Australians are keeping a close eye on the U.S. presidential election, and there are indications that the race will help improve opinions of the United States. The outcome of the race could have important effects on the ties between the two countries.
澳大利亚正在密切关注美国的总统大选，有迹象显示这次竞选有助于改善人们对美国的看法。美国大选的结果可能会对两国关系产生重要的影响。
For months, the exhausting race to the White House has dominated the Australian media.
美国大选几个月来一直是澳大利亚媒体关注的重点。
The collective might of America's economy, its military and culture dictates much of what happens around the world. Geoffrey Garrett, the head of the U.S. Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, thinks this presidential election matters more than most others in recent memory.
美国经济、军事和文化的强大威力左右着世界大部分地区发生的事情。悉尼大学美国研究中心的杰夫里·加雷特认为，今年的美国大选比人们记忆中过去历届美国大选更重要。
"I think the stakes are higher here not only in the U.S. but globally simply because the American reaction to September 11 [2001] has made the 2000s a pretty antagonistic decade and I think the world is watching now to see if the U.S. can come back into the global mainstream more," said Garrett.
他说：“我认为这次选举不仅对美国，而且对全球局势都具有更重要的意义，因为美国对9-11的回应使得21世纪最初10年成为一个比较对抗性的年代，我认为全世界都在关注美国是否能够更多地回到全球的主流中来。”
A recent worldwide survey about the U.S. election showed that 76 percent of Australians want Democratic candidate Barack Obama to win, and 10 percent prefer his Republican rival John McCain.
最近一个关于美国大选的世界范围的调查显示，76%的澳大利亚人希望民主党侯候选人奥巴马胜出，只有10%的民众喜欢他的对手、共和党候选人麦凯恩。
In the poll, by Readers' Digest, 17 percent of Australians surveyed said they were in favor of the U.S. government, against 67 percent who were neutral about it and 15 percent who opposed it.
在这项由[读者文摘]主办的调查中，17%的澳大利亚受访者表示喜欢美国政府，67%的人持中立态度，15%的人反对美国政府。
However, 58 percent said their opinion of the U.S. would improve if Obama is elected, against 15 percent for McCain.
不过，受访者中58%的人说，如果奥巴马当选，他们对美国的看法有可能变好，而15%的人则表示，如果麦凯恩获胜，他们会更喜欢美国。
The two countries have been close allies since the early 1950s. It is an enduring alliance that saw Australian troops serve in the Vietnam War, as well as more recently in Iraq and Afghanistan.
澳大利亚和美国自1950年代以来就是紧密的盟友，澳大利亚派兵参加了越南战争，最近还出兵参加了伊拉克和阿富汗战争。
Canberra needs the relationship - and the guarantees of military assistance that go with it - far more than Washington does. Australia's commitment to conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan is what experts describe as "alliance maintenance" - a diplomatic necessity to ensure that the security umbrella the U.S. provides remains intact.
堪培拉需要这种关系，以及随之而来的军援保证，远远超过华盛顿对这种关系的需要。澳大利亚对伊拉克和阿富汗冲突的承诺被专家称作是为了“维持盟友关系”，是必要的外交行动，以确保美国提供的安全保护伞可以保持不变。
Garrett says Australia could see the next U.S. administration asking for additional help in Afghanistan.
加雷特说，澳大利亚可能会看到下一届美国政府在阿富汗问题上要求更多的帮助。
"Kevin Rudd, the Australian prime minister, not only said he wanted to withdraw combat troops from Iraq, he said that Afghanistan was 'the right war,' which, of course, is what Barack Obama has said," he said. "So, I would imagine that the next U.S. president is going to come calling on Prime Minister Rudd asking for more Australian involvement in Afghanistan in 2009 or 2010."
他说：“澳大利亚总理陆克文不仅声言要从伊拉克撤回作战部队，他还说阿富汗战争是正确的，当然奥巴马也是这么说的。因此我猜测下一届美国总统将会要求陆克文总理2009年或2010年更多的参与阿富汗事务。”
Despite the close relationship with the U.S., Australians have been generally disappointed with the administration of President Bush. In one University of Sydney poll last year, 45 percent of Australians had unfavorable views of the U.S. government.
尽管澳大利亚和美国关系密切，但澳大利亚人总的来说对布什政府感到失望。去年在悉尼大学进行的一次民调显示，45%的澳大利亚人对美国政府有负面的看法。
However, former Deputy Prime Minister Kim Beazley does not think that public opinion here has turned against the U.S. alliance.
不过澳大利亚前副总理比兹利并不认为公众舆论开始反对美澳盟友关系了。
"Even though there are high levels of disapproval of the Iraq war and unfortunately also at the moment of our engagement in Afghanistan, there's been only glacial movement in the underpinning support for the United States alliance," said Beazley. "That is not necessarily the case elsewhere around the world. That is probably unique to Australia."
他说：“尽管很多人反对伊拉克战争，遗憾的是，现在也有人反对我们介入阿富汗事务，但是在对美澳盟友关系的支持方面仅仅有非常小的变化。这在世界其他地方可能不同，这可能是澳大利亚特有的。”
Mr. Beazley thinks the world's current financial problems will help Barack Obama win what he calls "most captivating U.S. election since the Kennedy-Nixon race in 1960."
"I personally think but for this economic meltdown he probably would not have fallen across the line," he said. "Now it looks as though he likely will."
A year ago voters in Australia ushered in a new political when Labor leader Kevin Rudd swept to victory in national elections, ending a decade of conservative government. There is an expectation here that Americans will do the same on November 4.
一年前，工党领袖陆克文在大选中以压倒多数的优势取胜，结束了保守党10年的执政，澳大利亚政治进入一个新的时期。澳大利亚人希望美国11月4号也出现这种情况。
"First black president and all. I mean, that's probably the first thing people are looking at," said one Australian. "Yeah, the possibility that could happen in a country that's seen as being so racist America, yeah definitely.
这位澳大利亚年轻人说：“第一位黑人总统。我是说，这可能是人们首先看到的。在人们认为非常种族主义的美国，这的确可能发生。”
Some Australians, however, are not convinced that the Illinois senator has what it takes to lead the world's most powerful nation.
然而一些澳大利亚人并不相信这位伊利诺伊州参议员有能力领导世界上最强大的国家。
"Obama - I have great hesitation thinking of the world as it is at the moment and how dangerous it is. More or less the unknown. I think he's very much new blood and very interesting that way," said one woman. "McCain I think is very much the old school - that's how I look at him. But he's probably someone I'm not so interested in but maybe he's safe to a lot of people."
这位女士说：“奥巴马嘛，我一想到世界目前的状况以及有多危险就感到非常犹豫。人们还不了解他。他是新鲜血液，很有意思。麦凯恩嘛，是个老派的人，我这么看他，我对他没什么兴趣，但很多人可能认为他比较保险。”
In another recent survey, by the Gallup organization, 76 percent of Australians said they thought the U.S. election would have an effect in their own country. In that poll, 64 percent of Australians wanted Obama to win, against 14 percent who favored McCain.
盖洛普最近另外一次民调结果显示，76%的澳大利亚人认为美国大选会对澳大利亚产生影响，64%的澳大利亚人希望奥巴马当选，14%的人选择麦凯恩。 |