VOA标准英语2010年-Obama’s First Year Disappoints Many

U.S. President Barack Obama’s sagging¹ approval ratings aren’t only a domestic phenomenon.  The international community is expressing similar emotions about a president who initially² offered high hopes, but failed to meet their expectations.

While one year does not make a presidency³, some who observe reaction from abroad say there is widespread disappointment that Mr. Obama hasn’t produced more of the results he had led them to expect.

Like many around the world, the international media greeted the Obama presidency with high hopes for a new era of improved relations with Washington.  They were largely enthusiastic about Mr. Obama’s pledges to close the Guantanamo Bay detention⁴ center, to forge a new relationship with the Muslim world, to end an unpopular war in Iraq, to re-direct U.S. military resources to Afghanistan, to seek diplomatic solution to nuclear issues, and to tackle climate change.  But despite some progress, these goals remain to be met.

Middle East Peace Remains⁶ Elusive⁷

Perhaps nowhere is the gap between the administration’s goals and its accomplishments⁸ more apparent than in the Middle East.  Despite naming a special envoy⁹ in an attempt to bring Israelis and Palestinians to the negotiating table, the prospects¹⁰ of that happening any time soon remain slim.  “People in the Arab world are deeply disappointed in Mr. Obama,” says Nadia Bilbassy, senior news correspondent with the Middle East Broadcasting Center.

“People think of President Obama as a good guy with good intentions, but so far – if you look at the issues in the Middle East – he has not succeeded in any of them,” Bilbassy observes.  She says appointing Senator George Mitchell as his envoy to the Middle East may have been a good idea, but she notes the move has yet to bear fruit.

While Bilbassy notices “some people doubt President Obama’s has the guts¹¹ to challenge things,” she acknowledges the issues between the Israelis and the Palestinians have stymied¹² other presidents, and that the obstacles to overcome are enormous.

“When you have an Israeli government that is not willing to make peace, and you have Palestinian factions¹³ that are divided and unable to get their act together, it’s very tough to move forward,” Bilbassy says.

Iran and Iraq

U.S. efforts to deal with the Iranian leadership – whether on its nuclear ambitions or the crackdown on its political opposition¹⁴ – have also come up short, according to Bilbassy.   But again, she admits Iran’s leadership presents problems to most of the international community.

“Obviously, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s tactic¹⁵ for staying in power is being anti-American and standing¹⁶ up to the superpower.  But regardless of who’s in power, I think the Iranian government will pursue a nuclear Iran because they see it as in their strategic interest in a volatile¹⁷ region,” Bilbassy says.

Just as President Obama once again promised in his State of the Union address this week to have all U.S. combat troops out of Iraq by the end of August, Bilbassy says she believes Washington seems to be losing some of its “former clout” there.  She says Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has basically ignored U.S. pressure to open up the March elections to a wide range of Sunni candidates.

South Asia

President Obama’s failure to mention Pakistan and its role in the war on terror has caused some resentment¹⁸ there.  His stature¹⁹ in much of South Asia is declining, according to former Pakistani diplomat⁵ and journalist Akbar Ahmed.  “People had immense hopes and expectations of him, almost too much for an ordinary mortal,” Ahmed says.

Part of the reason for that disappointment may be that the United States and Pakistan have different priorities. “In South Asia, the big issue between India and Pakistan is the resolution of the state of Kashmir,” according to Ahmed.  And although Mr. Obama seemed to recognize that point before he became president, Ahmed says he has not mentioned it publically since that time.

“The two countries have to be encouraged to sit down and resolve these issues because both are nuclear and their combined population is one-fourth to one-fifth of the entire planet,” Ahmed notes.

Early in his presidency, Mr. Obama appointed Richard Holbrooke as special envoy to both Pakistan and Afghanistan.  The move signaled the region had become a new diplomatic priority for the United States.  “I was really excited,” says Ahmed. “I said, my God, finally an American president not only understands but feels for the region and will deliver.”

“But, despite the enormous aid package President Obama promised,” Ahmed continues, “the ordinary people of Afghanistan and Pakistan feel their lives have not been changed one iota²⁰ as a result of his very generous aid.”

Like the roadblocks that hinder peace talks in the Middle East, Ahmed notes that President Obama inherited a set of what he calls “cumulative problems” in the Muslim world.  “We need to remember that Muslim leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan have to begin to think of their own societies and not rely entirely²¹ on America,” Ahmed says.

Europe’s Different View of Obama

Western Europe seems to project President Obama in a better light, where he has better polling numbers than he does in the United States.  “Europeans are particularly disappointed that the American people seem unwilling²² to follow their President on issues such as climate change,” says German journalist Christian²³ Wernicke of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

The Next Three Years

Barack Obama’s job approval ratings fell by near record numbers during his first year in office .  History shows such a downward trend is not uncommon²⁴ for newly-elected presidents.  While he remains personally popular – both at home and abroad – many people are disappointed Mr. Obama has been unable to bring about the changes that were expected of him in his first year.
We are reminded that a U.S. president’s time in office lasts at least four years.  With three years before he must face re-election, President Obama still has time to show what he can do.

Listen to VOA Radio for Judith Latham's INTERNATIONAL PRESS CLUB, heard throughout the day every Thursday on  VOA's "World News Now."

1 sagging   

下垂[沉，陷]，松垂，垂度

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is continuously sagging. 敌军的士气不断低落。
• We are sagging south. 我们的船正离开航线向南漂流。

2 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

3 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

4 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

5 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

8 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

10 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

11 guts   

v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠

参考例句：

• I'll only cook fish if the guts have been removed. 鱼若已收拾干净，我只需烧一下即可。
• Barbara hasn't got the guts to leave her mother. 巴巴拉没有勇气离开她妈妈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 stymied   

n.被侵袭的v.妨碍，阻挠( stymie的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Relief efforts have been stymied in recent weeks by armed gunmen. 最近几周的救援工作一直受到武装分子的阻挠。 来自辞典例句
• I was completely stymied by her refusal to help. 由于她拒不相助， 我完全陷入了困境。 来自互联网

13 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

14 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

15 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

16 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

17 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

18 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

19 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

20 iota   

n.些微，一点儿

参考例句：

• There is not an iota of truth in his story.他的故事没有一点是真的。
• He's never shown an iota of interest in any kind of work.他从来没有对任何工作表现出一点儿兴趣。

21 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

22 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

23 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

24 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。