VOA标准英语2014--Iraqi Elections Coming Amid Surge of Violence

 

Iraqi Elections Coming Amid Surge of Violence

WASHINGTON — On April 30, Iraq will hold its first national election since U.S. military forces withdrew from the country in 2011. The voting will take place amid a surge of bloody¹ violence and sectarian strife² that has claimed thousands of lives.

In central Baghdad, posters of the candidates are everywhere. Many Iraqis are filing their registration³ papers to receive their voter ID cards.

The parliamentary elections are viewed as a key test for the country’s fledgling democracy.

Voters like Maath Mussab are hoping for change. “We hope that new faces will replace the current ones. We're tired of seeing the same faces for eight years. They have done nothing for us. We hope for a change, God willing.”

Increasing attacks

But the voting comes as Iraq is suffering from a surge in violence. Militants⁴ have used car bombings and suicide attacks in an attempt to derail the elections.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey said the turmoil⁵ is not a surprise.

“Democratic processes are always messy. They always look hopeless until, to quote Winston Churchill, 'you consider the alternative.' This is particularly so in countries that are developing democracies,” said Jeffrey.

Analysts⁶ say Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s coalition⁷ is expected to do well on election day.

The prime minister’s position likely was strengthened when influential⁸ Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr announced he was pulling out of Iraqi politics earlier this year.

Middle East expert Jonathan Schanzer said, “He [Nouri al-Maliki] has found a way to get a tighter and tighter grip on power. The expectation is that he will really emerge as the only game in town.”

Security concerns

Because of security concerns, voting is not expected to take place in Fallujah, in restive⁹ Anbar province. Hardline jihadists inspired by al-Qaida have taken over much of the city since January.

The Bagdad government has been striking back, but mostly on the outskirts¹⁰ of the city.

“And so the question is how much of a foothold are they going to gain? How much will the state of Iraq push back against these groups, or will they allow these areas of weak central authority to become overrun and remain in the hands of these jihadi groups?” asked Schanzer:

The United States has sent Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and other weapons to help Iraq fight the insurgents¹¹, but officials have made it clear American troops will not be involved.

And the upcoming election in Iraq appears to have generated little interest among the American public.

“There is a sense of disappointment and disenchantment with Iraq after we put so much into it," said former Ambassador Jeffrey. "And it didn’t turn out to look like Denmark. My feeling is it never was going to, but, nonetheless, the American people are a bit disillusioned¹². That is true.”

Analysts say that once a new parliament is elected, it could take months to negotiate a coalition government, since it's unlikely any party will win an outright¹³ majority.

1 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

2 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

3 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

4 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。

5 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

6 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。

7 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。

8 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

9 restive   

adj.不安宁的，不安静的

参考例句：

• The government has done nothing to ease restrictions and manufacturers are growing restive.政府未采取任何措施放松出口限制,因此国内制造商变得焦虑不安。
• The audience grew restive.观众变得不耐烦了。

10 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

11 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

12 disillusioned   

a.不再抱幻想的，大失所望的，幻想破灭的

参考例句：

• I soon became disillusioned with the job. 我不久便对这个工作不再抱幻想了。
• Many people who are disillusioned in reality assimilate life to a dream. 许多对现实失望的人把人生比作一场梦。

13 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。