VOA常速英语2013--民调显示美国人厌倦对叙利亚动武

Poll: Americans Wary 1 of Possible Syria Strike 民调显示美国人厌倦对叙利亚动武

WASHINGTON — With Americans weary over more than a decade of war, and strong memories of the faulty intelligence that led to the invasion of Iraq, skepticism appears to be growing about the proposed military attack on Syria.  Polls show a majority of Americans are firmly opposed to such a move.

华盛顿--因为错误情报导致的超过十年的对伊拉克的入侵,越来越多的美国人反对对叙利亚动武.民意调查显示,大部分美国人坚决反对这样的举措。

It was called “shock and awe,” the application of massive military force designed to overwhelm the Iraqi military in 2003. Necessary, U.S. officials said, because of concern about weapons of mass destruction and a desire to end the conflict quickly.

“震慑行动”这个词被用来形容2003年大量派兵来震慑伊拉克军队，美国官方称这是必要的，因为考虑到大规模杀伤性武器的存在，以及希望尽快结束冲突的愿望。

It took until the final days of 2011, though, before the last American troops left Iraq, where an insurgency 2 continues to rage.

而直到2011年年底，最后一批美军才离开伊拉克，而当地的叛乱仍在继续。

The war in Afghanistan has lasted even longer, and American troops continue to fight the Taliban.

阿富汗战争持续得更久，美国目前仍在打击塔利班。

And now in Syria… with hundreds dead from apparent chemical weapons, America is considering another attack in the Middle East.

现在是叙利亚，数百人显然死于化学武器的攻击，美国正考虑对中东进行另一轮打击。

But surveys show many Americans oppose such a move.

但调查显示很多美国人反对此举。

David Schenker of the Washington Institute said, “We are war weary. We have gone through Iraq, we have gone through Afghanistan, we have spent blood and treasure. Most people in the United States want to focus on rebuilding the economy here and not get entangled 3 in a foreign embroilment 4.”

华盛顿研究所的大卫·先科说，“我们很担心，我们去了伊拉克，去了阿富汗，我们流了血，耗费了财力。大多数美国人希望关注于重建经济，而不是涉入外国的纷争中。”

Recent polls show about 60 percent of Americans oppose a U.S. military strike on Syria, while just nine percent support it.

最近民调显示约有60%的美国人反对美国对叙利亚进行军事打击，只有9%的人表示支持。

Quinnipiac University pollster Peter Brown said, “They are very much set against the notion of U.S. troops there, or any U.S. aid except for weapons that would not endanger any American lives, such as a cruise missile or a drone strike.”

昆尼皮亚克大学民意专家彼得·布朗说，“人们非常反对美军到叙利亚，也反对美国提供武器之外的援助，而这些武器不能危及美国人的生命，比如巡航导弹或无人机袭击。”

There is stiff opposition 5 from close allies like Britain.  

诸如英国等亲密盟友也表示坚决反对。

“There seems to be a certain rush to war, a rush to use military hardware against the Assad regime," said James Boys of London’s King’s College. "There doesn’t appear to be any obvious justification 6 as to why this may be.”

伦敦国王学院的詹姆斯·博伊斯说，“似乎很快就陷入战争，很快就使用武器来对付阿萨德政权，但似乎不存在为这样做进行辩护的合理理由。”

Just before the start of the Iraq war then-Secretary of State Colin Powell made a detailed 7 presentation to the U.N. Security Council. But the intelligence about Iraq’s weapons programs turned out to be wrong.

就在伊拉克战争开始前，时任国务卿科林·鲍威尔向联合国安理会提交了详细的陈词，但有关伊拉克武器的情报结果证明是错误的。

"In the wake of the Iraq war, where weapons of mass destruction, chemical, biological, possibly nuclear weapons, were the rationale for the war, and it turned out that [former Iraqi leader] Saddam Hussein did not have them, I think that there's going to be a lot of skepticism in the United States, but also abroad," said Bryan Bender of the Boston Globe.

“伊拉克战争爆发后，那些原本作为战争理由的大规模杀伤性武器、化学、生物及可能的核武器在萨达姆·侯赛因那里结果根本不存在，我想不仅美国，国外也开始产生诸多怀疑。”

So years of war and skepticism about intelligence are casting a long shadow over decisions by the White House regarding the civil war in Syria.

因此，在叙利亚内战问题上，多年的战争和对情报的怀疑会给白宫的决定投下长期的阴影。