本帖最後由 felicity2010 於 2014-3-8 11:47 AM 編輯 ! x; V+ e+ @' \0 ?$ S& c
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The Economist: The Ukraine blame-game5.39.217.76+ w( ~7 s6 R. U1 p
; f5 O) r: |- V0 u- Q; y0 l3 L公仔箱論壇Critics say that Barack Obama dismays allies and emboldens foes. They’re half-right
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TO SOME critics, Ukraine’s agonies are Barack Obama’s fault. His lead-from-behind foreign policy has so dismayed America’s allies and emboldened its foes that Russia knew it could send troops prowling round Crimea with impunity.$ N3 d, D+ G5 W; Q
% n2 V) ~: [0 A1 @8 |/ |! s: DThe crisis is the “ultimate result of a feckless foreign policy where nobody believes in America’s strength any more,”says Senator John McCain of Arizona, the dean of the Republican Party’s(much-diminished) national-security wing. To another hawk, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a “weak and indecisive” Mr Obama “invites”aggression. Even some Democrats have broken ranks. One, Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, has blamed trouble in Ukraine, in part, on Mr Obama’s “perceived weakness” in Syria, which has left not just Russia but “vital allies” doubting America’s will to act.
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7 J3 w) v M9 Vtvb now,tvbnow,bttvbSome frustration is sincere. Mr Obama’s professorial, chin-stroking approach to geopolitics can grate at the best of times—pondering his own foreign policy in a recent interview with Bloomberg View, he called it “restrained, and I think thoughtful”. These are not the best of times. In particular, even friendly governments call Mr Obama’s Syria policy a mess, notably since he failed to enforce his vow that the use of chemical weapons would be a “red line” triggering military strikes, instead grabbing at a Russian offer to help dismantle Syrian stocks of poison gas.
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, x C' |- w; w* [. P公仔箱論壇Yet there is a self-serving undercurrent to much “Who Lost Ukraine?” commentary. It is not just that Republicans enjoy painting Mr Obama as a new Jimmy Carter. Those pondering a White House run in2016, such as Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, see a chance to attack Hillary Clinton, Mr Obama’s former secretary of state and a putative Democratic presidential contender, for her role in an ill-fated “reset” of relations with Russia.
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6 e8 c$ P& V4 ^1 c5 \TVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。The sheer range of the charges being levelled against Mr Obama is unhelpful. Rigour demands that they be weighed one by one.First take the charge that Mr Obama’s “weakness” emboldens President Vladimir Putin of Russia. True, Mr Obama is sceptical about the use of large-scale military force to resolve geopolitical tangles (though he uses drones and special forces liberally). But none of his critics has called for American troops or warplanes to rush to Ukraine’s aid. “There’s no viable military action that can be taken, I accept that,” sighs Mr McCain.# d0 x; M+ ^# f+ X. Q
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Perhaps critics mean that Mr Putin might have stayed his hand if he had harboured just a doubt about Mr Obama’s willingness to use force. But Mr Putin invaded another neighbour, Georgia, in 2008, when America’s president was George W. Bush, whose martial zeal few doubted. Mr Bush airlifted Georgian troops home from Iraq and sent American military transport planes to Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, to make it harder to overrun. His vice-president, Dick Cheney, vowed that “Russian aggression must not go unanswered.” But it did go unanswered, largely. Russia took effective control of a fifth of Georgia after a peace deal brokered by European leaders. Russians control that territory to this day.
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8 d3 [4 g5 B. S; wNow Washington is alive with politicians suggesting fierce policies that might cow Mr Putin this time round. Many, such as visa bans and asset freezes for Russian oligarchs, have little support in Europe. Others are not in America’s power: Mr Cruz talks of suspending Russia from the UN Security Council. Some are unwise. Several senators want Georgia and Ukraine on a fast-track to NATO membership, though neither is ready (and many European allies would not defend them against Russia, undermining the main article of that alliance).
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/ M+ Z C [8 {& t+ s7 X; ?公仔箱論壇Those convinced that a weak Mr Obama has emboldened foes are concentrating on the wrong bit of his foreign policy.Managing a thug like Mr Putin, who would distrust any American president, was never going to be easy. More thoughtful critiques consider how Mr Obama relates to allies.tvb now,tvbnow,bttvb* m1 p2 Y/ @" g4 U
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Mr Putin is not deterred by even the toughest Western rhetoric when he sees a chance to advance national interests, says Fiona Hill of the Brookings Institution, a think-tank, who led government intelligence analysis of Russia during the Georgian crisis. The only way now to slow his march into Ukraine, she suggests, is for America to work in lockstep with Europe, preventing Mr Putin from exploiting Western divisions.
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Kurt Volker, a former American ambassador to NATO, wishes that America had worked with Europe years ago to make Ukraine’s oligarch-infested energy sector more transparent. Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, the senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,wants co-ordination with Europe on economic aid for Ukraine. Senator Marco Rubio,a Florida Republican, argues for opening up American gas exports to the region,to weaken Russia’s grip as an energy supplier.
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While Putin puts the boot in, the West is disputing5.39.217.76* o" h" W, \( V2 a+ |* D
8 f2 n% u' L/ h9 `Alas, Team Obama is surprisingly bad at alliances. In Ukraine, America largely outsourced policy to Europe for many months, before deciding too late that it was going wrong. Forget criticism in Washington about how a stronger, Reaganesque president might intimidate foes. A larger problem is the White House’s resentful attitude towards America’s friends. Officials grumble about being stuck with the job of keeping the peace in Asia, Europe and the Middle East while free-riding allies enjoy the fruits of global trade. Time for others to step up and do their share of maintaining an open international order, they say. Officials talk of the “bandwidth” chewed up by high-maintenance bits of the world, when Mr Obama would prefer to focus on fast-growing Asia, or—as public opinion loudly demands—on nation-building back home.
: P; v9 T* P/ {8 o& M* ZTVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。
. R+ z, C+ k% w7 tTVBNOW 含有熱門話題，最新最快電視，軟體，遊戲，電影，動漫及日常生活及興趣交流等資訊。Well, tough. Great powers cannot always choose where to expend time and energy. Mr Obama did not cause Russia’s assault on Ukraine: that has roots which long predate him. But now he must lead efforts to contain Mr Putin’s mischief.
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發表於 2014-3-8 11:39 AM
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