2007年VOA标准英语-New Iraq Commander: Mission 'Hard, Not Hopeless

By Al Pessin
Pentagon
23 January 2007

The U.S. Army general named by President Bush as the new coalition¹ commander in Iraq told a Senate committee Tuesday he believes the new Baghdad security plan can work, but it will not be easy. VOA's Al Pessin reports.

 
Lt. Gen. David Petraeus testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee's confirmation² hearing, 23 Jan 2007
Lieutenant³ General David Petraeus told the Senate Armed Services Committee the plan can restore order in Baghdad and give the Iraqi government a chance to establish its authority and provide economic development. But he said success will require more than the additional U.S. troops President Bush is sending, and the Iraqi forces being moved to the capital from elsewhere in the country. He said it will require a concerted reconstruction⁴ effort by the Iraqis and by U.S. government civilian⁵ agencies, and tough political choices by Iraqi leaders. The general said the situation in Iraq is "dire⁶," and the job he has been given is "hard" but "not hopeless."

"The way ahead will be neither quick nor easy and there undoubtedly⁷ will be tough days," he said. "We face a determined⁸, adaptable⁹, barbaric enemy. He will try to wait us out. In fact any such endeavor is a test of wills. And there are no guarantees."

General Petraeus is the principal author of the Army's new counterinsurgency manual, and is known as one of the U.S. military's top intellectuals and one of its most experienced field commanders. This will be his third tour of duty in Iraq. He told the committee it will likely take until late summer to see the results of the Baghdad security plan, although there will be some indications sooner. He said preliminary indications on the actions of the Iraqi government and military are good, and he promised to be honest in his assessments¹⁰ as the situation develops.

"I want to assure you that should I determine that the new strategy can not succeed, I will provide such an assessment," he said.

The general said he believes he will have enough troops in Baghdad to accomplish his mission, even though he will have to rely on Iraqi army and police forces with mixed records, as well as other Iraqi government forces and private security contractors¹¹, to get close to the number of troops his own manual says would be needed to provide security in the city.

General Petraeus also listed what he considers would be the dire consequences of a U.S. withdrawal¹² from Iraq, including increased ethnic¹³ cleansing¹⁴, possible involvement by other countries in the region, the creation of terrorist havens¹⁵ in Iraq and disruption to the world economy.

A strong critic of the new Iraq plan, Democratic Party Senator Edward Kennedy, asked General Petraeus how long the additional 21,000 U.S. troops will be needed in Iraq.

Kennedy: "Is this going to be permanent, is it temporary, what's the time limitation that you can tell us about."

Petraeus: "Sir, I don't know what the time limitation is at this point."

Kennedy: "At this point, therefore, we should assume that they'll remain over there until we hear further from you."

Petraeus: "As they're needed for that particular mission, yes sir."

General Petraeus said contingency¹⁶ plans are being made to sustain the surge, if necessary. Still, Senator Kennedy and other critics of the Iraq plan said they support the general's nomination¹⁷ to try to make it work. The senate must confirm his appointment before he can leave for Iraq.

 
Sen. John McCain, (l), (file photo)
Republican Party Senator John McCain, a presidential candidate who supports the troop increase, indicated at the hearing that his willingness to send more U.S. troops to Iraq may not be endless.

"It is up to the Iraqis to make these tough decisions," he said. "It's absolutely imperative¹⁸ that they seize this opportunity. It may well be their last."

Senators expressed several concerns about the new strategy, including whether the Iraqi government and military can do their part, whether 21,000 U.S. troops will be enough and how the United States will hold the Iraqi government accountable. One senator asked General Petraeus whether, as some senior U.S. military officers have warned in the past, the additional U.S. troops will alienate¹⁹ the Iraqi people.

"At this point in Baghdad, the population just wants to be secure," he said. "And, truthfully, they don't care who does it."

General Petraeus said he believes the Iraqi population will respond positively²⁰ if the troops conduct themselves properly and provide additional security. He said that is already happening with an ethnic-Kurdish Iraqi army unit that has moved to Baghdad as part of the new plan.

1 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。

2 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

3 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

4 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。

5 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。

6 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

7 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

8 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

9 adaptable   

adj.能适应的，适应性强的，可改编的

参考例句：

• He is an adaptable man and will soon learn the new work.他是个适应性很强的人，很快就将学会这种工作。
• The soil is adaptable to the growth of peanuts.这土壤适宜于花生的生长。

10 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

11 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

13 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

14 cleansing   

n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词

参考例句：

• medicated cleansing pads for sensitive skin 敏感皮肤药物清洗棉
• Soap is not the only cleansing agent. 肥皂并不是唯一的清洁剂。

15 havens   

n.港口，安全地方( haven的名词复数 )v.港口，安全地方( haven的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Your twenty havens would back out at the last minute anyhow. 你那二十个避难所到了最后一分钟也要不认帐。 来自辞典例句
• Using offshore havens to avoid taxes and investor protections. 使用海面的港口避免税和投资者保护。 来自互联网

16 contingency   

n.意外事件，可能性

参考例句：

• We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。
• A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。

17 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

18 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。

19 alienate   

vt.使疏远，离间；转让(财产等)

参考例句：

• His attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith.他离间那两个朋友的企图失败了，因为他们彼此完全信任。
• We'd better not alienate ourselves from the colleagues.我们最好还是不要与同事们疏远。

20 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。