U.S. President Barack Obama has made outreach to the Muslim world a signature of his presidency. He tries again with a speech Thursday, but recent events may have made his audience less receptive.
美国总统奥巴马就职以后曾向穆斯林世界发表讲话作为他就任美国总统的一个姿态。奥巴马星期四将再次发表讲话，但最近事态的发展可能会使他的讲话不像上次那么受欢迎。
President Obama's address comes as the most successful of the "Arab Spring" uprisings -- in Tunisia and Egypt - are overshadowed by more violent conflicts, in Libya, Syria and beyond.
Surveys indicate that the upheaval has lowered opinions in the Arab and Muslim world of the U.S., in particular Obama. The U.S. leader was criticized for seeming at first one step behind the popular movements, despite their embodying the democratic values America espouses.
调查显示，这些动荡使得阿拉伯和穆斯林世界对美国，特别是对奥巴马总统的评价有所降低。有人批评奥巴马在中东最初发生群众运动时没有及时支持，尽管这些起义代表了美国拥护的民主价值。
By early February, Obama seemed to catch up with the trend, at least as it played out in Cairo's Tahrir Square. "The United States will continue to stand up for democracy and the universal rights that all human beings deserve, in Egypt, and around the world," said the president.
今年二月初，奥巴马总统似乎顺应了这个潮流，至少在开罗的解放广场出现抗议时是如此。他说：“美国将继续支持民主和人类共同拥有的普世权利，不论是在埃及还是在世界任何地方。”
But many in the Middle East and North Africa saw America's support of the protest movements across the region as uneven.
但中东和北非的很多人认为美国对这个地区的民众抗议活动并不是同样支持。
Toward Bahrain, home of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, and Yemen, a partner in counter-terrorism, U.S. criticism was more muted. In contrast, Libya's Moammar Gadhafi, a long-time provocateur, felt the West's military might.
美国对巴林和也门政府的批评声音很弱。巴林驻有美国第五舰队，也门是美国的反恐伙伴。相比之下，利比亚领导人卡扎菲这名长期的挑衅者感受到了西方军事的威力。
And U.S. military action did not stop there, as President Obama dramatically revealed. "Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden," he said.
美国军事行动没有就此停止，因为很快奥巴马总统就戏剧性的宣布说，“今天我要向美国人民通报，向世界人民通报，美国已经采取行动击毙了奥萨马.本.拉登。”
There is little affection for the al-Qaida leader among the majority in the region, but the unilateral raid in Pakistan brought to mind previous U.S. missions in Muslim lands.
中东地区绝大多数民众对地基恐怖组织头目本拉登并没有什么好感，但是在巴基斯坦进行的单边袭击行动让人们想起了以前美国在穆斯林土地上的行动。
Those past images were something the president has sought to erase.
奥巴马试图从人们的记忆中抹去美国的这些形像。
Obama came to Cairo early in his term, with a message of reconciliation that many felt was much needed after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
他上任后不久就访问了开罗，他带去的信息是和解，很多人认为这在伊拉克和阿富汗战争之后是很必要的。
But within months, critics argued that Obama's promises of better relations were not matched by deeds. They wonder if this speech will be any different.
但几个月后，就有批评人士说，奥巴马总统有关改善关系的保证没有落实在行动上。他们都在猜测，奥巴马即将发表的这次讲话和前一次会有什么不同。
Said Sadek of the American University in Cairo believes Obama could go far to improve relations with two key steps. "Number one is aid, you know, not only financial aid, but also institution building, restructuring, technical assistance, education scholarships. You need to change the area to be ready for democracy and assist the transition to democracy," said Sadek.
设在开罗的美利坚大学教授萨伊德.萨迪克认为奥巴马总统可以通过采取两个关键步骤来改善关系。他说：“首先是援助，这不仅仅是资金援助，还有制度建立，进行重组，技术援助，教育奖金等。应该改变一些领域，为民主的到来做准备，要帮助进行民主过渡。”
The other, he says, is if Obama takes a new approach to finally solve problems between Israelis and Palestinians. He feels they would benefit both those parties and people in the region's autocratic leaders.
另一方面，他说，要看奥巴马总统能否采取新方法，最终解决以色列和巴勒斯坦之间的问题。他认为，如果以巴问题得到解决，那不仅有利于双方，也有利于这一地区的独裁统治者中的那些人。
"Those people were trading on the Palestinian question like many Arab regimes and so it is very important that we stop them from having this excuse so they can face their own people," said Sadek.
他说，“这些人像许多阿拉伯政权一样在用巴勒斯坦问题作交易，因此重要的是，我们要让他们没有这个借口，让他们面对自己的人民。”
Obama's words may have disappointed in the past, but if this speech offers concrete actions, the president may find a warmer audience.
奥巴马过去的说法可能令人失望，但如果这次讲话可以提供具体的行动，奥巴马可能会得到比较热情的听众。 |