2006年VOA标准英语-2006 Elections Brought Little Change in Latin A

By Michael Bowman
14 December 2006

Latin America has seen 12 presidential contests in the last 13 months. Despite the installation of five new leaders, many analysts¹ argue 2006 was more a year of continuity than change in the region. VOA's Michael Bowman attended a recent gathering² of Washington-based experts on Latin America and has this report.

 
A man walks by campaign mural for President Hugo Chavez in Maracaibo, in Venezuela's oil rich Zulia state, 1 Dec 2006
Since November of last year, nearly 500 million Latin Americans have had their say in a presidential contest. And with a few notable exceptions, voters chose the incumbent³, like Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, or those who had previously⁴ held the post. Peter Hakim is head of the Inter-American Dialogue organization.

"Twelve elections: seven of them were won by men who had held the office before," he noted⁵.  "Three were re-elected and four had been president at an earlier period."

 
Bolivian President Evo Morales signs a document containing a new land reform bill at a midnight ceremony, 29 Nov. 2006
 
Hakim says that new presidents in Mexico and Chile come from the same parties as their predecessors⁶. Perhaps the most radical⁷ transition came in Bolivia last December, where self-proclaimed socialist⁸ Evo Morales was swept into power. Nicaragua and Ecuador also elected leftist candidates, but Hakim notes that both have spoken in more moderate terms since entering office.

Above all, he says, democracy is alive and well in Latin America.

"These were elections that were all very competitive. Many of them were won by small percentages. Very participatory. High turn-outs in election after election," he added.

 
Lawmakers scuffle as one uses a chair to try to block an access at the National Congress, 1 Dec 2006
In only one case, Mexico, was there a contested transfer of power. But Hakim says that in several nations, such as Peru, radical populists were defeated by small margins⁹. This, he says, points to a simmering undercurrent of discontent that the region's leadership would do well to pay attention to.

Recent years have seen several left-of-center governments come to power in Latin America, a trend that continued in 2006 with notable exceptions in Colombia and Mexico.

In some cases, relations with the United States have cooled to varying degrees. Guatemala's ambassador in Washington, Guillermo Castillo, says the agenda that had been promoted by hemispheric leaders has failed to address people's basic needs.

"Most of the focus has been on trade and not on the other issues," he said.  "We thought that democratization meant development. And when you have a large percentage of your population that is poor, without food on the table, they question the system. If we do not put this issue in the agenda between Latin America and the U.S., we are not going to advance this agenda."

The State Department's Office of Andean Affairs director, Philip French, does not disagree. He says the United States and Latin America often "talk past each other" when it comes to promoting the common good.  He says what the United States views as landmark¹⁰ trade pacts¹¹ often seem distant to the reality perceived by ordinary people.

"When we talk about macro-economics in Peru, that is fine," he said.  "But most of the people there are living in the micro-world where they still do not have enough to eat.  And so we are looking at ways to bring those two worlds together in a pragmatic way."

French adds that the United States is ready to engage any democratically elected government in the region, regardless of ideology¹².

But the Inter-American Dialogue's Michael Shifter says relations have soured due to a variety of factors ranging from the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq to the ongoing¹³ immigration debate in the United States. He says those relations can be repaired, but that Washington must adjust to a new reality in Latin America.

"Things can get better with a different [US] administration," he said.  "I think we have gone through a very rough period. At the same time, I think there is a fundamental change that any new administration will face. Latin America is growing up, has more options internationally. It is no longer the backyard of the United States. And I think no matter what [US] administration comes in office, it is going to have to deal with that adjustment."

For many Latin American nations, however, the United States remains¹⁴ an indispensable and much-valued partner, according to Honduras' ambassador in Washington, Roberto Flores-Bermudez.

"The U.S. definitely represents the biggest market in the world, and the most convenient one for a country like Honduras and other Central American countries," he noted.  "We are right across the Gulf¹⁵ of Mexico. The capital of my country is closer to Washington than is San Francisco. So for us it [the United States] is a highly important market, and we are looking with optimism to make the best out of CAFTA."

2005 saw the ratification¹⁶ of CAFTA, the Central America Free Trade Agreement with the United States. Over the last year, the Bush administration has signed bilateral¹⁷ trade pacts with Peru and Colombia.

What might 2007 have in store for the hemisphere? The Inter-American Dialogue's Peter Hakim says news from Cuba could dominate.

"Clearly, the [political] transition is under way. The chances that Fidel Castro will ever occupy the presidency¹⁸ again look very slim right now," he said.  "His death will bring about some changes. We just do not know what the interplay of forces are within the [Cuban] leadership group, and how that plays out."

Hakim says new Cuban leadership could force a re-examination of long-standing U.S. policy to the Communist-ruled island.

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

3 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

8 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

9 margins   

边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数

参考例句：

• They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
• To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙，加左或者右的margins来定义链接。

10 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

11 pacts   

条约( pact的名词复数 )； 协定； 公约

参考例句：

• Vassals can no longer accept one-sided defensive pacts (!). 附庸国不会接受单方面的共同防御协定。
• Well, they are EU members now and have formed solidarity pacts with members such as Poland. 他们现在已经是欧盟的一部分了并且他们和欧盟成员诸如波兰等以签署了合作协议。

12 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

13 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

14 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

15 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

16 ratification   

n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• The treaty is awaiting ratification.条约正等待批准。
• The treaty is subject to ratification.此条约经批准后才能生效。

17 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

18 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。