PBS高端访谈:奥巴马的非洲访问是不是来得太晚了?

 　　JUDY WOODRUFF:Joining me now to discuss the visit and President Obama's record on Africa is career diplomat¹ and former Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs under President Obama Johnnie Carson. He's now a senior adviser² at the U.S. Institute of Peace. And William Gumede, he's an author and professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

　　And we welcome you both.

　　WILLIAM GUMEDE, University of the Witwatersrand: Thank you.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Professor — welcome.

　　Professor Gumede, let me begin with you. How do you think this trip has gone, and how much difference do you think it's going to make?

　　WILLIAM GUMEDE: Unfortunately, almost — this trip is almost coming too late, at the tail end of the Obama presidency³.

　　And you must understand what has been happening the last couple of years in Africa. We had — China has become a really big factor in Africa's growth and influence in Africa. So, Obama coming to Africa, he has made the right democratic noises, but he's almost a little bit too late.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Ambassador Carson, what about that? Is the president coming too late?

　　JOHNNIE CARSON, Former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs: Absolutely not.

　　I think that, in fact, it's turning out to be a very substantive⁴ and positive trip, with President Obama focusing on expanding trade and commercial opportunities with Africa, with these two countries and the United States, and strengthening the security partnership⁵ that the United States has had with both Kenya and Ethiopia.

　　The president is also getting a chance to talk about some of the new initiatives that he has been responsible for, Power Africa, to substantially increase the amount of electrical power reaching African cities and communities, Feed the Future, which is designed to promote a green revolution across Africa, to help end starvation and famine at the village level and to expand agro-industries at the upper level, and particularly a focus on youth, the next generation.

　　So this is an important trip, and it's his fourth trip to the continent and may not in fact be his last.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, Professor Gumede, these are some specifics you heard Ambassador Carson listing here that have to do with the economy, that have to do with working with young people.

　　WILLIAM GUMEDE: Just to repeat what has been happening over the last couple of years, we have seen the longest growth spurt⁶ in Africa, you know, I mean, since independence and since the Second World War.

　　And if you look at how the dynamics⁷ of this growth, the dynamics of this growth has been driven really, you know, by newly emerging markets buying Africa's products, getting engaged in Africa, whether it's China, Brazil, or India. That is the nature of — there's been a big game-changing couple of moments the last couple of years in Africa.

　　And the U.S., you know, has almost lagged behind and is really going to have to work much harder, you know, to catch up with what has happened on the continent. If you just think about it, at the moment, civil society on the continent, where the new African leadership should be coming from, you know, have struggled the last couple of years, because, you know, the foreign funding that they used to get in the past has declined after the global financial crisis.

　　And many of the civil societies, the democracies in Africa have struggled and had hoped that the U.S. would have played a much bigger, much stronger role in providing them with capacity, yes.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, let me ask — put that question to Ambassador Carson.

　　Why — to listen with to what the professor is saying, it sounds as if the U.S. has dropped the ball, China has been active there, other countries, that there has been an opportunity to engage, and the U.S. hasn't taken advantage of it.

　　JOHNNIE CARSON: The United States has been deeply engaged in Africa, not only as a development assistance partner, but increasingly as a trading partner as well.

　　The United States remains⁸ one of the largest single bilateral⁹ contributors to development assistance in Africa. And the United States remains one of Africa's largest trading partners. I think that President Obama, over the last several years, has gone out of his way to encourage American businessmen and investors¹⁰ to increasingly look at Africa as the last global economic frontier.

　　You may recall, Judy, that, in 2014, President Obama held the first U.S.-Africa Summit.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Right.

　　JOHNNIE CARSON: And the first day of that summit was devoted¹¹ all to economic, commercial and investment interests.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Professor Gumede, it almost sounds like you're talking about two different situations, with your description that the U.S. has been absent, and Ambassador Carson saying the U.S. has been very engaged. How do you account for that?

　　WILLIAM GUMEDE: Well, the U.S. has been engaged with Africa, but, you know, it's been engaged almost in the wrong way. It's been engaged sort of in the old way — let's call it your old pre-financial crisis ways, whereas Africa has moved and, you know, and the world, unfortunately, has moved, and for developing countries have moved, and Africa has also moved.

　　So, for me, the U.S. is really catching¹² up and needs to do quite a lot to catch up. But just in terms of looking into the future, I think, you know, if Obama, if this trip, if out of this trip could be a focus on African civil society, because that's where the future leadership are coming — will be coming from. That's where the future democrats¹³ are going to come from, if they can be supported and given the capacity, which has not happened the last couple of years.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, we hear you.

　　And, Ambassador Carson, I do want to give you a chance just quickly to comment on the president's remarks in his public speeches in Africa about human rights, about sexual orientation¹⁴, the lack of respect for that. Are these the kinds of statements that are going to have resonance¹⁵ on the continent?

　　JOHNNIE CARSON: Absolutely, because I think that democracy, strengthening democratic institutions and promoting good governance are at the basis of having a well — good, well-organized society.

　　I think that a society that protects the rights of individuals also protects the intellectual property of those individuals. A society that protects civil liberties also protects corporate¹⁶ liberties. And I think a society that is open and inclusive is a society that generates both good ideas and greater productivity from both men and women.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Ambassador Johnnie Carson, Professor William Gumede, we thank you both.

1 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。

2 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• 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。

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 substantive   

adj.表示实在的；本质的、实质性的；独立的；n.实词，实名词；独立存在的实体

参考例句：

• They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
• A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议，但也需要感情上的支持。

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 spurt   

v.喷出；突然进发；突然兴隆

参考例句：

• He put in a spurt at the beginning of the eighth lap.他进入第八圈时便开始冲刺。
• After a silence, Molly let her anger spurt out.沉默了一会儿，莫莉的怒气便迸发了出来。

7 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

8 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。

9 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

10 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

11 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

12 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

13 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

15 resonance   

n.洪亮；共鸣；共振

参考例句：

• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。
• The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。

16 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。