VOA标准英语2009年-Gates Might Agree to More Troops for Afgha

U.S. Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates indicated Thursday he might be receptive if his new commander in Afghanistan asks for more troops, but he is still concerned that having too many foreign forces in the country could alienate² its people.
　
Defense Sec. Robert Gates (L) and Joint³ Chiefs Vice⁴ Chairman Gen. James Cartwright, at a Pentagon briefing, 13 Aug 2009

Secretary Gates says he expects to receive the eagerly-awaited assessment⁵ from General Stanley McChrystal after next week's Afghan election, in late August or early September. After that, he says, the general may present a separate document outlining any requests for additional forces.

At a news conference, the secretary acknowledged that in the past he has expressed reluctance⁶ to send more troops to Afghanistan, beyond the near doubling President Barack Obama authorized⁷ earlier this year to a total of about 68,000. But Gates indicated his view is being affected⁸ by recent conversations with General McChrystal.

"I think General McChrystal makes the very valid⁹ point that how those forces behave toward the Afghans is clearly an important element of that," he said.
　
ISAF commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal (R), salutes¹⁰ ISAF soldiers during changing of command ceremony in Kabul on 10 Jul 2009

McChrystal issued a directive soon after taking command two months ago ordering the U.S. and NATO troops under his command to do more to avoid causing Afghan civilian¹¹ casualties. Gates indicated that is important, but he is not sure whether it will be enough to make a significant further troop increase advisable.

"So far, I think that most Afghans see us as there to help them and see us as their partner. I just worry that we don't know what the size of the international presence, military presence might be that would begin to change that. And I think we need to move with considerable care in that respect," he said.

Secretary Gates says any troop increase would have to come only after consultations¹² with allies and with the Afghan government, and would be limited, at least for a while, by the U.S. troop commitment in Iraq, which will not be significantly reduced until well into next year.

Still, Gates says General McChrystal is free to ask for whatever he thinks he needs to accomplish his mission - to prevent Afghanistan from again becoming a haven¹³ for international terrorists and to stabilize¹⁴ the country enough for the Afghan government and its security forces to establish their authority.

"General McChrystal has been told very directly by both the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, and by me that we want him to ask for what he thinks he needs. I think you have to, you have to, allow your commanders that freedom. And so we're not talking about caps. What we're waiting for is his assessment and then to see what options or courses of action he puts forward," he added.

Several civilian experts General McChrystal invited to Afghanistan to help with his assessment have said they believe he needs more troops, but officials say the general has not yet made a decision.

Secretary Gates called the security situation in Afghanistan "a mixed picture," and acknowledged the Taliban has established a presence in some areas. He says the key to long-term progress is to convince ordinary Afghans to support the government and turn against the insurgents¹⁶. He says General McChrystal's report will include an assessment of how to do that, including how to balance between securing population centers and pursuing the Taliban and other insurgents in remote areas.

The secretary has said he wants to see at least some progress in Afghanistan within a year, but he says defeating the country's several insurgent¹⁵ groups will take longer, and building a relatively¹⁷ stable and prosperous society will take even more time.

"I think you have to differentiate¹⁸ between institution building and economic development on the one hand, and defeating al-Qaida on the other. And I think the latter can be accomplished¹⁹ in a few years," he said.

Secretary Gates says the broader development of Afghanistan will take decades, but he notes that U.S. allies are committed to helping²⁰ the country with those non-military projects for the long term.

Secretary Gates also said he believes the U.S., NATO and Afghan security effort is creating conditions for a credible²¹ presidential election next week in all parts of the country. He says there will be more than 1,300 additional polling places compared to the last election five years ago, and there are several million more registered voters.

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 alienate   

vt.使疏远，离间；转让(财产等)

参考例句：

• His attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith.他离间那两个朋友的企图失败了，因为他们彼此完全信任。
• We'd better not alienate ourselves from the colleagues.我们最好还是不要与同事们疏远。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

6 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

7 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

8 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

9 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

10 salutes   

n.致敬，欢迎，敬礼( salute的名词复数 )v.欢迎，致敬( salute的第三人称单数 )；赞扬，赞颂

参考例句：

• Poulengey salutes, and stands at the door awaiting orders. 波仑日行礼，站在门口听侯命令。 来自辞典例句
• A giant of the world salutes you. 一位世界的伟人向你敬礼呢。 来自辞典例句

11 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。

12 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 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。

14 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。

15 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

16 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

17 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

18 differentiate   

vi.(between)区分；vt.区别；使不同

参考例句：

• You can differentiate between the houses by the shape of their chimneys.你可以凭借烟囱形状的不同来区分这两幢房子。
• He never learned to differentiate between good and evil.他从未学会分辨善恶。

19 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

20 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。

21 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？