thwart 復習
この記事では、FBIという組織のテロに対するあり方が述べられています。
Why Didn’t the F.B.I. Stop the New York Bombing?
WASHINGTON — The F.B.I. is the government agency in charge of investigating terrorism. But the bureau has been criticized for failing to thwart a series of terrorist attacks in recent years in Boston; Orlando, Fla.; Garland, Tex.; and now New York. In each of those cases, the person suspected of carrying out the attack had been investigated previously by the F.B.I. The latest case involved Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, who was charged with setting off bombs in New York and New Jersey.
Why wasn’t the F.B.I. able to prevent the attacks by arresting those now believed to be responsible?
None of the people in those cases had broken the law or given a clear indication that they intended to kill. The F.B.I. is not allowed to conduct open-ended investigations without justification. Traveling to Pakistan or Afghanistan, or expressing admiration for Osama bin Laden or the Islamic State, could put someone on the F.B.I.’s radar, but none are illegal. The F.B.I. cannot jail someone without evidence of a crime and must follow extensive guidelines that are intended to protect privacy and civil liberties.
James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director, is fond of reminding the public of the F.B.I.’s checkered past and what happens when the rule of law is not followed. He keeps a copy on his desk of then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy’s approval to wiretap the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., a move that later brought shame to the bureau.
以下省略
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/22/us/fbi-terror-ahmad-khan-rahami.html?_r=0
今回取り上げる表現は、“thwart”です。『ウィズダム英和辞典』(第３版、三省堂)を引いたところ、「〈計画など〉を阻止する、くじく；〈人〉の «…を» 妨げる «in»」とありました。
LDOCEでは、“to prevent someone from doing what they are trying to do”と定義されていました。
“prevent”や“hinder”などをはじめ類義語として思い浮かべましたが、「goo辞書」で調べたところ、“thwart”は人の努力を妨害して断念させるという意味を含むようです。(Blue Sky)
今回の表現は以前にも取り上げられております。ご覧ください。
