VOA标准英语2009年-Pentagon Says More Afghanistan Troops May Await

The World Bank's chief economist¹, Justin Yifu Lin, on Monday repeated his call for coordinated² global stimulus³ to get the global economy out of deep recession.
　
World Bank's chief economist, Justin Yifu Lin, 28 Jan 2009

Lin told an audience at Washington's Peterson Institute for International Economics that two major issues much be addressed to prevent the global downturn from becoming even more serious.

"One, is whether we can overcome the threat of [trade] protectionism, or not," said Lin. "And second, is whether we have the wisdom to come up with some kind of decisive, large enough, coordinated fiscal⁴ stimulus."

Lin expressed concern that the commitments to avoid protectionism made by the leaders of 20 high income and developing countries last November might be eroding⁵. A follow-up summit to the November Group of 20 meeting is scheduled for April in London.

Lin is the first World Bank chief economist to come from a developing country. Prior to assuming his position in June, he headed a research agency at China's Beijing University. He earned an advanced degree in economics from the University of Chicago.

The World Bank official wants 0.7 percent of the value of each country's economic stimulus package to be committed as assistance to the world's poorest countries. Lin said these countries need infrastructure⁶ projects that can promote economic growth.

"It's because high income countries don't have so many opportunities of those kinds of [infrastructure] investments," he said. "You make those investments in high-income countries, and the case of Japan [in the 1990s] is going to be repeated."

Lin said Japan found that its program in the 1990s for combating a weak economy and deflation through government spending was stymied⁷ by consumers who cut back even further on spending. Lin did not say whether he thought the same might occur in the United States, which is finalizing⁸ a program of some $800 billion in tax cuts and emergency government spending.

The Pentagon says orders to deploy⁹ additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan may not be issued until after a White House strategy review is completed. Previously¹⁰, officials had said the troop deployment¹¹ orders would come soon, regardless of the conclusions of the strategy review.

It was just last week that Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell confirmed what he had said before, that regardless of what strategy President Obama adopts for Afghanistan, more troops will be needed to improve security.
　
Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell speaks during a news conference, at the Pentagon in Washington (File)

"My understanding is that whatever decision is made, on additional forces for Afghanistan, will likely take place in advance of the conclusion of the strategy review that this White House has undertaken on Afghanistan," said Morrell.

Morrell also said the logistics of sending tens of thousands of troops half-way around the world would require those decisions before the White House review is completed, which could be several weeks or more.

But another Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman, said Monday the strategy review and the troops deployment decision are being conducted in "parallel" and that "time will tell" which is completed first.

"There is certainly a fairly unanimous understanding that some level of force increase is necessary in Afghanistan. How much? When? All those things, those are being looked at. But is it conceivable that you could have some announcements about deployment orders, additional forces going into Afghanistan, before the strategy review is totally completed? Sure," he said. "Is it possible that we might not have those announcements until the strategy review is completed? Sure."

Whitman called weekend news reports of a delay in the troop deployments "fundamentally misinformed." The reports, including one in the Times of London, said President Obama decided¹² to hold any deployment announcement at least until the strategy review is farther along.

Whitman said there was never a firm date for the deployment announcement, which many observers had expected last week. But at the same time, Whitman acknowledged he was being less "definitive¹³" on the timing¹⁴ than his colleague Geoff Morrell has been in recent weeks.

And while the White House review of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan is continuing, Whitman also said Defense¹⁵ Secretary Robert Gates has not changed his view of the need for about 10,000 more U.S. combat troops and thousands more support troops to be sent there this year, in addition to several thousand who have already arrived.

"There has been no change to what the secretary has characterized in the past in terms of what we believe is not only necessary, but also the timelines in which he remains¹⁶ hopeful to provide some of that capability," said Whitman.

The United States has about 36,000 troops in Afghanistan, and the further deployments could bring the number to about 60,000. U.S. officials have signaled that the Obama Administration, will continue to pursue a counterinsurgency strategy, trying to improve security, move to local control and reconciliation¹⁷, and promote economic development. But they also say some broader Bush administration goals, such as establishing a western-style democracy and society, may be put aside, at least for the next several years.

1 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

2 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

3 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

4 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

5 eroding   

侵蚀，腐蚀( erode的现在分词 )； 逐渐毁坏，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• The coast is slowly eroding. 海岸正慢慢地被侵蚀。
• Another new development is eroding the age-old stereotype of the male warrior. 另一个新现象是，久已形成的男人皆武士的形象正逐渐消失。

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

7 stymied   

n.被侵袭的v.妨碍，阻挠( stymie的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Relief efforts have been stymied in recent weeks by armed gunmen. 最近几周的救援工作一直受到武装分子的阻挠。 来自辞典例句
• I was completely stymied by her refusal to help. 由于她拒不相助， 我完全陷入了困境。 来自互联网

8 finalizing   

vt.完成（finalize的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• You may edit registered information any time during the finalizing period. 您可以在规定期限内随时编辑修改注册资料。 来自互联网
• Natsun Trimming & Ironing, Finalizing the Perfection. 40南山整烫，完美在此定格。 来自互联网

9 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

10 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

11 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

14 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

15 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

16 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

17 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。