VOA常速英语2013--美国对埃及援助陷“两难”

 

Egypt Upheaval¹ Poses Dilemma² for Washington 美国对埃及援助陷“两难”

CAIRO — America's relations with Egypt have been defined in large part by the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty and the financial rewards to Egypt for maintaining it. But current upheavals³ in the region may have changed that dynamic.

埃美关系主要的关联在于埃以和平条约和美国对埃及军方的援助。但是，近日的埃及动荡将可能改变这一状态。

Foreign policy is not often the stuff of music videos. But an Egyptian belly-dancer's take on international relations offers a glimpse into current thinking.

外交政策本与音乐视频扯不上关系。但是，一个埃及跳肚皮舞的有所拍摄的关于国际关系的视频却给了看待时事的一个新视角。

Selma elMasry's sings that U.S. President Barack Obama is a “stupid, bad man” for wanting ousted⁴ President Mohamed Morsi released from detention⁵.

Selma elMasry在歌曲中说美国总统奥巴马是一个又蠢又坏的人，因为奥巴马希望被罢黜的总统Mohamed Morsi可以得到自由。

The pro-military belly-dancer's song is proving a minor⁶ sensation, not least for reviving a perennial⁷ Arab complaint about U.S. support for Israeli-Palestinian talks.

肚皮舞者的歌传达了一种微妙的感觉。不仅仅是因为美国支持以巴和谈再次引发了阿拉伯的长久抱怨。

Israel has been the cornerstone of U.S - Egyptian relations for decades.  In exchange for recognizing the Jewish state in 1979, Egypt has received more than a billion dollars a year in aid - mainly to the military.

多年来以色列一直对美埃关系的发展起着重大作用。作为承认犹太国家的回报，埃及得到了每年十几亿美元的主要用于军事的援助。

But the U.S. faces a dilemma.

但是美国却陷入一个两难的局面。

Normally Washington calls a military ouster of a freely elected president a coup⁸. By U.S. law, aid must be cut off. But aid to Egypt has been great leverage⁹ for the U.S. and has helped keep Cairo a trusted ally.

通常，美国称以军事力量推翻由人民自由选举出来的总统为政变。根据美国法律，援助必须取消。但是，对于埃及的援助对美国有很大的好处。同时援助对保持美埃同盟国关系有很在的帮助。

This has made for awkward moments. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki spars with a reporter over the U.S. stance.

这真的是一个非常棘手的时刻，白宫发言人Jen Paski以 美国的立场回应一位记者的提问。

REPORTER: “You have a position on what happened in Egypt was a coup?

记者：“你对发生在埃及的政变有何看法？”

PSAKI: “We have determined¹⁰ that we do not need to make a determination.”

Psaki：“我们的决定是我们不需要做任何决定。”

Despite efforts not to offend, ties are strained. Armed Forces chief Abdel Fatah el-Sissi, like many other top generals, studied at the U.S. War College, but lately has been dismissive of Washington.

尽管努力不去冒犯，但氛围却十分紧张。像许多其他的高级将领一样，曾在美国军校学习过的武装部队的总指挥Abdel Fatah el-Sissi对华盛顿的采取的政策不屑一顾。

And the recent influx¹¹ of $12 billion from Gulf¹² countries has made U.S. aid less important than it once was.

从海湾国家那里取得的120亿让美国的援助不再像过去一样重要。

Morsi's supporters think the U.S. made a mistake by accepting the ouster. They point to the ex-president's key role in resolving Israeli-Palestinian tensions. Mohamed Soudan is foreign secretary of the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing.

Morsi的支持者们认为美国犯了个错误：承认这次政变。他们指出了前总统在解决巴以紧张关系中扮演了一个重要的角色。

"When Israel attacked Gaza, he finished this problem in 24, 48 hours," Soudan said. "And then we have very good relations with people in Gaza. And we can do also the reconciliation¹³ with Fatah.”

“当以色列攻占加沙，他用了一至两的时间解决了这个问题。”Soudan说，“之后，我们便与加沙建立了良好的关系。而且我们也可以调停法塔赫的暴乱。”

But some argue the U.S. needn't worry too much about who's in charge in Egypt.

但是，有些人争论说美国可以不用对谁在埃及执政太过担忧。

Despite the rhetoric¹⁴, neither the military nor Morsi's government showed interest in fundamentally altering the peace treaty with Israel.

尽管表面花言巧语，无论是军队还是Morsi政府对从根本上促进巴以和平条约签订感兴趣。

And the upheavals throughout the Arab world may have overshadowed Arab-Israeli antagonisms¹⁵. Political sociologist¹⁶ Said Sadek of the American University in Cairo says the current troubles put the Israeli question into perspective and argues it's time for peace.

而且这次遍及整个阿拉伯世界的动乱对阿以的敌对蒙上阴影。美国大学的社会政治学家Sadek在开罗说，目前的麻烦把以色列问题推向多视角和舆论当中。是该为和平努力的时候了。

"We cannot have the Arab-Israeli conflict from time immemorial until doomsday," he said. "We have to finish. We need to see an end.”

“我们不能让阿以矛盾从过去一直延续到世界末日，”他说，“我们必须结束这一矛盾。我们需要看到它的终结。”

Which would be welcome news for Israel's ally, the United States. 

对以色列的同盟国美国来说，哪个才是更受欢迎的选择呢？

 

1 upheaval   

n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱

参考例句：

• It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
• The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。

2 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

3 upheavals   

突然的巨变( upheaval的名词复数 )； 大动荡； 大变动； 胀起

参考例句：

• the latest upheavals in the education system 最近教育制度上的种种变更
• These political upheavals might well destroy the whole framework of society. 这些政治动乱很可能会破坏整个社会结构。

4 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。

5 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

6 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

7 perennial   

adj.终年的；长久的

参考例句：

• I wonder at her perennial youthfulness.我对她青春常驻感到惊讶。
• There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.有理科教学资格的老师一直都很短缺。

8 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。

9 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

10 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

11 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

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 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。

14 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

15 antagonisms   

对抗，敌对( antagonism的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The fundamental antagonisms in such an arrangement were obvious. 在这样一种安排中，基本矛盾很明显。
• The antagonisms between the two empires and systems were mortal. 这两个帝国和两种制度之间，有着不共戴天的仇恨。

16 sociologist   

n.研究社会学的人，社会学家

参考例句：

• His mother was a sociologist,researching socialism.他的母亲是个社会学家，研究社会主义。
• Max Weber is a great and outstanding sociologist.马克斯·韦伯是一位伟大的、杰出的社会学家。