双语新闻：奥巴马不应再对人权沉默

2012-11-28 00:00:00来源：新东方网

　　All presidents are caught off-guard by world events, at some point – whether it is September 11, the fall of the Berlin Wall or the Arab Spring. The key point is how they react. Mr Obama seems tohave started his second term determined to place a fresh, albeit still selective, emphasis on theimportance of human rights to US foreign policy.

　　总统都会在某一时刻被世界大事弄得猝不及防，不论是“9/11”、柏林墙的倒塌还是阿拉伯之春。关键在于他们如何应对。奥巴马似乎决意在开始第二个任期之际，重新强调人权对美国外交政策的重要意义，尽管这种强调仍然具有选择性。

　　His first visit abroad, after securing re-election, was to Myanmar – which gave him the chance toembrace Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nelson Mandela of her day. His aide, Samantha Power, argued thatby visiting Myanmar, the “president is sending a signal to other countries where reform is nothappening, or where repression is happening”.

　　奥巴马连任后的首次出访目的地是缅甸，这让他有机会拥抱昂山素季(Aung San Suu Kyi)——昂山素季是她这个时代的纳尔逊曼德拉(Nelson Mandela)。奥巴马的助理萨曼莎鲍威尔(SamanthaPower)认为，总统通过缅甸之行“向没有开展改革、或者正在镇压民众的国家发出一个信号”。

　　 Cynics might respond that a presidential visit to Myanmar has as much to do with the competitionfor influence with China as with support for human rights. What is certainly true is that the reallyhard cases, with human rights diplomacy, involve taking on your friends.

　　怀疑者或许会说，总统访问缅甸，既是为了支持人权，也是为了与中国竞争影响力。但毫无疑问的是，就人权外交而言，真正难办的是把矛头对准你的盟友。

　　Nothing arouses greater cynicism about America’s role in the world than its one-eyed support forIsrael. It is completely appropriate for the Obama administration to defend Israel’s right to respondto rocket attacks by Hamas. But President Obama could surely have afforded to show moreconcern about the death of innocent Palestinians, including 30 children, in Gaza.

　　对以色列的偏袒是美国在国际事务中最受非议的一点。奥巴马政府捍卫以色列反击哈马斯火箭弹攻击的权利，这是完全合适的。但奥巴马总统完全可以对加沙无辜的巴勒斯坦平民死亡(包括30名儿童)展示出更大关切。

　　One extra reason for the president’s reticence is that his own record on avoiding civilian casualtiesin warfare is hardly spotless. Reliable numbers are impossible to find but there seems little doubtthat many innocents have been killed by American drone strikes aimed at terrorists in Pakistan.

　　奥巴马保持缄默的一个额外原因是，他在避免作战造成平民伤亡方面的记录远非无懈可击。尽管可靠数据无从查找，但美国针对巴基斯坦境内恐怖分子的无人机攻击造成大量无辜平民伤亡似乎已是不争的事实。

　　In fact, it is one of the ironies of the Obama years that, despite his liberal rhetoric, the president’ssignature foreign policy achievement is the killing of Osama bin Laden and the shredding of al-Qaeda’s leadership through drone strikes. As the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Mr Obama wouldsurely like his foreign policy legacy to be about more than success in a war on terror. A re-emphasis on human rights, democracy and the protection of civilians all over the world – includingGaza – would be a good place to start.

　　事实上，颇具讽刺意味的是，言论偏向自由主义的奥巴马，在任期间最具标志性的外交政策成就却是击毙奥萨马本拉登(Osama Bin Laden)，并且用无人机攻击摧毁基地组织的领导力量。作为诺贝尔和平奖得主，奥巴马肯定希望自己的外交政策遗产不局限于反恐战争的成功。重新强调人权、民主和保护全世界平民(包括加沙)，将是一个好的开始。

本文关键字: 双语新闻