as major accomplishments. 这次代表大会通过了对外政策中几起划时代的事件，并且它们可作为主要成就记录下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dale: I really envy your milestones over the last few years, Don. 我真的很羡慕你在过去几年中所建立的丰功伟绩。 来自互联网

20 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

21 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

22 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

23 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

24 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

25 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

26 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

27 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

28 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

29 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。