VOA双语新闻:9、国际危机失控 舆论促奥巴马总统果断应对(在线收听

国际危机失控 舆论促奥巴马总统果断应对

From too cautious to too slow, there has been no shortage of criticism for President Barack Obama's foreign policy decision-making, as world crises from Iraq to Ukraine seemingly ratchet out of control. As the president prepares to lay out his strategy for dealing with the threat posed by the Islamic Statemilitant group, some hope Obama will refocus and take more deliberate action on the world stage.

随着伊拉克和乌克兰等国际危机逐渐失控,奧巴马总统的外交决策一直受到批评,从过于谨慎到过于迟缓。奥巴马准备推出战略,应对来自伊斯兰国威胁。美国之音记者阿鲁·潘德报道,一些人希望奥巴马重新调整重点,在世界的舞台上采取更深思熟虑的行动。

A sense of urgency seemed to grip the administration after Islamic State militantsreleased videos showing the beheadings of two American journalists.

伊斯兰国武装分子公布斩首两名美国记者的视频之后,奥巴马政府看来有了紧迫感。

The Islamic State group already had overrun portions of Iraq, leaving Republican lawmakers and other critics to question the president's foreign policy approach on world crises.

伊斯兰国组织已经夺取了伊拉克的部分地区。美国国会共和党议员和其他批评人士质疑奥巴马处理世界危机的外交政策。

"We cannot engage in photo-op foreign policy, or press release foreign policy of dropping a bomb here or shooting a missile there and not having a strategy that is dictated by clear and direct military objectives in the furtherance of U.S. national security interests," said Republican Senator Ted Cruz.

国会共和党籍的联邦参议员克鲁斯(TED CRUZ)说:“我们不能只是采取握手照相和新闻公报的外交政策,在这里扔颗炸弹,那里发射一枚导弹。这样做没有促进美国国家安全利益的明确和直接的军事目标战略。”

Even members of his own party have accused Obama of being too cautious and displaying a lack of urgency in Iraq.

即使奥巴马总统所属的民主党人也批评奥巴马过于审慎,对伊拉克的局势缺乏紧迫感。

Long-term considerations

Ken Sofer with the Center for American Progress countered that while the president's approach may not be "sexy" to critics who are advocating for immediate military action, his decision-making is strategic and takes into account the long term.

美国进步中心的肯·索菲尔说,奥巴马的方法可能对那些主张立刻采取军事行动的批评人士没有吸引力;但是,他的决策是战略性的,并且考虑到了长远利益。

"One of President Obama's biggest strengths is that he is very deliberative. He does not overreact in situations and he largely looks at these different foreign policy crises and assesses what are the threats to U.S. interests and U.S. opportunities and U.S. citizens," said Sofer.

菲尔说:“奥巴马总统最大的优点之一是他非常周密。在许多情况下,他不会反应过度,而主要是审视各种不同外交政策危机,并且评估哪些是对美国利益、美国机会以及美国公民的威胁。”

Some say President Obama's cautious foreign policy approach, including his reluctance to engage militarily, has contributed to a sense of American disengagement with the world.

也有人说,奥巴马总统的谨慎外交方式,包括他不肯采取直接军事行动,造成了美国与世界脱节的感觉。

This perception comes at a time when other nations are looking to the United States for leadership in dealing with these crises, not just in Iraq, but in Ukraine, where Russiantanks have rolled across the border.

这种看法的产生,是因为其它国家都在期望美国能够在处理这些危机中发挥领导作用,不仅是在伊拉克,还包括乌克兰。在乌克兰,俄罗斯的坦克已经开过了边界。

"I think the president was trying for a couple of years to see if there were substitutes and I hope that he has now realized that even as the United States needs to work withcoalition target=_blank class=infotextkey>coalitions and partners, there is nobody else in this international system of the 21st century so far that can play a leadership role," said the Brookings Institution’s Michael O'Hanlon.

布鲁金斯学会的奥汉隆说:“我认为奥巴马总统在近两年里一直在试图寻找能够替代美国的国家。我希望他现在已经意识到,虽然美国需要与联盟和伙伴合作,但是在21世纪的国际体系中,还没有能够发挥领导作用的其它国家。”

O'Hanlon said there is still time for Obama to shift his foreign policy focus toward more decisive action and rely less on other nations to take a greater leadership role.

奥汉隆说,奥巴马总统现在还有时间改变他的外交政策,采取更果断的行动,减少对其它国家发挥更大领导作用的依赖。

Despite this, the White House says the president is seeking out willing partners to fight what the secretary of state has said poses an "imminent threat" to the United States.

不过,白宫表示,总统仍然在寻求愿意参与的伙伴国家一起打击克里国务卿所说的对美国“迫在眉睫的威胁”。

  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/voabn/2014/09/276203.html