Did U.S. troops bring democracy? Iraqis have doubts

Did U.S. troops bring democracy? Iraqis have doubts
题目：美国占领军带来民主？伊拉克人怀疑
BAGHDAD — Sitting in a barber shop in Baghdad's Shi'ite Sadr City slum, three friends agreed after a long and hard argument that U.S. forces brought democracy to Iraq.
位于巴格达什叶派萨德尔城贫民窟的理发店里，三位朋友同意经过漫长和激烈的争吵后，美军给伊拉克带来了民主
But they found it difficult to utter the words without raging about the flip side of what they saw as the U.S. occupation of their country.
但是他们发现很难不带伤痛的用言语来形容他们看到的美军占领伊拉克的另一面
"OK, we have democracy. We can talk freely with no fear. We can demonstrate and vote freely. All these are available, and all were not before 2003," said student Hussain Ali, 20, as he waited for his haircut.
“是的，我们有民主了，我们可以自由的谈话，可以上街和投票，”在等着理发的20岁的学生Hussain Ali说
"But why don't you ask us about the other side of the story of the U.S. presence in Iraq? Why don't you ask about their crimes, atrocities, the pain and anguish that we suffered because of their military presence here?" Ali said, his face turning red with anger.
“但是为什么你不问我们美国人在伊拉克干的另一面呢，为什么你不问伊拉克人因为美国人的军事存在而承受的犯罪、暴行、肉体和心灵上的伤害呢？”Ali涨红着脸愤怒的说

On April 9, 2003, U.S. forces toppled a statue of dictator Saddam Hussein in central Baghdad, marking the end of more than 35 years of iron-fisted rule by Saddam's Baath Party.
2003年4月9日，美军推翻独裁者萨达姆在巴格达市中心的雕像，这标志着超过35年的铁腕萨达姆的阿拉伯复兴社会党统治的结束。
Then-U.S. President George W. Bush said Iraq could become a model of democracy in the Middle East.
当时的美国布什总统说，伊拉克会成为中东民主的典范。
But Iraqis who applauded the event and dreamed of a better future were disappointed as their nation descended into vicious sectarian warfare in which tens of thousands died. Recalling those years, many talk about the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib, and what they call the U.S. misuse of power.
但伊拉克人还没有来得及为这件事和对美好未来的梦想高兴，就发现他们的国家陷入到数以万计人死亡的恶性教派争斗。回顾这些年来，很多人谈论在阿布格莱布监狱的虐囚丑闻之类美国的权力滥用。
Since the invasion, Iraqis have chosen representatives in parliament and provincial councils in a series of elections deemed largely free and fair.
入侵以来，伊拉克在国会和地方议会等一系列选举中选举了代表被认为很大程度上是自由和公正的的。
Newspapers and news agencies have been established. New television channels are on the air. Non-governmental organizations and new political parties have been formed.
报纸和新闻机构相继成立，新的电视节目上的氛围，非政府组织和政党已经形成。
Nearly nine years after the invasion, the U.S. military presence in Iraq is quickly coming to an end. The remaining 24,000 troops are due to leave before December 31.
近9年入侵后，美国在伊拉克的军事存在很快就要结束了。剩下的24000人12月31日之前将离开。
But political parties are at odds, sectarian divisions are rife, Sunni insurgents and Shi'ite militias threaten stability with scores of attacks each month and many people are uncertain that Iraq's brand of democracy is what they need or want.
但是政党、教派的分歧仍很巨大，逊尼派武装和什叶派民兵每个月仍有大量战斗，许多人不确定是否还需要伊拉克的民主牌
"We got rid of Saddam, but the problem now is that we have many," said Ali's friend, Hamza Jabbar, 23, an unemployed security guard sitting in the barber shop.
“我们推翻了萨达姆，但现在问题仍然很多”，Ali的朋友，理发店里23岁的失业保安员Hamza Jabbar说

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi are jobless. The unemployment rate is 15 percent, with another 28 percent in part-time jobs. The government says just under a quarter of the estimated 30 million population lives in poverty.
数十万的伊拉克人失业，失业率为15%，还有28%的人只有兼职的工作，政府说现在估计有3千万人生活贫困
In conversations with dozens of Iraqis in Shi'ite Sadr City, all reluctantly conceded that U.S. forces had brought democracy. The teeming slum supports Moqtada al-Sadr, a fiercely anti-American Shi'ite cleric whose followers fought U.S. forces.
在和几十名什叶派萨德尔城居民交谈中，他们勉强承认美国人带来