VOA常速英语2015--2015年的美国外交政策看点（在线收听）

US Foreign Policy: What to Watch in 2015 2015年的美国外交政策看点

WASHINGTON—

2015 is here, and with a new year comes new challenges - and some old ones. Last year left the United States with a lot of unfinished business around the world. President Barack Obama's top foreign policy challenges as he enters his final two years in the White House will be varied and require careful coordination between many stakeholders.

In December, President Obama marked the end of America's longest war.

去年12月，奥巴马总统宣布美国历时最久的战争结束。

But Pentagon officials say the dawn of 2015 does not mean the end of U.S. assistance.

但五角大楼官员称2015年的开始并不意味着美国援助的结束。

"It’s not like on December 31 we’re just going to walk away. We aren’t. We are going to remain," said Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby.

“并不是说在12月31日我们就要撤离，我们不会的，我们会留下的。”

Air support, training and counterterrorism are all on the agenda for the more than 10,000 U.S. troops staying in Afghanistan this year.

对于今年留在阿富汗的一万名美军来说，空军支持、培训和反恐仍是其议程的内容。

It's help Afghan forces need, as the year saw a rise in Taliban attacks.

由于去年塔利班袭击增多，美军需要帮助阿富汗军队。

The U.S. will also fight terrorism in the form of Islamic State militants. The group surged into the public consciousness in 2014, with its rapid takeover of large parts of Iraq and Syria and its brutal beheadings of Westerners.

美国还将打击IS武装分子这样的恐怖主义，该组织2014年冲进人们的意识中，很快占领了伊拉克和叙利亚大片地区，残忍砍掉西方人士的头颅。

Airstrikes against the group appear to be working, with analysts predicting continued gains.

针对该组织的空袭似乎有效，分析家预测还会有更多进展。

 “I think Iraq, between the Kurdish army and the national army based in Baghdad, with strong U.S. support, will make progress in 2015,” said Paul Salem, of the Middle East Institute.

“我想伊拉克的库尔德部队和总部在巴格达的国家军队，在美国的大力支持下，将在2015年取得进展。”

Also in need of progress are the efforts of the U.S. and five other world powers to reach a nuclear deal with Iran. Negotiators are now aiming for July, after a November deadline passed without agreement.

同时，美国和另外5个大国在努力与伊朗达成核协议，这方面也需要取得进展。11月的最后期限未能达成任何协议，因此协商者目前着眼于7月份。

“These talks are not going to suddenly get easier just because we extend them. They're tough. And they have been tough. And they are going to stay tough,” said Secretary of State John Kerry.

“这些谈判不会因为我们往后推迟而突然变得容易，还是很艰难的，一直都很艰难，未来还会很艰难的。”

And the new Republican-controlled U.S. Congress could complicate things even more, say analysts.

分析家称，共和党控制的美国新国会可能会使情况变得更加糟糕。

“Members of Congress are anxious to impose additional sanctions. That could have a disruptive effect,” said the Brookings Institution’s Robert Einhorn.

“国会议员迫切想施加更多制裁，这可能会导致破坏性的效果。”

Russia is the source of even more sanctions tensions. Those the U.S. has imposed for Russian support of Ukrainian separatists have helped send Russia's currency and economy into a nosedive. But the Ukraine conflict is a dispute U.S. officials are determined to overcome.

俄罗斯可能是更多制裁紧张的源头，因为俄罗斯支持乌克兰分裂分子，美国对其施加了制裁，这些制裁措施已经导致俄罗斯货币和经济暴跌。但乌克兰冲突是美国官员决意要解决的争端。

“No one is giving up on the U.S. - Russia relationship. We have to get it to a better place,” said Eric Rubin, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs.

“没有人会在美俄关系上放弃什么，我们必须将之处理好。”

The U.S. says Russia could get sanctions relief by withdrawing all troops from Ukrainian territory, among other conditions.

美国称俄罗斯如果从乌克兰领土撤出所有部队，并接受其他条件，那么就会减轻对其的制裁。

And not to be forgotten is North Korea. U.S. investigators traced the November cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment to the isolated nation. In response, President Obama made new sanctions against North Korea his first foreign policy move of the New Year. 

另外不要忘了朝鲜，美国调查者将11月索尼影业娱乐公司的网络袭击归咎于这个封闭的国家。作为应对措施，奥巴马总统将对朝鲜施加新制裁作为其新年第一个外交政策举动。