Obama, Rasmussen Meet as Multiple Crises Face NATO

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has met with President Barack Obama to discuss the pressing crises facing the alliance in two different parts of the world. Tuesday's meeting at the White House came as NATO prepares for a critical summit in September.

There were smiles as t Obama met Rasmussen in the Oval Office. But half a world away, in Afghanistan, their concerns were front and center. Four NATO soldiers were killed Tuesday in a suicide bombing in eastern Parwan province…while allegations of fraud marred the result of the country’s presidential election with both candidates claiming victory --- clouding NATO's future in the country.

“If there is no clarification before the NATO summit in September, then of course it’s hard to see how the security agreement can be signed before the summit and in that case we would be faced with severe problems as regards planning for a training mission after 2014,” said Rasmussen.

The U.S. has 31,000 troops in Afghanistan, with another 17,000 from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.

But without that new security agreement, those levels could drop to almost nothing, opening the door for more instability.

Then, there’s pressure from Russia, which continues to occupy Crimea and back separatists in eastern Ukraine.

“Given renewed concerns or new concerns - about Russian policy and Russian behavior, you’re going to see a renewed focus in NATO on the alliance’s original purpose, which was to provide for the collective defense,” stated former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer.

The U.S. and NATO have taken steps to reassure members like Poland and the Baltic states, who are worried that Russia may try something similar against them.

But there are differences over how far NATO and its partners should go.

“I don’t think you can totally isolate a country like Russia, neither do we seek to do that but we are sending very clear signals that their policies are not acceptable and it has an economic price,” noted Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.

But others, like Jorge Benitez at the Atlantic Council say the U.S. and NATO have not been clear enough. “We’re very much risk averse here, and even though Putin is in a very much weaker position, he is willing to incur cost and pay the cost to enforce his position and that’s why his position is winning so far," he said.

Another concern for NATO - a lack of support for defense spending.

The secretary general says if all members met their minimum requirement, the alliance would have had an extra $90 billion …a critical issue at a time when NATO is facing threats on multiple fronts.

 

詞匯解析

natural

難度：5星基本詞匯，屬常用1000詞

英漢解釋

adj.自然的；天然的；私生的

參考例句

用作形容詞 (adj.)

It is natural that he should fall in love with such a beautiful girl.

他愛上那位美麗的姑娘是很自然的事。

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rural

難度：4星核心詞匯，屬常用3000詞

英漢解釋

adj.農(nóng)村的，鄉(xiāng)村的，田園的

參考例句

用作形容詞 (adj.)

The rural scenery was so beautiful that he decided to stay one more week.

鄉(xiāng)村風光太美了，以致于他決定再多呆一星期。

In rural Nepal, owning a book is something many women and children only dream about.

在尼泊爾的鄉(xiāng)下,擁有一本書是許多婦女兒童只能夢想的事情。

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expert

難度：4星核心詞匯，屬常用3000詞

英漢解釋

n.專家；能手

adj.熟練的；內(nèi)行的

參考例句

用作名詞 (n.)

She is a reputable expert.

她是個有聲望的專家。

用作形容詞 (adj.)

The surgeon cut away the tumour with expert skill.

外科大夫用熟練的技術(shù)把腫瘤切去。

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limited

難度：5星基本詞匯，屬常用1000詞

英漢解釋

adj.有限的；被限制的

動詞limit的過去式和過去分詞形式.

參考例句

用作形容詞 (adj.)

We had only limited communion with the natives.

我們與本地人的交往有限。

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intensity

難度：3星常用詞匯，屬常用6000詞

英漢解釋

n.強度；強烈；緊張

參考例句

用作名詞 (n.)

The pain increased in intensity.

疼痛越來越劇烈。

The storm resumed with even greater intensity.

風暴更猛烈地再度肆虐。

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sunrise

難度：3星常用詞匯，屬常用6000詞

英漢解釋

n.【U】日出

n.【C】(太陽升起時的)一片天空

參考例句

用作名詞 (n.)

The beauty of the sunrise is beyond description.

日出的美景難以描述。

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reputation

難度：3星常用詞匯，屬常用6000詞

英漢解釋

n.好名聲；聲譽，名聲，名氣

參考例句

用作名詞 (n.)

This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.

這家商店因公平交易而獲好名聲。

He earned a high reputation for his learning.

他在學識方面享有很高的聲譽。

 

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