这一句如何理解：the weights they afford to competition and co-operation

Suqi

老师，您好。请问这句话怎么分析？Whatever the geometry and complexity of any new arrangements, stability will rest on the weights they afford to competition and co-operation,这里weights，afford，competition and co-operation是怎么样的关系，我没看懂……

谢谢老师~~

For reference: It is possible to imagine all manner of models for a new international system. Some look to the power balancing of the late 19th century; others to the great power concert that emerged from the Congress of Vienna. In Asia, the talk is of “bandwagons” as smaller powers seek security in the slipstream of larger ones; and of “hedging” – alliances written as insurance policies against double-dealing.

One thing seems clear enough. The clean, clinical lines of cold war bipolarity have given way to something a lot messier. Whatever the geometry and complexity of any new arrangements, stability will rest on the weights they afford to competition and co-operation.——The Financial Times

IsaacZ

【试译】“不管新的格局是多么复杂，对竞争与合作赋予何等的重要性决定着(世界关系的)稳定性。”
【解析】the weights they afford to competition and co-operation 整体做 rest on 的宾语，其中 they afford to competition and co-operation 是个省略了引导词的定语从句。引导词做afford的宾语。

Suqi

回复 2# IsaacZ
谢谢老师，那是不是说后半句可以分解为：
1。 stability will rest on the weights
2。 they afford the weights to competition and co-operation
那这里afford的用法是afford sth to sth吗？

IsaacZ

回复 3# Suqi

可以这样拆解。
afford 此处是接双宾用法。参考：

afford作“提供”“给予”解时,属正式文体,指自然产生或法律上的后果,多接双宾语,其后的直接宾语多为抽象名词。其主语可以是人,也可以是物或事物,其间接宾语可转化为介词to的宾语。
http://www.jukuu.com/worddetail/afford

Suqi

回复 4# IsaacZ

其间接宾语可转化为介词to的宾语

老师，这句话不太理解呀~~是不是afford+宾语+宾语，也可以afford+宾语+to+宾语？这是单针对afford而言，还是可接双宾语的词都有这个用法呢？
谢谢老师~~

IsaacZ

回复 5# Suqi

所有双宾结构必须能转化成带介词的结构，只不过介词可能不同。如：

give sb sth = give sth to sb
buy sb sth = buy sth for sb

不能转化成“动词+宾语+介词+宾语”就不是双宾语结构，这是一个基本判断规则。

Suqi

回复 6# IsaacZ
我明白了，是双宾语和复合宾语的区别~~网上有很多这方面的解释~~以前也不知道，凭感觉就用……
谢谢老师~~