美洲—分析家要求美国更多的关注拉丁美洲

Analysts¹ Urge US to Pay More Attention to Latin America

分析家要求美国更多的关注拉丁美洲

 

As Karen Hughes, begins the task of trying to improve the U.S. image abroad, one area of concern is Latin America. Relations with most countries in this region have been close and friendly, but there are some challenges emerging.

 

In the 1980s, when the Cold War dominated foreign policy, U.S. attention was focused intently on such places as Grenada, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Panama. Then the Soviet² Union collapsed⁴ and democratic governments came to power throughout the Western Hemisphere, with the notable exception of communist Cuba, where President Fidel Castro was left isolated⁵ and struggling with a collapsed economy.

 

More recently, the threat of terrorism and combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have focused U.S. policy on the Middle East. Vera Kutzinski, director of the Center for the Americas at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, says that, as a result, the United States has neglected its neighbors.

 

Vera Kutzinski: The United States has not really been paying as much attention to Latin America and the Caribbean as it might have.

 

She says U.S. influence has waned⁶ and challenges to U.S. policies in the Americas have grown. She says Karen Hughes should take a good look at what has happened in the region, not only to bolster⁷ the U.S. image there, but to see what has worked and what has not worked.

 

Vera Kutzinski: There are some important lessons to be derived⁹ from our history of relationship building, successes and failures, in Latin America that would be instructive, I think, to Ms. Hughes and I hope she does consult that history closely.

 

Aside from the Castro government in Cuba, the strongest opposition¹⁰ to U.S. policy in Latin America comes from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has announced plans to begin a television network in the region that some critics fear will be a platform for anti-U.S. rhetoric¹¹.

 

Julia Sweig, a Latin American specialist at the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations, says oil-rich Venezuela has the means to be effective in such a venture and that Mr. Chavez's message may fall on willing ears.

 

Julia Sweig: There is no doubt in my mind that the Chavez government has a strong anti-U.S. position and it has the money and it has resources to broadcast that position throughout Latin America. I think that will represent a challenge because Latin America is fertile ground. You know Hugo Chavez does not have to move mountains to push Latin American opinion against the United States.

 

Something that undermined the U.S. image in the region, according to Ms. Sweig, was the failure of the U.S. government to strongly condemn¹² a coup¹³ that briefly¹⁴ ousted¹⁵ Mr. Chavez in April, 2002.

 

On the other hand, Ms. Sweig says the United States has done well in developing friendly relations with the left-leaning government of President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva in Brazil, even though he disagrees with U.S. trade policy.

 

Julia Sweig says U.S. neglect of the region cannot be undone¹⁶ through public diplomacy¹⁷ efforts alone.

 

Julia Sweig: Public relations without substantive¹⁸ policy will do nothing to help us, in fact, it might backfire.

 

U.S. officials, however, say Washington is matching its words with deeds and that relations with other nations in the Americas are based on longstanding programs of cooperation and assistance.

 

Roger Noriega, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, in a recent exchange with Latin American journalists, noted¹⁹ that academic exchange programs have flourished and proven to be beneficial to both the United States and the other countries involved. He also emphasized the U.S. commitment to free trade as a way of breaking down barriers and spreading prosperity to all strata²⁰ of Latin American society.

 

Greg Flakus. VOA news, Houston.

注释：

Grenada [^rE5neidE] n. 格林纳达

Nicaragua [7nikE5rB:^wE] n. 尼加拉瓜

El Salvador [el5sAlvEdC:] n. 萨尔瓦多

Panama [7pAnE5mB:] n. 巴拿马

Soviet Union n. 苏联

collapse³ [kE5lAps] vi. 瓦解

derive⁸ [di5raiv] vi. 起源

Venezuelan [9venE5zweilEN] n. 委内瑞拉人

venture [5ventFE] n.冒险

fertile [5fE:tail] adj. 富饶的

backfire [bAk5faiE] vi. 产生反效果；事与愿违

longstanding [5lCN5stAndiN] adj.（已持续）长时间的

hemisphere [5hemisfiE] n. 半球

commitment [kE5mitmEnt] n.许诺

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 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。

2 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• 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。

3 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• 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。

4 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

5 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

6 waned   

v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• However,my enthusiasm waned.The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. 然而，我的热情减退了。我在做操上花的时间逐渐减少了。 来自《用法词典》
• The bicycle craze has waned. 自行车热已冷下去了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

8 derive   

v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自

参考例句：

• We derive our sustenance from the land.我们从土地获取食物。
• We shall derive much benefit from reading good novels.我们将从优秀小说中获得很大好处。

9 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

11 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

12 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

13 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

14 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

15 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

16 undone   

a.未做完的，未完成的

参考例句：

• He left nothing undone that needed attention.所有需要注意的事他都注意到了。

17 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

18 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。

19 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

20 strata   

n.地层（复数）；社会阶层

参考例句：

• The older strata gradually disintegrate.较老的岩层渐渐风化。
• They represent all social strata.他们代表各个社会阶层。