2006年VOA标准英语-Success of Islamist Courts in Somalia Raises Qu

By Catherine Maddux
Washington
08 October 2006

The emergence¹ of a strong Islamic movement in Somalia has dramatically altered the politics of the country, severely² weakening a transitional government that mediators had hoped would bring an end to years of lawlessness. The success of the Supreme⁴ Council of Islamic Courts has experts, diplomats⁵ and neighboring countries now wondering if Somalia could become an Islamic Republic.

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By June of this year, the Islamic Courts in Somalia had taken complete control of the capital, Mogadishu, following a five month civil war against an alliance of militia⁶ leaders, who had received support from the United States.

Ken³ Menkhaus, a former senior adviser⁷ to the U.N. operation in Somalia, describes the Islamic courts movement, saying "It is today, by far and away, the strongest political and military movement in Somalia, and is politically on the ascendance and holds most of the cards."

Menkhaus says the courts have expanded their control throughout much of south central Somalia, and, in most cases, without a fight, negotiating instead with local clan⁸ leaders. "And now their control extends roughly from the Kenyan border in lower Juba, most of middle Juba, across much of Bai region and then up the Shebele River -- all of this is controlled by the Islamists. That leaves the autonomous⁹ state of Puntland beyond their reach, the secessionist state of Somaliland beyond their reach, and then (the) Geddo region and portions of Bai and Bakool regions in the hands of the transitional federal government," he says.

After 15 years of civil war, with no central functioning administration, two years of protracted¹⁰ negotiations¹¹ led to the formation in 2004 of a transitional government.

Despite hopes that the new government would bring stability to Somalia, Ken Menkhaus says, most regional experts knew it was too narrow a coalition¹². Among other things, it excluded two of Mogadishu's most powerful clans¹³.

The rapidly changing situation in Somalia has raised concerns for U.S. policy makers¹⁴, who now fear the country is becoming a haven¹⁵ for terrorists.

Eunice Reddick is the director for East African Affairs at the U.S. State Department. "Several foreign al-Qaida operatives have taken refuge in Somalia, including some of the individuals (who) perpetrated the 1998 bombings of the two embassies in east Africa, as well as the 2002 attacks against an Israeli airliner¹⁶ and a hotel in Mombasa, Kenya. The U.S. government has called upon the leaders within the Islamic courts to support efforts to bring foreign terrorist operatives currently in Somalia to justice," she says.

But former U.N. official Ken Menkhaus, who now teaches at Davidson College in (the southern U.S. state of) North Carolina, disagrees with those who say al-Qaida is trying to gain a wide foothold in Somalia. "I don't think it is going to attract foreigners beyond those who are dabbling¹⁷. It is a place to dabble¹⁸. It's actually a very difficult place for anyone to operate, whether you are working for UNHCR or al-Qaida. It's very hard on the ground. It's very treacherous¹⁹. There are better places to base yourself in East Africa than Somalia," he says.

Reddick of the U.S. State Department says the U.S. interest in Somalia extends beyond preventing terrorism. She says the U.S. is supporting Arab League-sponsored talks between the transitional government and the Islamists. It also continues to provide funding for humanitarian²⁰ projects, and is working to promote regional stability.

But one of the complicating²¹ factors in achieving that is the role of neighboring Ethiopia, which strongly supports the transitional government, and is accused of sending troops to back it. Ethiopia's support has angered representatives of the Islamic Courts, and regional experts fear tensions over Ethiopia's role could lead to an all out war with the Islamists. Addis Ababa denies it has troops on Somali territory.

Africa expert and author Gerard Prunier says the Islamists are using the threat of war with Ethiopia as a kind of recruitment tool, because, he says, the support base of the courts - like the transitional government - does not represent a wide section of Somalia's deeply clan-divided population. He says what the Islamists want most of all is control, and portraying²² Ethiopia as a threat gives them support from many factions²³ that would otherwise oppose them. "They want to govern the whole country. They want permanent confrontation²⁴ with Ethiopia and no war. Keep everybody on the edge of their seats, but don't jump. Because it helps the mobilization, which increases their support, while an open war would bring only problems," he says.

Prunier believes that, while Somalia appears to be crumbling²⁵ on the surface, it may yet be possible to find a workable solution to the nation's seemingly endless cycle of conflict. However, he says, that solution might be to allow Somalia to become an Islamic Republic. "I think if the internal dynamics²⁶ of the Islamic courts are helped, channeled, manipulated in the right direction, you could end up with an Islamic Republic that you could live with," he says.

Prunier says that although the United States may bristle²⁷ at such an idea in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, he says the U.S. already has a number of friends that are essentially²⁸ Islamic Republics, such as Pakistan - a key U.S. ally in the war against terror.

1 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

2 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

3 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

4 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

5 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

7 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

8 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

9 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

10 protracted   

adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The war was protracted for four years. 战争拖延了四年。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We won victory through protracted struggle. 经过长期的斗争，我们取得了胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

12 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。

13 clans   

宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派

参考例句：

• There are many clans in European countries. 欧洲国家有很多党派。
• The women were the great power among the clans [gentes], as everywhere else. 妇女在克兰〈氏族〉里，乃至一般在任何地方，都有很大的势力。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

14 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 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。

16 airliner   

n.客机，班机

参考例句：

• The pilot landed the airliner safely.驾驶员使客机安全着陆。
• The passengers were shepherded across the tarmac to the airliner.旅客们被引导走过跑道去上飞机。

17 dabbling   

v.涉猎( dabble的现在分词 )；涉足；浅尝；少量投资

参考例句：

• She swims twice a week and has been dabbling in weight training. 她一周游两次泳，偶尔还练习一下举重。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The boy is dabbling his hand in the water. 这孩子正用手玩水。 来自辞典例句

18 dabble   

v.涉足，浅赏

参考例句：

• They dabble in the stock market.他们少量投资于股市。
• Never dabble with things of which you have no knowledge.绝不要插手你不了解的事物。

19 treacherous   

adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的

参考例句：

• The surface water made the road treacherous for drivers.路面的积水对驾车者构成危险。
• The frozen snow was treacherous to walk on.在冻雪上行走有潜在危险。

20 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

21 complicating   

使复杂化( complicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。
• In America these actions become executive puberty rites, complicating relationships that are already complicated enough. 在美国，这些行动成了行政青春期的惯例，使本来已经够复杂的关系变得更复杂了。

22 portraying   

v.画像( portray的现在分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The artist has succeeded in portraying my father to the life. 那位画家把我的父亲画得惟妙惟肖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ding Ling was good at portraying figures through careful and refined description of human psychology. 《莎菲女士的日记》是丁玲的成名作，曾引起强烈的社会反响。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

23 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

24 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

25 crumbling   

adj.摇摇欲坠的

参考例句：

• an old house with crumbling plaster and a leaking roof 一所灰泥剥落、屋顶漏水的老房子
• The boat was tied up alongside a crumbling limestone jetty. 这条船停泊在一个摇摇欲坠的石灰岩码头边。

26 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

27 bristle   

v.（毛发）直立，气势汹汹，发怒；n.硬毛发

参考例句：

• It has a short stumpy tail covered with bristles.它粗短的尾巴上鬃毛浓密。
• He bristled with indignation at the suggestion that he was racist.有人暗示他是个种族主义者，他对此十分恼火。

28 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。