VOA标准英语2010年-Arabs Discouraged by US Policies, Opin

A new poll examines public opinion on issues pertinent¹ to Arabs in the Middle East.

A new poll indicates that most Arabs disapprove² of President Barack Obama and are discouraged by U.S. policies in the Middle East. The results also show that Arabs think Iran is trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction, but has the right to its nuclear program.

The poll, by the University of Maryland and Zogby International, examines public opinion on issues pertinent to Arabs in the Middle East. It has been conducted annually³ for the last few years in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.  It does not distinguish the results in each country.

 

Although Arab attitudes toward the United States remain unfavorable, 20 percent of those polled identified U.S. attitudes toward Islam as the policy issue they are most pleased with.

Last year, President Obama's approval rating was high as Arabs were hopeful about his Middle East policies. But this year about two-thirds said they are dissatisfied with the president.

 

Ken⁴ Pollack, Middle East expert at the Brookings Institution, Washington, DC

Ken Pollack is a Middle East expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

"There are a lot of Arabs who are frustrated⁵ with the Obama Administration's apparent inactivity on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process - that there's a frustration⁶ that the president came in, promising⁷ to make a major push on peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and that the Arabs feel he has not lived up to that commitment," says Pollack.

University of Maryland Professor Shibley Telhami headed up the poll. He says there's another issue.

 

University of Maryland Professor Shibley Telhami headed the poll

"And 27 percent name Iraq, which they are a little bit unhappy with now because of the instability and lack of government," Telhami said. "They are still, I think, pleased with the fact the US is pulling out of Iraq. All the polls show that Arab public opinion wants to see American forces out of Iraq." 

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains⁸ the most disappointing issue for Arabs. Most said they would accept a two-state solution based on borders before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. However, many believe Israel will not accept that.

The majority of those polled continue to believe Iran is trying to get weapons of mass destruction. But now Arabs believe Iran has the right to its nuclear program and should not be pressured to stop it. More than half say a nuclear-armed Iran would be more positive for the Middle East. Telhami says Arabs do not think Iran would actually use the weapons. He says the Arab reaction reflects anger toward U.S. policies.  

"When they're optimistic about American foreign policy, they are much tougher on Iran," Telhami adds. "So a year ago, in 2009, when you had a majority being optimistic about American policy in the Middle East, only 29 percent said Iran having nuclear weapons would be positive for the Middle East. This year, when you have two-thirds being pessimistic about American foreign policy, you have a larger percentage saying maybe it will be better if Iran has nuclear weapons."

Internet use continues to expand

The survey also looked at Internet use and television watching habits. Internet use continued to expand.

Most people said they watch several television news sources, with Al Jazeera as their first choice. More than half said they watch American and European movies and music videos almost daily.

 

1 pertinent   

adj.恰当的；贴切的；中肯的；有关的；相干的

参考例句：

• The expert made some pertinent comments on the scheme.那专家对规划提出了一些中肯的意见。
• These should guide him to pertinent questions for further study.这些将有助于他进一步研究有关问题。

2 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。

3 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

4 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

5 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

7 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

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。