VOA标准英语2014--批评人士希望关于世界危机,奥巴马可以更深思熟虑

 

Critics Hope for More Deliberate Obama on World Crises 批评人士希望关于世界危机,奥巴马可以更深思熟虑

WASHINGTON--

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 dealing¹ with the threat posed by the Islamic State militant² group, some hope Obama will refocus and take more deliberate action on the world stage.

A sense of urgency seemed to grip the administration after Islamic State militants³ released videos showing the beheadings of two American journalists.

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.

"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 dictated⁴ by clear and direct military objectives in the furtherance of U.S. national security interests," said Republican Senator Ted⁵ Cruz.

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

Long-term considerations 

Ken⁶ Sofer with the Center for American Progress countered that while the president's approach may not be "sexy" to critics who are advocating for immediate⁷ military action, his decision-making is strategic and takes into account the long term.

"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.

Some say President Obama's cautious foreign policy approach, including his reluctance⁸ to engage militarily, has contributed to a sense of American disengagement with the world.

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 Russian tanks have rolled across the border.

"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 with coalitions⁹ 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 Institutionﾡﾯs Michael O'Hanlon.

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.

Despite this, the White House says the president is seeking out willing partners to fight what the secretary of state has said poses an "imminent¹⁰ threat" to the United States.

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 dictated   

v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布

参考例句：

• He dictated a letter to his secretary. 他向秘书口授信稿。
• No person of a strong character likes to be dictated to. 没有一个个性强的人愿受人使唤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

6 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

7 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

8 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

9 coalitions   

结合体，同盟( coalition的名词复数 )； （两党或多党）联合政府

参考例句：

• History testifies to the ineptitude of coalitions in waging war. 历史昭示我们，多数国家联合作战，其进行甚为困难。
• All the coalitions in history have disintegrated sooner or later. 历史上任何联盟迟早都垮台了。

10 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。