VOA英语2010年-Iraq, US Challenged as Final US Troop Withdr

The United States declared the end of its combat mission in Iraq in August and is to withdraw its remaining troops by the end of 2011. But the security problems plaguing the nation nearly eight years after the U.S.-led invasion show no sign of ending soon, calling into question what the U.S. will do. Deadlines are not something Iraq or the United States have been very good at meeting.

What was hailed as the end to the U.S. combat mission has been followed by continued U.S. military action, under the nominal¹ command of Iraqi forces.

Even the plan to remove U.S. combat troops from Iraqi cities by June 2009 was not implemented². American troops were at key positions in March during elections for parliament.

So what happens at the end of 2011, when all U.S. troops are set to go? Charles Dunne is a scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington.

"A lot is going to depend on the United States-Iraq defense³ relationship going forward," said Dunne. "The big question here is how many troops is the United States going to leave in Iraq after the end of 2011."

Dunne says there have been no formal talks about a follow-up to the security agreement on an end to the U.S. presence as well as the training of Iraqi soldiers for taking complete control.

Some in the U.S. military believe the Iraqis are ready to stand up as the U.S. stands down, to paraphrase⁴ a favorite line of former President George W. Bush.

Brigadier General Jeffrey Buchanan , spokesman for U.S. Forces-Iraq, says Iraqi forces have maintained security, in recent months especially.

"From the election day through this period of government formation, more than eight months, providing security, manning their posts, and never wavering, even though their chain of command was up to a caretaker government," said Buchanan.

Charles Dunne thinks that does not tell the whole story, in particular, the role of the Sons of Iraq. Its members belong to the Sunni minority that renounced⁵ the insurgency⁶ to help the U.S.

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"About half of these have been taken into government security positions," he said. "That leaves about another 49,000 out there, not being given permanent jobs, and could be a future source of al-Qaida-in-Iraq recruiting.

 
AP
Leaders of Iraq's main political blocs⁷, are seen during their meeting in Irbil, a city in the Kurdish controlled north, north of Baghdad, Iraq (File Photo - 08 Nov 2010)

 

There is also the issue of the Kurds, ethnically⁸ distinct from the Arab majority. In the north, they have enjoyed relative autonomy through much of the chaos⁹.

But recent talk of self-determination could be a time bomb, especially since land separating Kurdistan from the mainly Arab south is in dispute, as is the oil rich city of Kirkuk.

Daniel Serwer of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies believes this is the biggest threat to Iraqi stability.

"I think we need to worry about making sure that, by the end of 2011, there is a process in motion that will resolve the Arab-Kurdish problems peacefully," he said.

But it is far from certain that the Iraqi government will be able to tackle this issue and others, at least right away.
The political haggling¹⁰ since the elections has left whatever government emerges with a huge backlog¹¹ of issues. While many suggest an inclusive government is ideal, bringing rivals together may pose problems.

"If you have a grab-bag government, with everybody represented, people have to be picked who can work effectively, who can, in effect, act as technocrats," said Dunne. "And I think this is going to be a very tall order."

As the United States steers¹² its mission away from the military and toward the diplomatic, it faces other challenges.

Followers¹³ of Moqtada al Sadr, the Iranian-influenced, anti-U.S. cleric, are likely to be players in a new government. Al Sadr also is not fond of current Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki.

Some analysts¹⁴ say dealing¹⁵ with the Sadrists, however distasteful, is key to the diplomatic transition and a more stable Iraq.

"I think we stand some chance of getting them to be a somewhat more moderate force than they are today. And we need to wean them frankly¹⁶, from Tehran. And that can only be done by talking to them, not holding them at a distance."

Serwer is concerned that, as the military mission winds down, Americans have begun to forget about Iraq.

"Iraq is inherently a very important country," he said. "It is important because of where it is. It is important because of the role it has played in world history. It is important because of the oil it has, and because of the neighbors it has."

But he says forgetting Iraq is a mistake America may not be able to make at the end of 2011.

1 nominal   

adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的

参考例句：

• The king was only the nominal head of the state. 国王只是这个国家名义上的元首。
• The charge of the box lunch was nominal.午餐盒饭收费很少。

2 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 paraphrase   

vt.将…释义，改写；n.释义，意义

参考例句：

• You may read the prose paraphrase of this poem.你可以看一下这首诗的散文释义。
• Paraphrase the following sentences or parts of sentences using your own words.用你自己的话解释下面的句子或句子的一部分。

5 renounced   

v.声明放弃( renounce的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布放弃；宣布与…决裂；宣布摒弃

参考例句：

• We have renounced the use of force to settle our disputes. 我们已再次宣布放弃使用武力来解决争端。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Andrew renounced his claim to the property. 安德鲁放弃了财产的所有权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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

7 blocs   

n.集团，联盟( bloc的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The division of Europe into warring blocs produces ever-increasing centrifugal stress. 把欧洲分为作战集团产生了越来越大的离心效果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The policy of the two blocs was played out. 把世界分为两个集团的政策已经过时了。 来自辞典例句

8 ethnically   

adv.人种上，民族上

参考例句：

• Ethnically, the Yuan Empire comprised most of modern China's ethnic groups. 元朝的民族成分包括现今中国绝大多数民族。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• Russia is ethnically relatively homogeneous. 俄罗斯是个民族成分相对单一的国家。 来自辞典例句

9 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

10 haggling   

v.讨价还价( haggle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I left him in the market haggling over the price of a shirt. 我扔下他自己在市场上就一件衬衫讨价还价。
• Some were haggling loudly with traders as they hawked their wares. 有些人正在大声同兜售货物的商贩讲价钱。 来自辞典例句

11 backlog   

n.积压未办之事

参考例句：

• It will take a month to clear the backlog of work.要花一个月的时间才能清理完积压的工作。
• Investment is needed to reduce the backlog of repairs.需要投资来減轻积压的维修工作。

12 steers   

n.阉公牛，肉用公牛( steer的名词复数 )v.驾驶( steer的第三人称单数 )；操纵；控制；引导

参考例句：

• This car steers easily. 这部车子易于驾驶。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Good fodder fleshed the steers up. 优质饲料使菜牛长肉。 来自辞典例句

13 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

14 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。

15 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

16 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。