VOA标准英语2013--叙利亚举动引发"红线"质疑

 

Syria Moves Put 'Red Lines' in Question 叙利亚举动引发"红线"质疑

LONDON — Much has been said and written about "red lines," since Syria allegedly crossed one last month that U.S. President Barack Obama had emphasized a year earlier.  Expected U.S. airstrikes did not follow, and now experts wonder whether other international "red lines" will be respected, notably¹ the one on Iran and nuclear weapons.

Iran’s new president heads to New York next week for the U.N. General Assembly, where many hope for a new start in the effort to ensure that his country does not build a nuclear weapon.  In recent days, President Hassan Rouhani has exchanged conciliatory letters with President Obama, ordered the release of 11 political prisoners and said Iran will never become a nuclear power.

But the international community wants to keep the pressure on Iran, through sanctions and threats of force.  And since President Obama decided² not to bomb Syria after it allegedly used chemical weapons - crossing what became known as ‘Obama’s Red Line’ - concerns were raised that Iran might feel freer to move toward nuclear weapons.

"First of all, I didn't set a red line. The world set a red line," said President Obama.

The president was referring to the 1925 Geneva Protocol³ that bans chemical weapons worldwide.  

If the international community, in particular the United States, will not use force to back up that longstanding ban, Iranian journalist Amir Taheri says it will be more difficult to put pressure on Iran to limit its nuclear program.

”The position was already weakened.  But the Syria retreat has weakened the U.S. position further," said Taheri.

But not all experts agree that the Syria chemical issue is directly linked to the Iran nuclear issue.  The head of London’s International Institute for Strategic Studies, John Chipman, says the Syrian attack presented a unique challenge, and the response is not necessarily a precedent⁴.

“You wouldn’t necessarily see the way in which the Syrian crisis, especially in the last few weeks, has been handled as ruling the way in which the Obama Administration or any future U.S. administration would face a different security crisis in both the Middle East and the Asia Pacific," said Chipman.

Experts note the potential danger from Iran's getting nuclear weapons is far greater than the concern about chemical weapons in Syria.

And Amir Taheri says Iran would be wise not to test whether President Obama would enforce the ‘red line’ on its nuclear program.

“Of course, you know one must not forget that the U.S. remains⁵ the major power in the world, and it should never be underestimated," he said.

And some experts say the current plan for Syria to give up its chemical weapons through diplomacy⁶ enforces the ‘red line’ enough to signal Iran that it, too, would face damaging consequences if it moved to become a nuclear power. 

1 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

4 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。