VOA双语新闻:奥巴马面临美俄关系重大挑战
时间:2019-02-03 作者:英语课 分类:VOA双语新闻 2009年1月
According to three former senior U.S. government officials, one of the central foreign policy questions facing the incoming Obama administration will be how to deal with a resurgent Russia.
即将上任的奥巴马政府面临的一个主要外交政策问题是如何应对重新崛起的俄罗斯。三位前美国政府高级官员讨论了美国和俄罗斯之间的关系。
Most experts agree that relations between Washington and Moscow are not good. Some analysts 1 use words such as "poor," "strained" and "at a low point" to describe the relationship.
大部分专家都同意,美国和俄罗斯之间的关系并不好。一些分析人士用“糟糕”“紧张”和“处于低谷”来形容两国间的关系。
Former National Security Adviser 2 [1974-77; 1989-93; retired 3 Air Force] General Brent Scowcroft says the relationship is tense despite meetings over the years between President George Bush and then Russian President - now prime minister - Vladimir Putin.
曾担任美国国家安全事务顾问的空军退休将军斯考克罗夫特说,虽然布什总统和原来担任俄罗斯总统、现在担任总理的普京在过去几年中举行了多次会晤,但是两国的关系依然紧张。
"Nothing really has ever resulted from it. I think we are in part talking past each other," he said. "I think we have never really sat down and developed a strategy for dealing 4 with Russia following the end of the Cold War. The collapse 5 of the Soviet 6 Union has sort of liberated 7 Russia from its history. Now I think it's struggling, in a way, to figure out who it is, what it is, where it's going. I think they feel that we have taken advantage of them in their period of weakness and confusion."
他说:“两人的这些会晤其实没有产生任何实质性的结果。我认为,从某种意义上说,我们在会谈中忽略了彼此。美国从来没有认真坐下来制定一个处理冷战后同俄罗斯关系的战略。苏联的解体把俄罗斯从自己的历史中解放出来。我认为,目前的俄罗斯在挣扎着确定自己是谁,要走向何方。俄罗斯人觉得美国在俄罗斯虚弱和迷惑的时期占了俄罗斯的便宜。”
Former Secretary of Defense 8 [1973-75] James Schlesinger agrees.
曾在1973年到1975年担任美国国防部长的施莱辛格同意这种观点。
"The United States has tended to, in the years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, ignore Russian sensitivities," he said. "But the Russians have of late demonstrated a degree of brutality 9 that is not conducive 10 to pleasant conversations. Whether that will change is unclear."
他说:“自从苏联解体以来,美国一直忽略了俄罗斯感到敏感的一些问题。不过,俄罗斯最近也展示了一定程度的野蛮,这不利于展开健康的对话。这种情况是否会改变目前还不清楚。”
Schlesinger was referring to the August five-day war between Russia and Georgia - a conflict that cooled relations between the United States and Russia even further. Washington strongly criticized Moscow's massive military incursion into Georgia in response to Tbilisi's abortive 11 attempt to take over the capital of the breakaway region of South Ossetia.
施莱辛格所说的“野蛮”是去年8月俄罗斯同格鲁吉亚之间进行的5天交战。那次冲突进一步使美俄关系降温。在格鲁吉亚夺取分离省份南奥赛梯首府的企图失败后,俄罗斯大举军事入侵格鲁吉亚,遭到美国的强烈批评。
Experts say there are other major disagreements between Washington and Moscow. One of those is the Bush administration's backing of Georgia and Ukraine to become members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Moscow is against that. President-elect Barack Obama has indicated he favors NATO membership - but only when those two countries are ready.
有关专家说,美国和俄罗斯之间还存在其它重大分歧。其中之一是布什政府支持格鲁吉亚和乌克兰加入北约,而俄罗斯对此表示反对。美国当选总统奥巴马表示,他支持格鲁吉亚和乌克兰加入北约,但是只有在这两个国家具备条件后才能加入。
Another point of disagreement is the U.S. plan - also strongly opposed by Moscow - to put an anti-missile defense shield in Eastern Europe - 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar 12 station in the Czech Republic. Mr. Obama's advisers 13 say he supports the missile defense system, but only when the technology is proven to be workable.
另一个分歧是美国计划在东欧部署导弹防御系统,即在波兰设置10个导弹拦截器,在捷克共和国建立一个雷达站。俄罗斯对此表示强烈反对。奥巴马的顾问们说,奥巴马支持建立导弹防御系统,不过前提是要证明这些防御技术能发挥作用。
"From my perspective, and I know everyone will be horrified 14 now, particularly my conservative friends - but I do think we bear some responsibility for the less friendly relationship we now have with them," said Former Secretary of State [1992] Lawrence Eagleburger. "If you are going to bring about alliances along Russia's border and you end up putting anti-ballistic missile launchers and so forth 15, it seems to me what the Russians have to take away from that is that we intend to isolate 16 them. And our eastern European friends and allies, which used to be puppets to the Soviet Union - they are happy to go along with this as well because they see this as protection from the monster that governed them for so long. But the Russians have to, I think, look at that as an attempt at isolation 17."
曾在1992年担任美国国务卿的伊格尔伯格说:“我知道我的想法会让很多人吃惊,特别是一些保守主义者,不过,我的确认为美国要为不太友好的美俄关系负一定责任。如果你要沿俄罗斯边界建立联盟,最后还在那里放一批反弹道导弹发射器,我认为,俄罗斯一定会把这理解为美国要孤立它。而我们在东欧的朋友和盟国曾经是苏联的傀儡,他们愿意支持美国的做法,因为他们觉得这样可以保护他们,使他们逃离统治他们多年的俄罗斯的魔爪。不过俄罗斯一定会觉得这是美国孤立俄罗斯的企图。”
Analysts say despite the bad relations, Washington and Moscow are cooperating in such areas as fighting terrorism, energy security and nuclear arms control and nonproliferation.
分析人士说,虽然美俄关系不佳,但是在反恐、能源安全、核武器控制和核不扩散等领域双方正在进行合作。
Former National Security Adviser General Brent Scowcroft says he is encouraged by President-elect Barack Obama's willingness to discuss issues with friends and foes 18 alike.
前美国国家安全事务顾问斯考克罗夫特说,美国当选总统奥巴马愿意同朋友和敌人都进行谈判的态度让他受到鼓舞。
"That's one of the reassuring 19 aspects of his approach to foreign policy, for me, that you maximize your chances of making progress if you're talking to people," he said. "In the deepest, darkest days of our conflict with the Soviet Union - or our confrontation 20 with the Soviet Union - we talked to them. We had talks on the most sensitive issue of all and that is nuclear arms - and I think it helped a lot."
他说:“我认为,这是奥巴马处理外交政策方法中的一个积极方面,那就是,如果你和别人谈判,你就能有最大的机会取得进展。在我们同苏联的冲突最深、最黑暗的日子里,也就是我们同苏联对峙的时期,我们还是和他们进行了谈判。我们谈判的内容是所有问题中最敏感的,那就是核武器问题。我认为,那些谈判发挥了很大作用。”
Many experts are calling for a summit meeting between President Obama and Russian leader Dmitri Medvedev in the early months of the new U.S. administration. They say such a meeting would provide a solid basis for improving a relationship that needs a positive jolt 21.
许多专家呼吁奥巴马和俄罗斯总统梅德韦杰夫在美国新政府上任后不久就举行首脑会议。他们说,美俄关系需要积极的推动,而这样的首脑会议能为改善两国关系提供坚实的基础。
- City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
- I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。
- They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
- Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。
- The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
- Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
- 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。
- The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
- The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。
- Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
- Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。
- The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进,解放了那座城市。
- The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应,释放出氧气。
- The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
- The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
- The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
- a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军
- This is a more conducive atmosphere for studying.这样的氛围更有利于学习。
- Exercise is conducive to good health.体育锻炼有助于增强体质。
- We had to abandon our abortive attempts.我们的尝试没有成功,不得不放弃。
- Somehow the whole abortive affair got into the FBI files.这件早已夭折的案子不知怎么就进了联邦调查局的档案。
- They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
- Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。
- a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
- She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。
- The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
- We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。
- The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
- He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
- Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
- We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。
- The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
- He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后,生活比较孤寂。
- They steadily pushed their foes before them. 他们不停地追击敌人。
- She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战,挫败过很多对手。
- He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
- With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。
- We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
- After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后,他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。