VOA常速英语2014--Obama Africa Policy Gaining Momentum 奥巴马的非洲政策蓄势待发

Obama Africa Policy Gaining Momentum 1 奥巴马的非洲政策蓄势待发

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will host a summit of African leaders in Washington this August, a sign that his administration is paying more attention to the continent than in the past.  Many Africans and Africa experts say he has not done enough.

华盛顿 — 美国总统奥巴马今年8月将在华盛顿主持一个非洲领导人峰会，这显示他的政府正在比过去对非洲付出更多关注。许多非洲人和非洲问题专家说，他还做得不够多。

Africans had high hopes for America's new president in 2009. Many expected the son of a Kenyan academic to have a strong policy on Africa. He didn't, disappointing many. 

2009年时，非洲人民对美国新总统有很高的希望。许多人预期一个肯尼亚学者的儿子将会有一个坚强的非洲政策。

But since then, President Obama has worked more closely with Africa, on trade, economic development and democracy. "Development depends upon good governance," he said.

但他没有，许多人感到失望。不过自那以后，奥巴马总统在贸易、经济、发展和民主等议题上上合作的更为紧密。奥巴马总统说：“发展必须依赖良好的治理。”

The administration's programs include Power Africa, aimed at extending electricity to more of the continent, and Feed the Future, geared toward food security and backed by $3 billion from the U.S. government.

奥巴马政府的项目包括“非洲电力”，目的在于扩大对非洲更多地方供电，以及“喂养未来”，目标是粮食安全，这个项目获得美国政府30亿美元的支持。

The programs have been successful, although overdue 2, said Jennifer Cooke, who leads the Africa Program at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies.

华盛顿战略与国际研究中心非洲项目主任珍妮弗·库克说，尽管迟了些，这些项目还是很成功。

"Many other global players, including China, Malaysia, Brazil, India, Europe even, are making big plays in the commercial and trade domain 3, and the U.S. is being kind of slow to catch up to that," she said.

库克说：“全球其他国家，包括中国、马来西亚、巴西、印度，甚至是欧洲，都在商业和贸易的领域上有许多作为，美国却是在慢慢赶上。”

Barack Obama's election in 2008 as the first black U.S. president was a moment of intense pride for African-Americans.

奥巴马2008年当选，成为美国第一位黑人总统，是非裔美国人最骄傲的时刻。

It was also a moment of pride for Africans. But even as Obama visited Senegal last year, some Africans hoped he would do more.

它也是非洲人骄傲的一刻。不过尽管奥巴马去年访问了塞内加尔，一些非洲人希望他能做得更多。

"We're happy about the arrival of President Obama, but what we would like is that he helps us," said Senegalese laundry worker Nging.

塞内加尔一名女性洗衣工人说：  “我们很高兴奥巴马总统来这里访问，不过我们希望他能帮助我们。”

Jennifer Cooke said Obama neglected Africa early in his first term because he was faced with crises in the United States.

库克说，奥巴马在他的第一个四年任期内的初期忽视非洲，是因为他要面对美国国内的危机。

"We have to remember that when President Obama came into office, we were in the midst of a deep economic, a global economic crisis, a deep fiscal 4 crisis here in the United States, tremendous domestic wrangles 5 over health care, Iraq, Afghanistan," she said.

库克说： “我们必须记住，当奥巴马总统上任时，我们正处于一个深度的全球经济危机，一个深度的美国财政危机，还有美国国内对健保、伊拉克和阿富汗等问题的巨大争论。”

Cooke also said Obama's image regarding Africa suffered in comparison with his predecessor 6, George W. Bush, who spent tens of billions of dollars to fight AIDS in Africa.

库克也说，奥巴马在非洲问题上给人的印象要比他的前任小布什总统来的差，小布什为非洲打击艾滋病努力耗费了数百亿美元。

She said, "And people did start to say, 'Look, you know, Bush had major, big initiatives here, was engaged, seemed passionate 7 about it, traveled here on several kind of long trips. Obama made a very short stop in his first term in Ghana.'"

库克说： “人们的确开始提到，‘你知道，小布什在这里有重要的、大的项目，他关心这里，他看来对非洲热衷，长途旅行到这里几次。奥巴马在第一任内只到加纳做了一次很短的停留。”

Presidential historian Allan Lichtman said Obama wanted to be seen as an American president, rather than as an African-American president.

总统历史学家艾伦·里克特曼说，奥巴马想要被视为是一个美国总统，而不是一个非裔美国人总统。

"He very much wanted to be viewed as the president of all the people, and not a president concerned with issues of particular interest to African-Americans.  He may have gone too far in kind of neglecting and ignoring Africa during his first term, but I think that partly explains it," he said.

里克特曼说：“他非常想要被视为是一个全民的总统，而不是一个只关注特定非裔美国人关心的议题的总统。或许他在第一任内对于忽略和忽视非洲做的过度一些，不过我认为这可以部分解释他这么做的理由。”

The president hopes his policies will help erase 8 some of the root causes of growing insecurity in Africa.

奥巴马希望他的政策可以协助消除一些让非洲不安全感逐渐增加的根本原因。

And with Obama planning to host African leaders this August, the perception that he has been neglecting Africa may begin to change.

奥巴马计划在8月份接待非洲领导人的安排，或许会开始改变人们对他一直在忽视非洲的印象。