VOA标准英语2013--Kerry's First Trip Abroad Tackles Familiar Issues

 

Kerry's First Trip Abroad Tackles Familiar Issues

Kerry’s first stop was familiar territory for a U.S. secretary of state, number 10 Downing Street, the residence of the British prime minister.

Xenia Dormandy of London's Chatam House said it was a "soft introduction" to his new role delivering American soft power, President Obama's preferred approach to global issues.

“America is choosing to have a different approach," she said. "That's not necessarily about less power. That's about using your power differently."

Kerry took that approach to European allies early in this trip and also applied¹ it to the Syria conflict at a conference in Rome, announcing the first direct American aid for Syrian rebel fighters, but only food and medical supplies. 

“I am absolutely confident from what I heard in there, from other foreign ministers, that the totality of this effort is going to have an impact on the ability of the Syrian opposition² to accomplish its goals,” he said.

But Syrian opposition leaders complained that the aid is not enough to change the desperate situation inside Syria...or at refugee camps in neighboring countries that now hold more than one million people.

And as Kerry moved into the Middle East, dissatisfaction with U.S. policy came even more into focus, even though he stuck to traditional allies like Egypt.

The United States sees itself as a champion of human rights and is a leader in providing humanitarian³ aid and economic help to struggling countries. But many in the Middle East see U.S. policy in a different light, including Said Sadek of the American University in Cairo, who spoke⁴ via Skype.

“As long as they don’t clash with American strategic interests, they don’t care what really happens inside those countries," said Sadek. "And this is the moral question regarding American foreign policy in the area. All they care about is the cheap flow of oil.”

American officials likely would not agree with Sadek on that, but they might agree with his view that U.S. strategic interests in the Middle East, and indeed around the world, remain constant.

And that leads Xenia Dormandy to conclude that the new of secretary of state won’t bring big policy changes.

“You’re going to absolutely see something different in style," she said "The substance is led by the White House, more than most presidencies⁵. So I think the substance won’t change quite so significantly, but style absolutely.”

For Kerry, four years of difficult and intractable issues lie ahead, coupled with often hostile foreign populations. Along the way he'll look for some opportunities to advance U.S. interests and perhaps to do some good in the world. 

1 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

2 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。

3 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 presidencies   

n.总统的职位( presidency的名词复数 )；总统的任期

参考例句：

• The Dalai Lama previously visited the island during the presidencies of Chen Shui-bian and Lee Teng-hui. 曾经获得诺贝尔和平奖的达赖喇嘛，此前曾在李登辉和陈水扁主政期间访问台湾。 来自互联网