考研英语中你必须知道的美国政治常识.doc

考研英语中你必须知道的美国政治常识1.美国政治的基础是宪法（Constitution），所有的政治运行都是建立在宪法基础之上的。宪法共有27个修正案（Amendment），补充规定了言论自由，选举人性别等重要事务。2.美国政治的特征是checkandbalance（制衡），政府，国会，法院所代表三权中没有哪一方是居于dominate绝对支配地位的。3.联邦政府只从各州政府的权力中拿走了若干明确列举的权力，州政府则保留着中央政府拿走权力之外的所有权力，所以州政府会和联邦政府发生争端。4.最高法院有九名法官（justices），一名首席大法官，八名大法官。由总统提名，民主党常提名自由派（liberal），现在有四个自由派。共和党常提名保守派（conservative）；现在有四个保守派。还有一个摇摆派大法官是终生制，所以大法官不一定是现任总统的人，除非现任总统赶上有人离职了，他能安排自己的人进去。九个人在捍卫宪法尊严方面是不分派别的。5.国会分为参议院（senate）和众议院（House）人数分别为100名和435名；副总统是参议院院长，在50:50的时候会参与最后表决；副总统由总统任命；议员基本不是民主党员就是共和党员。6.国会拥有立法权，但国会所通过的议案必须经过总统的批准方能生效。美国总统可以行使否决权。同时总统可以向国会提出各种咨文，包括国情咨文、预算咨文、经济咨文、特别咨文等，建议他认为必须的立法。7.政府财政预算需要得到国会参议院和众议院批准方能生效。然而，目前由民主党把持的参议院和由共和党控制的众议院却针尖对麦芒，导致预算案迟迟不得通过。Hilary Benns Speech in Favour of Syria Airstrikes英国议会辩论后的演讲！FabulousThankyouverymuchMrSpeaker.BeforeIrespondtothedebate,IwouldliketosaythisdirectlytothePrimeMinister:AlthoughmyrighthonourablefriendtheLeaderoftheOppositionandIwillwalkintodifferentdivisionlobbiestonight,IamproudtospeakfromthesameDespatchBoxashim.Myrighthonourablefriendisnotaterroristsympathiser,heisanhonest,aprincipled,adecentandagoodmanandIthinkthePrimeMinistermustnowregretwhathesaidyesterdayandhisfailuretodowhatheshouldhavedonetoday,whichissimplytosayIamsorry.NowMrSpeaker,wehavehadanintenseandimpassioneddebateandrightlyso,giventheclearandpresentthreatfromDaesh,thegravityofthedecisionthatrestsupontheshouldersandtheconscienceofeverysingleoneofusandthelivesweholdinourhandstonight.Andwhateverwedecisionwereach,Ihopewewilltreatoneanotherwithrespect.Nowwehaveheardanumberofoutstandingspeechesandsadlytimewillpreventmefromacknowledgingthemall.ButIwouldjustliketosingleoutthecontributionsbothforandagainstthemotionfrommyhonourableandrighthonourablefriendsthemembersforDerbySouth,KingstonuponHullWestandHessle,Normanton,PontefractandCastleford,BarnsleyCentral,Wakefield,WolverhamptonSouthEast,BrentNorth,Liverpool,WestDerby,WirralWest,Stoke-on-TrentNorth,BirminghamLadywoodandthehonourablemembersforReigate,SouthWestWiltshire,TonbridgeandMalling,ChichesterandWells.Thequestionwhichconfrontsusinavery,verycomplexconflictisatitsheartverysimple.Whatshouldwedowithotherstoconfrontthisthreattoourcitizens,ournation,othernationsandthepeoplewhosufferundertheyoke,thecruelyoke,ofDaesh?ThecarnageinParisbroughthometoustheclearandpresentdangerwefacefromthem.ItcouldhavejustaseasilybeenLondon,orGlasgow,orLeedsorBirminghamanditcouldstillbe.AndIbelievethatwehaveamoralandapracticaldutytoextendtheactionwearealreadytakinginIraqtoSyria.AndIamalsoclear,andIsaythistomycolleagues,thattheconditionssetoutintheemergencyresolutionpassedattheLabourpartyconferenceinSeptemberhavebeenmet.WenowhaveaclearandunambiguousUNSecurityCouncilResolution2249,paragraph5ofwhichspecificallycallsonmemberstatestotakeallnecessarymeasurestoredoubleandco-ordinatetheireffortstopreventandsuppressterroristactscommittedspecificallybyIsil,andtoeradicatethesafehaventheyhaveestablishedoversignificantpartsofIraqandSyria.SotheUnitedNationsisaskingustodosomething.Itisaskingustodosomethingnow.ItisaskingustoactinSyriaaswellasinIraq.AnditwasaLabourgovernmentthathelpedtofoundtheUnitedNationsattheendoftheSecondWorldWar.Andwhydidwedoso?Becausewewantedthenationsoftheworld,workingtogether,todealwiththreatstointernationalpeaceandsecurityandDaeshisunquestionablythat.SogiventhattheUnitedNationshaspassedthisresolution,giventhatsuchactionwouldbelawfulunderArticle51oftheUNCharterbecauseeverystatehastherighttodefenditselfwhywouldwenotupholdthesettledwilloftheUnitedNations,particularlywhenthereissuchsupportfromwithintheregionincludingfromIraq.Wearepartofacoalitionofover60countries,standingtogethershoulder-to-shouldertoopposetheirideologyandtheirbrutality.NowMrSpeaker,allofusunderstandtheimportanceofbringinganendtotheSyriancivilwarandthereisnowsomeprogressonapeaceplanbecauseoftheViennatalks.Theyarethebesthopewehaveofachievingacease-fire.ThatwouldbringanendtoAssadsbombing,leadingtoatransitionalgovernmentandelections.Andwhyisthatvital?BothbecauseitwillhelpinthedefeatofDaesh,andbecauseitwouldenablemillionsofSyrians,whohavebeenforcedtoflee,todowhateveryrefugeedreamsof:theyjustwanttobeabletogohome.NowMrSpeaker,no-oneinthisdebatedoubtsthedeadlyseriousthreatwefacefromDaeshandwhattheydo,althoughsometimeswefindithardtolivewiththereality.WeknowthatinJunefourgaymenwerethrownoffthefifthstoreyofabuildingintheSyriancityofDeirez-Zor.WeknowthatinAugustthe82-year-oldguardianoftheantiquitiesofPalmyra,ProfessorKhaledal-Assad,wasbeheaded,andhisheadlessbodywashungfromatrafficlight.AndweknowthatinrecentweekstherehasbeenthediscoveryofmassgravesinSinjar,onesaidtocontainthebodiesofolderYazidiwomenmurderedbyDaeshbecausetheywerejudgedtoooldtobesoldforsex.Weknowtheyhavekilled30BritishtouristsinTunisia,224Russianholidaymakersonaplane,178peopleinsuicidebombingsinBeirut,AnkaraandSuruc.130peopleinParisincludingthoseyoungpeopleintheBataclanwhomDaeshintryingtojustifytheirbloodyslaughtercalledapostatesengagedinprostitutionandvice.Ifithadhappenedhere,theycouldhavebeenourchildren.Andweknowthattheyareplottingmoreattacks.Sothequestionforeachofusandforournationalsecurityisthis:giventhatweknowwhattheyaredoing,canwereallystandasideandrefusetoactfullyinourself-defenceagainstthosewhoareplanningtheseattacks?Canwereallyleavetootherstheresponsibilityfordefendingournationalsecuritywhenitisourresponsibility?Andifwedonotact,whatmessagewouldthatsendaboutoursolidaritywiththosecountriesthathavesufferedsomuchincludingIraqandourally,France.Now,FrancewantsustostandwiththemandPresidentHollandetheleaderofoursistersocialistpartyhasaskedforourassistanceandhelp.AndasweareundertakingairstrikesinIraqwhereDaeshsholdhasbeenreducedandwearealreadydoingeverythingbutengageinairstrikesinSyriashouldwenotplayourfullpart?Ithasbeenarguedinthedebatethatairstrikesachievenothing.Notso.LookathowDaeshsforwardmarchhasbeenhaltedinIraq.TheHousewillrememberthat,14monthsago,peopleweresaying:theyarealmostatthegatesofBaghdad.AndthatiswhywevotedtorespondtotheIraqigovernmentsrequestforhelptodefeatthem.Lookathowtheirmilitarycapacityandtheirfreedomofmovementhasbeenputunderpressure.AsktheKurdsaboutSinjarandKobani.Nowofcourse,airstrikesalonewillnotdefeatDaeshbuttheymakeadifference.Becausetheyaregivingthemahardtimeanditismakingitmoredifficultforthemtoexpandtheirterritory.Now,Isharetheconcernsthathavebeenexpressedthiseveningaboutpotentialciviliancasualties.However,unlikeDaesh,noneofustodayactwiththeintenttoharmcivilians.Rather,weacttoprotectciviliansfromDaeshwhotargetinnocentpeople.NowonthesubjectofgroundtroopstodefeatDaesh,theresbeenmuchdebateaboutthefigureof70,000andthegovernmentmust,Ithink,betterexplainthat.ButweknowthatmostofthemarecurrentlyengagedinfightingPresidentAssad.ButIlltellyouwhatelseweknow,iswhateverthenumber70,000,40,000,80,000thecurrentsizeoftheoppositionforcesmeanthelongerweleavetakingaction,thelongerDaeshwillhavetodecreasethatnumber.Andsotosuggest,MrSpeaker,thatairstrikesshouldnottakeplaceuntiltheSyriancivilwarhascometoanendis,Ithink,tomisstheurgencyoftheterroristthreatthatDaeshposestousandothers,andIthinkmisunderstandsthenatureandobjectivesoftheextensiontoairstrikesthatisbeingproposed.Andofcourseweshouldtakeaction.ItisnotacontradictionbetweenthetwotocutoffDaeshssupportintheformofmoneyandfightersandweapons,andofcourseweshouldgivehumanitarianaid,andofcourseweshouldoffersheltertomorerefugeesincludinginthiscountryandyesweshouldcommittoplayourfullpartinhelpingtorebuildSyriawhenthewarisover.NowIacceptthattherearelegitimatearguments,andwehaveheardtheminthedebate,fornottakingthisformofactionnow.Anditisalsoclearthatmanymembershavewrestled,andwhoknows,inthetimethatisleft,maystillbewrestling,withwhattherightthingtodois.ButIsaythethreatisnow,andtherearerarely,ifever,perfectcircumstancesinwhichtodeploymilitaryforces.NowweheardverypowerfultestimonyfromthehonorablememberforEddisburyearlierwhenshequotedthatpassage,andIjustwanttoreadwhatKarwanJamalTahir,theKurdistanregionalgovernmenthighrepresentativeinLondon,saidlastweekandIquote:LastJune,DaeshcapturedonethirdofIraqovernightandafewmonthslaterattackedtheKurdistanregion.SwiftairstrikesbyBritain,AmericaandFrance,andtheactionsofourownPeshmerga,savedus.Wenowhaveaborderof650mileswithDaesh.Wevepushedthemback,andrecentlycapturedSinjar.Again,Westernairstrikeswerevital.ButtheoldborderbetweenIraqandSyriadoesnotexist.Daeshfighterscomeandgoacrossthisfictionalboundary.AndthatistheargumentMrSpeaker,fortreatingthetwocountriesasone,ifweareseriousaboutdefeatingDaesh.NowMrSpeaker,IhopethehousewillbearwithmeifIdirectmyclosingremarkstomyLabourfriendsandcolleaguesonthissideoftheHo