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VOA标准英语2012--Obama, Romney Largely Agree on Middle East Policy

时间:2012-10-30 01:21:55

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Obama, Romney Largely Agree on Middle East Policy

While President Barack Obama, the Democratic Party’s White House candidate, and his Republican Party challenger Mitt1 Romney may have strong differences on a number of domestic policy issues, their views on the Middle East don’t have many sharp contrasts.

Arab Spring

Both presidential candidates voice support for the Arab Spring, the popular uprising in Arab nations that has toppled autocratic governments in Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt.

President Obama demonstrated his support in his U.N. address on September 25. “The world has been captivated by the transformation2 that’s taken place. And the United - the United States has supported the forces of change,” he said.

Former Governor Romney, in a speech on October 8, pledged his effort to continue U.S. support for democracy advocates in Arab nations should he be elected.

“I will begin organizing all of our diplomatic and assistance efforts in the greater Middle East under one official, with the authority and accountability necessary to train all of our soft power resources on ensuring that the Arab Spring does not fade into a long winter,” he said.

Libya

On September 11, 2012, an attack on the U.S. Consulate3 in Benghazi, Libya killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others.

Mitt Romney harshly criticized the president in their second debate for what he says is a lack of candor4 about the origins of the Benghazi attack.

"There were many days that passed before we knew whether this was a spontaneous demonstration5, or, actually, whether it was a terrorist attack," he said.

President Obama gave a strong response to Romney regarding Benghazi.

“The day after the attack, Governor, I stood in the Rose Garden and I told the American people and the world that we are going to find out exactly what happened, that this was an act of terror," he said.

Syria

Both candidates say they support those trying to oust6 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and agree that the U.S. military should not get directly involved.

But President Obama says his support for the opposition7 does not extend to providing weapons.

"We have to do so making absolutely certain that we know who we are helping8, that we’re not putting arms in the hands of folks who eventually could turn them against us or our allies in the region,” he said.

Former Governor Romney took a very different stance on weapons in the final debate.

“I want to make sure they get armed, and they have the arms necessary to defend themselves, but also, to remove Assad. But I do not want to see a military involvement on the part of our troops,” he said. 

Iran, Israel, Palestinians

Both President Obama and former Governor Romney are emphatic9 in their support for Israel, especially in the face of Iranian threats against the Jewish State, as they both stated during the final debate.

“Israel is a true friend. It is our greatest ally in the region. And, if Israel is attacked, America will stand with Israel. I’ve made that clear throughout my presidency,” said the president.

"If I’m President of the United States - when I’m President of the United States - we will stand with Israel. And, if Israel is attacked, we have their back, not just diplomatically, not just culturally, but militarily," said the Republican challenger.

What hasn’t been discussed much by either candidate is U.S. efforts for resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Iraq

One Middle East Analyst10, Khaled Elgindy at Brookings Institution, says the ethnic11 and sectarian conflict seen in Iraq after the 2003 war should caution both presidential candidates that Washington ultimately cannot control the Arab Spring.

"The United States - cannot determine outcomes. Of elections, of uprisings, of a political process. We cannot pick ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ on the ground and expect to come out victorious," said Elgindy.

Elgindy says that in these countries, their disparate elements need to find ways of reconciling their political and other differences in order to develop inclusive, representative governments. 


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1 mitt Znszwo     
n.棒球手套,拳击手套,无指手套;vt.铐住,握手
参考例句:
  • I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日,我送给他一只棒球手套。
  • Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。
2 transformation SnFwO     
n.变化;改造;转变
参考例句:
  • Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
  • He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。
3 consulate COwzC     
n.领事馆
参考例句:
  • The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
  • The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。
4 candor CN8zZ     
n.坦白,率真
参考例句:
  • He covered a wide range of topics with unusual candor.他极其坦率地谈了许多问题。
  • He and his wife had avoided candor,and they had drained their marriage.他们夫妻间不坦率,已使婚姻奄奄一息。
5 demonstration 9waxo     
n.表明,示范,论证,示威
参考例句:
  • His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
  • He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。
6 oust 5JDx2     
vt.剥夺,取代,驱逐
参考例句:
  • The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
  • The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。
7 opposition eIUxU     
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。
8 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
9 emphatic 0P1zA     
adj.强调的,着重的;无可置疑的,明显的
参考例句:
  • Their reply was too emphatic for anyone to doubt them.他们的回答很坚决,不容有任何人怀疑。
  • He was emphatic about the importance of being punctual.他强调严守时间的重要性。
10 analyst gw7zn     
n.分析家,化验员;心理分析学家
参考例句:
  • What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务?
  • The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。
11 ethnic jiAz3     
adj.人种的,种族的,异教徒的
参考例句:
  • This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏,这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
  • The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

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