2006年VOA标准英语-Will G-8 Summit be Forum for Criticizing Russia

By Andre de Nesnera
Washington
21 June 2006

Leaders of the group of eight industrialized nations, known as the G-8, will meet next month in St. Petersburg, Russia.  In this report from Washington, VOA Senior Correspondent André de Nesnera looks at whether western nations will use the meeting to criticize Russia's domestic policies. 

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This will be the first time in its history that Russia will host a G-8 summit.

Mark Brzezinski, who was the National Security Council's Director of Russian Affairs in the Clinton administration, says that meeting is extremely important for Russia and president Vladimir Putin.

"What is at stake for Russia is its own perception of its 'face' in the world.  It really wants its summit to go well, which is why the Russian government has even hired a big [U.S.] public relations firm [Ketchum] to cast a very positive face on the Kremlin and the kinds of activities that Russia has been conducting that otherwise might be cast in a negative way in the international press," Brzezinski said. "And they do feel that their national prestige is on the line.  They are the hosts of the most prestigious¹ and most closely watched international summit when it comes to the industrialized democracies in the world."

Vladimir Putin (file photo)   
  
Experts say the G-8 summit comes at a time when President Putin continues to consolidate² power and takes measures western leaders consider to be anti-democratic. 

Columbia University Russia expert  Robert Legvold cites some of those policies enacted³ by the Russian leadership in the past few years.

"They have continued to clamp down on the public space, on independent voices - whether in the business community or within civil society, the NGO [non-governmental organization] community," Legvold said. "They have not allowed political parties to  flourish.  They certainly have constrained⁴ the media and continue to send messages about who should be able to appear on the media, including television in particular."

Legvold says in January Moscow briefly⁵ turned off its natural gas supplies to Ukraine in a pricing dispute - a move that disrupted deliveries to Europe and brought international condemnation⁶.

Experts also say Russia is hosting the G-8 summit at a time when U.S. leaders are more openly critical of Moscow's internal policies.  They point to the speech given by Vice⁷ President Richard Cheney in Lithuania last month in which he accused Russia of backsliding on democracy and using oil and gas - "as tools of intimidation⁸ and blackmail⁹ against neighboring countries."  

 
President Bush delivers speech in Vienna, Austria, Wednesday
  
All those events have prompted some U.S. lawmakers - including Republican Senator John McCain and Democratic Congressman¹⁰ Tom Lantos - to urge President Bush to boycott¹¹ the St. Petersburg G-8 summit.

But in a recent address in New York, Mr. Bush said it is important for him to attend.

"My strategy with Vladimir Putin is to be in a position where I can talk frankly¹² to him.  I have heard some say - do not go to the G-8," Mr. Bush said. "I think that would be a mistake for the United States not to go to the G-8, because I need to be in a position where I can sit down with him and be very frank about our concerns."

Mr. Bush said he will continue to tell Mr. Putin that he should not fear democracy.

Analysts¹³ are divided as to how far the United States and other western nations should go in criticizing Russia for its domestic policies.

Mark Brzezinski, former senior official on the National Security Council, says at the summit, Mr. Bush must continue to engage in what he calls the president's straight talk.

"This is an opportunity that should not be missed for the West to speak collectively and with strength to President Putin.  Boycotting¹⁴ would preclude¹⁵ that opportunity," Brzezinski said. "But I certainly do not want the Western leaders and the American president to go to St. Petersburg and not speak out about these concerns, because that would only reinforce the worst tendencies of what we are seeing coming out of the Kremlin right now."

Other experts, such as Robert Legvold from Columbia University, say the best way to influence the Russian leadership is to discuss issues with them in a constructive¹⁶ way.

"For all of our criticism, the best way to handle the issues that we are negative about or that we're critical about is by engaging the Russians, not by trying to isolate¹⁷ them or by pillorying¹⁸ them," Legvold said. "I think people who believe that the way to handle Russia at this point is by condemning¹⁹ them and isolating²⁰ them are mistaken."

Experts say Russian officials do not want the St. Petersburg G-8 summit to turn into a public forum²¹ for criticizing Moscow.  Analysts also say it will interesting to see whether Western nations will use the meeting to openly chastise Russia

1 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

2 consolidate   

v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并

参考例句：

• The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
• The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。

3 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

4 constrained   

adj.束缚的,节制的

参考例句：

• The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服，他觉得不得不接受。
• I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。

5 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

6 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

7 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。

8 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

9 blackmail   

n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓

参考例句：

• She demanded ＄1000 blackmail from him.她向他敲诈了1000美元。
• The journalist used blackmail to make the lawyer give him the documents.记者讹诈那名律师交给他文件。

10 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

11 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

12 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

13 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。

14 boycotting   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They're boycotting the shop because the people there are on strike. 他们抵制那家商店，因为那里的店员在罢工。
• The main opposition parties are boycotting the elections. 主要反对党都抵制此次选举。

15 preclude   

vt.阻止，排除，防止；妨碍

参考例句：

• We try to preclude any possibility of misunderstanding.我们努力排除任何误解的可能性。
• My present finances preclude the possibility of buying a car.按我目前的财务状况我是不可能买车的。

16 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

17 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

18 pillorying   

v.使受公众嘲笑( pillory的现在分词 )；将…示众；给…上颈手枷；处…以枷刑

参考例句：

19 condemning   

v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地

参考例句：

• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
• I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

20 isolating   

adj.孤立的，绝缘的v.使隔离( isolate的现在分词 )；将…剔出（以便看清和单独处理）；使（某物质、细胞等）分离；使离析

参考例句：

• Colour filters are not very effective in isolating narrow spectral bands. 一些滤色片不能很有效地分离狭窄的光谱带。 来自辞典例句
• This became known as the streak method for isolating bacteria. 这个方法以后就称为分离细菌的划线法。 来自辞典例句

21 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。