2006年VOA标准英语-Senator Biden Warns of Growing Sectarian Militi

By Meredith Buel
Washington
20 September 2006

A key U.S. senator says sectarian militias¹ are growing in Iraq and is reaffirming a plan he says will break the vicious cycle of violence and create conditions for multi-national forces to withdraw from the country. 

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Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Sen. Joseph Biden

Senator Biden is the top Democrat² on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and has been a frequent critic of how the Bush administration has handled the war in Iraq.

Biden, who recently returned from his seventh trip to Iraq, says violence between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims has surpassed the insurgency³ and foreign terrorists as the main security threat.

"Sectarian militias are the main instrument of that violence," he said.  "Instead of disarming⁴, they are growing and they are growing for a very basic, simple reason.  Young men have no jobs.  The militias give them a steady pay and a nice gun to carry."

Earlier this year, Biden proposed a plan to divide Iraq into three regions, giving the Kurds, Shi'ites and Sunnis their own territory.

Under the proposal, the central government in Baghdad would be left in charge of common interests, such as border security and the distribution of oil revenue.

The plan also calls for the phased redeployment of U.S. forces this year and withdrawing most of them from Iraq by the end of 2007.

The White House has called Biden's proposal a plan for "partition," and has rejected it, saying it is an idea the Iraqi people do not support.

Senator Biden says his plan would diffuse⁵ the violence and maintain a unified⁶ and more peaceful Iraq by decentralizing it.

"At best the course we are on in Iraq has no happy end in sight," he explained.  "At worst it leads to a terrible civil war that turns into a regional war and leaves a new haven⁷ for fundamentalist jihadists in the heart of the Middle East.  This plan offers a way to bring our troops home, protect our security interests, and preserve Iraq as a unified country."

President Bush has pledged the United States will not abandon the Iraqi people, will continue to support the democratic government and train Iraqi forces who are gradually taking over security from U.S.-led coalition⁸ troops.

Billions of dollars are being spent on reconstruction⁹ efforts and U.S. advisors¹⁰ are helping¹¹ the Iraqi government fight corruption¹² and build a modern economy.

Biden argues that if the government in Baghdad cannot bring security and properly govern the country, the Iraqi military may someday takeover the nation.

"What is going to happen folks, the most likely outcome, and this is going to get me in trouble, the most likely outcome is when we do stand up their army, and we are making progress in standing¹³ up their army, you are going to find six months from now, a year from now, two years from now, the army saying there is no civilian¹⁴ control," he explained.  "We must take over.  We will have supplanted¹⁵ one strong man for another, hopefully one that is more benign¹⁶."

Senator Biden proposes increasing reconstruction aid to Iraq, to create a significant number of jobs and improve the living conditions of the Iraqi people.

1 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

4 disarming   

adj.消除敌意的，使人消气的v.裁军( disarm的现在分词 )；使息怒

参考例句：

• He flashed her a disarming smile. 他朝她笑了一下，让她消消气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We will agree to disarming troops and leaving their weapons at military positions. 我们将同意解除军队的武装并把武器留在军事阵地。 来自辞典例句

5 diffuse   

v.扩散；传播；adj.冗长的；四散的，弥漫的

参考例句：

• Direct light is better for reading than diffuse light.直射光比漫射光更有利于阅读。
• His talk was so diffuse that I missed his point.他的谈话漫无边际，我抓不住他的要点。

6 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

7 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。

8 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。

9 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

10 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

11 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

12 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

13 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

14 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

15 supplanted   

把…排挤掉，取代( supplant的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In most offices, the typewriter has now been supplanted by the computer. 当今许多办公室里，打字机已被电脑取代。
• The prime minister was supplanted by his rival. 首相被他的政敌赶下台了。

16 benign   

adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的

参考例句：

• The benign weather brought North America a bumper crop.温和的气候给北美带来大丰收。
• Martha is a benign old lady.玛莎是个仁慈的老妇人。