VOA标准英语2013 巴基斯坦和美国在无人机袭击之后关系恶化

 

Pakistan-US Relations Deteriorate¹ After Drone Strike 巴基斯坦和美国在无人机袭击之后关系恶化

Some Pakistani opposition² parties are calling for a blockade of supply lines to NATO forces in Afghanistan in retaliation³ for U.S. drone strikes inside Pakistan. But, experts in Washington believe retaliation would further hurt already strained U.S.-Pakistan relations.

The suspected U.S. drone strike that killed Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud came just days after Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's recent meeting at the White House, which seemingly set a positive tone in improving bilateral⁴ relations.  

The strike led a top Pakistani cabinet minister to denounce Washington for sabotaging⁵ Pakistan's domestic peace.  And some Pakistani opposition parties are now calling for blocking NATO supply lines to forces in Afghanistan.  

Former U.S. Ambassador Bill Milam, of Washington’s Wilson Center, says that would not help U.S.-Pakistan relations.

"We would not view it as a friendly act, obviously.  We are determined⁶ to get out of Afghanistan, and through Pakistan is the best way.  We would be very unhappy if these roads are blocked," said Milam.

Outraged⁷ by U.S. strikes, some in Pakistan are demanding the drones be shot down.  Defense analyst⁸ Thomas Lynch says that is something Pakistan's government should not consider.

"I think there a stark⁹ understanding that Washington would view this as an abrogation¹¹ of an alliance and a statement saying, 'No we are not against these terrorists and therefore, we are not standing¹⁰ with you and the international community.'  And there would be consequences from that," said Lynch.

Pakistan's government calls the drone strikes a violation¹² of the country's sovereignty. But a recent report in Washington Post claimed the strikes are conducted with Pakistan’s consent. Pakistan denies that.

The U.S. says the strikes undermine terrorism by targeting militants¹³ that carry out attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Lynch says it is time for Washington to be transparent¹⁴ about the drone policy.

"I think when President Obama talked about his willingness to work with the government of Pakistan, he was referring not to a promise to end the drone strikes when targets like Biatullah Mahsood and Hakimullah Mahsood become available, but instead to try to be more transparent and open about where there is collaboration¹⁵ in these cases," he said.

But analyst Milam says both sides need to work to mend the U.S.-Pakistan relationship.

"I would not be surprised to see a hold-back on the drone program for some time.  And we will try to smooth out the relationship, get over the rough patch, and see if we can avoid the problems that blocking the exit routes would bring to us, and frankly¹⁶ to our relationship," he said.

The experts say that for long-term stability in bilateral relations, Washington and Islamabad need transparent dealings.

1 deteriorate   

v.变坏；恶化；退化

参考例句：

• Do you think relations between China and Japan will continue to deteriorate?你认为中日关系会继续恶化吗？
• He held that this would only cause the situation to deteriorate further.他认为，这只会使局势更加恶化。

2 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

5 sabotaging   

阴谋破坏（某事物）( sabotage的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr Smith fiercely denied any question of sabotaging the talks. 史密斯先生坚决拒绝任何企图阻挠谈话的提问。
• Failed in sabotaging APEC summit in Sydney of Australia. 澳大利亚悉尼APEC会议遭遇惨败。

6 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。

7 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

10 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。

11 abrogation   

n.取消，废除

参考例句：

• China regrets the abrogation of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. 中国对《反弹道导弹条约》失效感到遗憾。
• Measures for the abrogation shall be stipulated by the State Council. 废除的办法由国务院制定。

12 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

13 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

14 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

15 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

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。