VOA标准英语2009年-Pakistan a Key Factor in Obama's New A

 

President Barack Obama said the United States will no longer define its relations with Pakistan narrowly and that the partnership¹ will be built on mutual² interest, respect and trust.

Ravi Khanna 05 December 2009

President Barack Obama speaks about his Afghanistan policy before cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, 01 Dec 2009

U.S. President Barack Obama is sending 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan by mid-2010, and plans to start withdrawing American forces after July 2011, depending on the situation on the ground.  Some experts say the troop surge with a deadline is not ideal, but might reassure³ the region in more than one way.

In his speech, President Barack Obama said the United States will no longer define its relations with Pakistan narrowly and that the partnership will be built on mutual interest, respect and trust.

"We will strengthen Pakistan's capacity to target those groups that threaten our countries and have made it clear that we cannot tolerate a safe haven⁴ for terrorists whose location is known and whose intentions are clear," he said.

Columnist⁵ David Ignatius agrees with the president's move, saying Pakistan is a key factor in the new strategy, and the pressure on it must be increased.

"This president basically is rolling the dice⁶, he is making the most important decision of his presidency⁷, betting on his ability to work with Pakistan and get this shared problem of the two [Pakistani and Afghan] Talibans under control," he said.

Pakistan continues its crackdown on Pakistani Taliban militants⁸ in South Waziristan.

But Lisa Curtis at the Heritage Foundation says at the moment, they are not targeting the Afghan Taliban in the north.

There may be some in the Pakistani security environment, she says, who would like to see the Taliban back in power in Afghanistan.  But the political leadership does not want that.

"So a part of the strategy is building up those elements in Pakistan that understand that having a stable and peaceful relationship with Afghanistan is actually in Pakistan's national security interest," she noted⁹.

Clifford May at the Foundation for Defense¹⁰ of Democracies says he hopes the Obama administration understands the importance of a regional approach, and of trying to encourage India and Pakistan to work together.

"The U.S. will need to put some pressure on India to make sure that India is helpful in every regard, because we are going to rely a lot on Pakistan to do a lot of heavy lifting and difficult work," he explained.  "It is very important that Pakistan be reassured¹¹ that it has no threat on its eastern borders."

Curtis says the surge will also reassure India that the Americans are there to stay and do not intend to cut and run, leaving behind an unstable¹² Afghanistan and Pakistan, which would be a definite problem for India.

But she is concerned about the July 2011 deadline set by President Obama.

"I think this will reverberate¹³ very loudly in the region, and you will see it perceived especially by our enemies, by the Taliban and al-Qaida, as an admission that America is losing its will and is not committed over the long term, and they will be able to convince their recruits to wait the U.S. out," she added.

But Clifford May says it is an important point to make to the Afghans and the entire region that the U.S. is not going to stay there forever.

"I have met plenty of people in the region who think, 'Oh, you Americans, you want to be here forever. You want to live here, you want to colonize¹⁴. You want to make this part of your empire. You want our resources,'" he noted.

The analysts¹⁵ say only time will tell if the new plan is capable of improving the situation in the region.  But they say it sends an appropriate signal that says the U.S. will not give up, and at the same time the troops will not stay in the region a day more than they must.  The civilian¹⁶ component¹⁷ responsible for development will remain there for the long term.

 

1 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

2 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

3 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

4 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

5 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

6 dice   

n.骰子；vt.把（食物）切成小方块，冒险

参考例句：

• They were playing dice.他们在玩掷骰子游戏。
• A dice is a cube.骰子是立方体。

7 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

8 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。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 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。

11 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

13 reverberate   

v.使回响，使反响

参考例句：

• The decision will reverberate and will jar the country.这项决定将引起反响并震撼这个国家。
• Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my hear.痛苦呼喊的一遍遍的在我的心中回响。

14 colonize   

v.建立殖民地，拓殖；定居，居于

参考例句：

• Around 700 Arabs began to colonize East Africa.公元700年阿拉伯人开始把东非变为殖民地。
• Japan used to colonize many countries in Asia.日本曾经殖民过许多亚洲国家。

15 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。

16 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。

17 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。