VOA标准英语2009年-Mixed Reviews in Europe, Middle East f

Barack Obama's election victory in November 2008 was greeted with enormous enthusiasm around much of the world. Most Europeans looked to the new president to restore the transatlantic partnership¹, work for peace and spearhead the fight against global warming. While in the Middle East, people hoped he would focus on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But a year later, enthusiasm has faded.

Sonja Pace | London 23 December 2009

 
Photo: AP
President Barack Obama meets with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at the G-20 summit at the ExCel Centre in London (Apr 2009 file photo)

"Even if he walked on water he still would not be able to deliver," says Tomas Valasek, Director of Foreign Policy and Defense² at the Centre for European Reform in London.

U.S. President Barack Obama has drawn³ crowds wherever he goes.  Visiting Europe earlier in the year, he was treated almost like a rock star.

For many, he was a symbol of hope and inspiration.  British students, Nina and Simon at King's College in London were no exception.

"I think he put it on the pedestal that people from anywhere could actually achieve a dream," Nina said.

"His whole demeanor⁴ is actually quite impressive as well," Simon said.

Promise of change brings benefits

Mr. Obama's promise of change, of reaching out to the world resonated with a wider public and won him the Nobel Peace Prize - less than a year into his first term of office.

Europeans liked the change in tone, but also wanted specifics, says Tomas Valasek, Director of Foreign Policy and Defense at the Centre for European Reform in London.

"We have a real stake in who runs the United States and Obama because he is so popular worldwide because he says he wants to try to bring in other actors- Chinas, Russias of this world - into the running of the global system - because of that he is fantastically popular," Valasek said.

Many issues unresolved

After nearly a year in power, the war in Iraq is winding⁵ down, but violence is still common and the country is far from stable.  The United States is about to send more troops to Afghanistan and is asking NATO partners to do likewise.  Iran and North Korea show no signs of giving up their nuclear ambitions.  And, efforts to forge a global alliance against global warming fell far short at the December climate change summit in Copenhagen.

Too many issues unresolved have dimmed public enthusiasm for the American president, says Valasek.

"He has opened an awful lot of issues, an awful lot of problems, an awful lot of challenges, and he does not seem able to bring any of them to close," he said.

Much the same sentiment can be heard in the Middle East.  President Obama's June speech at Cairo University, reaching out to Muslims, was welcomed.

Support for Israel problematic

Professor Hassan Nafae of Cairo University says people were hoping for a change in U.S. policy.

"I was one of those who attended his wonderful speech," Nafae said.  "But I am afraid to say that now the people started to lose a little bit the hope that he will be able to change things, especially vis-a-vis the Arab-Israeli conflict."

The crux⁶ was always the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Early on, Mr. Obama asked Israel to halt all West Bank Jewish settlement in order to bring Israelis and Palestinians back to negotiations⁷.  But, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused, the president backed down, accepting less than a total freeze.

For Palestinians, Radi and Jumana Jara'i in the West Bank city of Ramallah that only confirmed what they see as a U.S. bias⁸ toward Israel.

 "A year ago, we were hopeful.  Now we do not.  Now we blame the United States by [for] supporting Israel without any limits, without any conditions," Radi said. "We would like to see a real fair stand from the United States to achieve peace, to achieve equality here in the region."

 "I admired him [Obama] as a man," added Jumana. "So I am disappointed now, but I can say only one thing - it is all the American policy that will never change."

Unrealistic expectations?

There is concern that opportunities are slipping away.  But maybe expectations were just too high, says Tomas Valasek.

"Of course, in some ways this was a mission impossible," Valasek said.  "We expected too much of him.  Even if he walked on water he still would not be able to deliver."

There is still widespread appreciation⁹ for President Obama's emphasis on diplomacy¹⁰, even though the initial support for him has waned¹¹.  And with many challenges ahead in the coming year, no doubt all eyes will remain on Mr. Obama to see how he deals with them.
 

1 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。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

4 demeanor   

n.行为；风度

参考例句：

• She is quiet in her demeanor.她举止文静。
• The old soldier never lost his military demeanor.那个老军人从来没有失去军人风度。

5 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

6 crux   

adj.十字形；难事，关键，最重要点

参考例句：

• The crux of the matter is how to comprehensively treat this trend.问题的关键是如何全面地看待这种趋势。
• The crux of the matter is that attitudes have changed.问题的要害是人们的态度转变了。

7 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

8 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

9 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

10 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。

11 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》