Clinton: US to Push for Women’s Rights in New Mideast Democ

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that the United States will "stand firm" for women's empowerment as new democracies take shape in the Middle East.? Clinton spoke¹ at a State Department event honoring women from 10 countries for advocacy on women's issues, including Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva.
Clinton used the event, part of the U.S. observance of International Women's Day, to serve notice that the Obama administration will make women's empowerment a policy priority in its dealings with emerging democracies in the Middle East.
"The women in Egypt and Tunisia and other nations have just as much right as the men to remake their governments, to make them responsive, accountable, transparent," she said. "The United States will stand firmly for the proposition that women must be included in whatever process goes forward."
Clinton said no government can succeed if it excludes half of its people - its women - from important decisions.
The secretary of state, joined by first lady Michelle Obama, presided at the fifth annual Women of Courage awards ceremony, honoring activists³ around the world for advocating for women's rights and empowerment.
This year, the 10 recipients⁴ include the first female head of state so honored, Kyrgyz Republic President Roza Otunbayeva, who Clinton said steered⁵ her country to democracy last year after the collapse⁶ of an autocratic regime.
"She decided⁷ early on she would help to set up a new government, have a new constitution," she said. "And when the time came, after the elections were finished, she would turn over powers to the new prime minister and that government. In so doing, she has offered an invaluable⁸ lesson to fledging democracies everywhere."
In an acceptance speech on behalf of all of the honorees, President Otunbayeva said the new Kyrgyz democracy - the first in the region - might appear chaotic⁹, but that the apparent disarray¹⁰ is far more preferable to the order enforced by a dictator.
"Yes, when you are a dictatorship, it is very easy to create the artificial picture of stability and harmony," she said. "When you have a democracy, you must learn to accept many voices, some of them very critical, some even insulting. To the outsiders, it looks like you are about to collapse every minute."
Other awardees at the event included Afghan regional prosecutor¹¹ Maria Bashir, journalist Henriette Ekwe Ebongo of Cameroon, Chinese lawyer Jianmei Guo, Hungarian parliamentarian Agnes Osztokyan, Jordanian legal advocate Eva Abu Halaweh, Pakistani rural women's activist² Ghulam Sughra and Mexican Deputy Attorney General Marisela Morales.
Belarusian youth organizer Nasta Palazhanka and Cuban Internet activist Yoani Sanchez were barred by their countries from attending.
But first lady Michelle Obama said the Cuban government has been powerless to prevent the dissemination¹² of Sanchez's online essays, and that this kind of courage is the common thread that connects all of the honorees.
"Each time these women speak up, they inspire others to use their own voices," she said. "Their fearlessness inspires other to overcome their own fears. And so soon, citizen networks emerge, eager for change. Soon it's possible to rewrite laws, to topple regimes, to transform peoples' lives."
Obama said some of the woman activists might not see the fruits of their labors¹³ during their lifetimes, but that they carry on with the knowledge that they are paving the way for a better life for their daughters and their sons.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 steered   

v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导

参考例句：

• He steered the boat into the harbour. 他把船开进港。
• The freighter steered out of Santiago Bay that evening. 那天晚上货轮驶出了圣地亚哥湾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

7 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。

8 invaluable   

adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的

参考例句：

• A computer would have been invaluable for this job.一台计算机对这个工作的作用会是无法估计的。
• This information was invaluable to him.这个消息对他来说是非常宝贵的。

9 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

10 disarray   

n.混乱，紊乱，凌乱

参考例句：

• His personal life fell into disarray when his wife left him.妻子离去后，他的个人生活一片混乱。
• Our plans were thrown into disarray by the rail strike.铁路罢工打乱了我们的计划。

11 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

12 dissemination   

传播,宣传,传染(病毒)

参考例句：

• The dissemination of error does people great harm. 谬种流传，误人不浅。
• He was fully bent upon the dissemination of Chinese culture all over the world. 他一心致力于向全世界传播中国文化。

13 labors   

v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转

参考例句：

• He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors. 他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜，令人生厌。 来自辞典例句
• Farm labors used to hire themselves out for the summer. 农业劳动者夏季常去当雇工。 来自辞典例句