全屏显示专题章节

There are many things to say—and are being said—about Barack Obama's historic victory in the U.S.presidential election，and analysts of the fascinating transformations of American society will do a far better job than myself at explaining the outCome.

But as I surveyed the extraordinary non-U.S.response to Obama's undisputed achievement the morning after his victory beCome clear to the world，I was tempted into a further thought:Will the sheer appeal of this man across the globe actually make an impact upon America's capacity to persuade other nations to follow its lead and agree to measures that Washington wants but fellow members of the system of states may not initially be so enthusiastic about?Will it convince governments and peoples abroad that policies“made in the U.S.A.”are good for humankind as a whole?

For this，after all，is the definition of the term“soft power”as it was first systematically argued by Joseph Nye of Harvard University in a series of books he composed during the early 1990s.For too long，Nye suggested，realist scholars had focused far too heavily upon the hardknuckled dimensions of military and economic/financial power and ignored the significance of national characteristics that allowed certain countries to“win friends and influence people”better than others.

An attractive way of life，an appealing culture，a capacity to be marching with(or at the head of)world opinion rather than standing against it were thus as potentially useful parts of a nation's toolkit as were clever diplomats，financial solidity or even large aircraft carriers.

It is clear that when Nye developed these ideas he believed that the United States possessed most of the attributes of soft power:That is，he rightly felt that Hollywood，MTV and American youth culture had much greater worldwide appeal than did the collapsed Soviet Union.

Moreover，vast parts of the globe were marching in the direction pointed to by the Founding Fathers—democracy，the rule of law，economic liberty and so on.All of this reinforced America's special position in the world.It also confounded scholars who were writing about American decline.The three-legged stool of U.S.military power，economic power and soft power would keep the Republic at the top for generations to Come.

Then Come George W.Bush，Dick Cheney，Donald Rumsfeld and the neo-con agendas of military activism，ideological assertiveness，overriding of some basic human rights，unbalanced stress upon“the war on terror”and John-Bolton-like distaste for multilateralism—a collective bag of prejudices that the efforts of more moderate Republicans such as Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice could only rarely ameliorate.

By all measures of ranking world opinion—for example，the Pew Foundation global polls—the Bush administration beCome the most unpopular in recent American history.Unsurprisingly，therefore，America's“soft power”collapsed.The capacity of the White House to persuade other countries to do what it deems best was battered；the worldwide empathy that followed the 9/11 attacks steadily evaporated，even among countries traditionally most friendly to，or most reliant upon，the United States.

Last week's collective global rejoicing at the end of the Bush era was testimony to how far the nation of Lincoln，Wilson，FDR and Kennedy had fallen into international dislike over the past eight years.

Yet soft power，perhaps by its very nature，is volatile.And it is surely more easily adjustable and amendable than，say，a long-term relative decline in military-strategic power.So the interesting question remains: Will the electoral victory of Barack Hussein Obama give back to America that third“leg”of the stool，the triple undercarriage that supports its world position，the grand if immeasurable advantage of political and ideological appeal?

Judging from the media reports from far and wide，the answer is an unreserved“yes.”Predictably，President Nicolas Sarkozy of France cabled Obama with the message:“Your election raises in France，in Europe and elsewhere in the world，an immense hope，”offering a Gallic embrace that the next incumbent of the White House would be wise to accept with care even if the sentiments are sincere.

The jubilation across Africa and Indonesia，both claiming an Obama relationship，is widespread.Regimes that do not permit free and open elections are clearly disturbed at the ripple effects，just as their political opponents are heartened by this amazing example of democratic openness.Even the most purblind Hezbollah or Iranian fundamentalist is going to find it hard to accuse someone called Barack Hussein(descendant of the Prophet)of inherent anti-Muslim prejudice.

To be sure，if Obama attempts to rely upon international goodwill alone that would be like an automobile seeking to run on hot air rather than high-grade gasoline.What the next president needs to do is recognize clearly what the hopes are that have made him so popular in so many different parts of the world:the African hopes that he will give real help to their troubled continent；the desires across Latin America that he will keep to liberal policies on trade and immigration，offer to ease the impasse with Cuba，and pay their region real respect；the yearnings in Europe，Canada and Australasia that he will take seriously America's obligations toward international institutions and treaties，including environmental and anti-protectionist commitments；and the moderate-Arab hopes that he will offer more than lip service to the Palestinians.

All of these aspirations are much easier stated than realized，and all of them will involve compromises between certain of his campaign promises to American voters and the larger“constituency”he has picked up overseas.Yet if he really wishes to recover America's soft power in the world，he will have to begin by offering the world something of what foreigners yearn for，not the whole stall of course，but items that look good and agreeable and helpful to quelling our many global fears and discontents.

Here a close study of the rhetoric and the actual policies of his predecessors Wilson，FDR and JFK will Come in very handy indeed.For，as historians will tell you，none of those great“internationalist”statesmen did anything other than pursue America's“national”interests.What they had in common was the wisdom to see how they could merge what was good for their country with what was good for the world，or at least large parts of it.

They convinced millions of people worldwide to have faith in America's commitment，judgment and leadership，and thus to take more seriously reform proposals that would emanate from the White House.That，in a nutshell，is what soft power is all about.

But because it is“soft，”it can dissipate fast.Large parts of an anxious world are waiting with hope for the coming of an Obama presidency，and most are sensible enough not to expect a sort of first-100-days miracle.But they are sitting in judgment，like the voters of Ohio and Florida，and willing to give“the new man”the benefit of the doubt—but not forever，perhaps not for long.Like many other things in life，Obama's bid to restore American soft power has term limits.

Paul Kennedy is the J.Richardson Professor of History and the director of International Security Studies at Yale University.He is currently writing a history of the Second World War.Distributed by Tribune Media Services.

1.What does the title of the article mean?

2.Why does the writer suggest that“the next incumbent of the White House”should accept the“Gallic embrace”with care?

3.What problems did Joseph Nye see in realist scholars in international relations?What do you think?

4.Why does the writer think Hezbollah will find it hard to accuse Obama of anti-Muslim prejudice?

5.What does Paul Kennedy suggest Obama should do internationally?

Founding Fathers:In the US context，it is a general name for male American patriots during the Revolutionary War，especially the signers of the Declaration of Independence and those who drafted the Constitution.John Adams，BenjaminFranklin，AlexanderHamilton，Thomas Jefferson，James Madison，and George Washington were all Founding Fathers.

War on terror:In his remarks the evening of September 11，2001，President George W.Bush(1946-)vowed that“America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world，and we stand together to win the war against terrorism.”TV newscasts were soon emblazoned with the message，“America's War on Terror，”or simply，“The War on Terror.”The events of 9/11 catapulted the free world into a new era，in which conflicts no longer were limited to wars between nations.There was a new enemy，which knew no national boundaries，whose“army”was covert，and which mercilessly targeted civilians.

Ripple effect:A gradually spreading effect or influence.The ripple effect is an education-related term associated with the studies of Jacob Kounin.It involves the effects that a reprimand in a group has on members of the group who are not the intended targets of the reprimand(or desist，as Kounin coins it).The ripple effect can also apply if students are not reprimanded to correct a behavior.For example，if one student is talking when he or she is not supposed to be talking，and is not reprimanded，the behavior will spread like a ripple through water，as the rest of the class beComes increasingly more likely to talk at inappropriate times.However，this example does not necessarily apply in all situations，as many variables are introduced through human interaction as in a classroom setting.“涟漪效应”亦称为“模仿效应”，是由美国教育心理学家杰考白·库宁提出的，定义为:一群人看到有人破坏规则，而未见对这种不良行为的及时处理，就会模仿破坏规则的行为。特指在社会上由某些现象引起的社会波动，如不受舆论的制止，将会波及很远的人群，甚至造成不可收拾的局面。

Lip service:Verbal expression of agreement or allegiance，unsupported by real conviction or action；hypocritical respect.

Constituency:A constituency is any cohesive body of people bound by shared identity，goals，or loyalty.Constituency can be used to describe a business's customer base and shareholders，or a charity's donors or those it serves.In politics，a constituency can mean either the people from whom an individual or organization hopes to attract support，or the people or geographical area that a particular elected official represents.A constituent is any member of a constituency，including those who did not vote for an elected representative.

JFK:通常被称作约翰·F·肯尼迪或杰克·肯尼迪(Jack Kennedy)，美国第35任总统，美国著名的肯尼迪家族成员，他的执政时间从1961年1月20日开始到1963年11月22日在达拉斯遇刺身亡为止。他是在美国颇具影响力的肯尼迪政治家族的一员，被视为美国自由主义的代表。肯尼迪在1946—1960年期间曾先后任众议员和参议员，并于1960年当选为美国总统，成为美国历史上最年轻的总统，也是美国历史上唯一信奉罗马天主教的总统。

Come in handy:迟早有用，派得上用场，用得上。To be useful or helpful，especially at some time in the future.

Benefit of the doubt:A favorable judgement given in the absence of full evidence，即innocent until proved guilty。相反的做法是burden of proof。

Soft power:软实力是相对于国内生产总值、城市基础设施等硬实力而言的，是指一个城市的文化、价值观念、社会制度等影响自身发展潜力和感召力的因素。20世纪90年代初，哈佛大学教授约瑟夫·奈首创“软实力”概念——一种能力，它能通过吸引力而非威逼或利诱手段达到目的，是一国综合实力中除传统的、基于军事和经济实力的硬实力之外的另一组成部分。“软实力”主要包括以下几种内容:一是文化的吸引力和感染力。二是意识形态和政治价值观的吸引力。三是外交政策的道义和正当性。四是处理国家间关系时的亲和力。五是发展道路和制度模式的吸引力。六是对国际规范、国际标准和国际机制的导向、制定和控制能力。七是国际舆论对一国国际形象的赞赏和认可程度。Soft power is the ability to obtain what you want through co-option and attraction rather than the hard power of coercion and payment.It was developed in the context of international relations theory by Harvard University professor Joseph Nye，in a 1990 book，Bound to Lead:The Changing Nature of American Power.He further developed the concept in his 2004 book，Soft Power:The Means to Success in World Politics.The term is now widely used in international affairs by analysts and statesmen.American Secretary of Defense Robert Gates spoke of the need to enhance American soft power by“a dramatic increase in spending on the civilian instruments of national security—diplomacy，strategic communications，foreign assistance，civic action and economicreconstructionanddevelopment.”Ininternational politics，the soft power of a country rests primarily on three resources: its culture(in places where it is attractive to others)，its political values(when it lives up to them at home and abroad)，and its foreign policies(when they are seen as legitimate and having moral authority.)In 2008，Nye applied the concepts of hard and soft power to individual leadership in“The Powers to Lead”.At the individual level，key examples of soft power resources are charisma，communication，persuasion，symbolic action，and exemplary behavior.The idea of attraction as a form of power is not new，and can be dated back to such ancient Chinese philosophers as Lao Tsu in the 7th century B.C.，but the modern development and use of the soft power terminology dates back only to the late 20th century.

Realism in International Relations:Realism，also known as political realism(not to be confused with Realpolitik)，in the context of internationalrelations，encompassesavarietyoftheoriesand approaches，all of which share a belief that states are primarily motivated by the desire for military and economic power or security，rather than ideals or ethics.This term is often synonymous with power politics.The term realism can，instead of referring to the broad family of realist theories，refer specifically to“classical realism”，the common ancestor and original form of realism.Realpolitik(现实政治)refers to politics or diplomacy based primarily on practical considerations，rather than ideological notions.The term realpolitik is often used pejoratively to imply politics that are coercive，amoral，or Machiavellian.Realpolitik is a theory of politics that focuses on considerations of power，not ideals，morals，or principles.

MTV:U.S.cable television network，established in 1980 to present videos of musicians and singers performing new rock music.MTV won a wide following among rock-music fans worldwide and greatly affected the popular-music business.Soon virtually every major pop or rock performer was making videos to be shown on MTV，and the reception of their videos directly affected future sales.The network later expanded to include original programming such as the animated Beavis and Butthead and the reality series Real World，separate international networks(e.g.，MTV Europe，MTV Latin America，and MTV Russia)，and the MTV Video Music Awards.MTV is controlled by the media conglomerate Viacom Inc.

Neo-con:U.S.political movement.It originated in the 1960s among conservatives and some liberals who were repelled by or disillusioned with what they viewed as the political and Cultural trends of the time，including leftist political radicalism，lack of respect for authority and tradition，and hedonistic and immoral lifestyles.Neoconservatives generally advocate a free-market economy with minimum taxation and government economic regulation；strict limits on government-provided social-welfare programs；and a strong military supported by large defense budgets.Neoconservatives also believe that government policy should respect the importance of traditional institutions such as religion and the family.Unlike most conservatives of earlier generations，neoconservatives maintain that the United States should take an active role in world affairs，though they are generally suspicious of international institutions，such as the United Nations and the World Court，whose authority could intrude upon American sovereignty or limit the country's freedom to act in its own interests.新保守主义与传统保守主义不同，它提倡民主主义。20世纪六七十年代以来，新保守主义逐渐取代新自由主义而成为西方政治民主化理论的主流。其代表人物有哈耶克、弗里德曼、布坎南、亨廷顿等人。新保守主义理论不把民主当做一种终极价值，而当做一种手段而已。既然民主只是一种手段，就有必要对之加以限制，实行“有限民主”。新保守主义完全不同意以国家干预来保障民主的观点，以布坎南为代表的“公共选择理论”学者严厉抨击现行资本主义国家代议制民主，指出政府本身是“经济人”，在决策过程中会利用自己在信息、决策程序设置权等方面的优势尽可能左右决策结果。现行代议制民主又在制度上承认了这种局面的合法性，公民个人对决策的影响微不足道。因此，当代民主制度需要重建，实行“宪法民主”，约束政府行为。

Multilateralism:Multilateralism is a term in international relations that refers to multiple countries working in concert on a given issue.Most international organizations，such as the United Nations(UN)and the World Trade Organization are multilateral in nature.The main proponents of multilateralism have traditionally been the middle powers such as Canada，Australia and the Nordic countries.Larger states often act unilaterally，while the smaller ones may have little direct power at all in international affairs aside from participation in the United Nations(by consolidating their UN vote in a voting bloc with other nations，for example).Moreover，multilateralism involves all nations acting together as in the UN and does not involve regional or military alliances，pacts or groupings.The converse of multilateralism is unilateralism in terms of political philosophy.多边主义是指两个以上的国家进行国际合作，旨在解决国际问题、处理由于国际关系中人们所认知的或实际存在的无政府状态所引发的冲突。按照约翰·罗杰的解释，是指“根据普遍的行为原则，协调三个或三个以上国家间关系的一种制度形式”。中国一些学者认为多边主义是指世界各国在国际事务中应相互尊重、平等协商、加强合作，反对一国一意孤行，无礼对待别国。

Dspite the breath of fresh air Obama brings，the reality remains:great nations rely on economic and military might

http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/59888/joseph-s-nye-jr/thedeclineof-americas-soft-power

John-Bolton-like:新闻英语中临时造词现象较其他文体而言更为活跃。如在broadcast语境中，作者可以临时造一个“narrowcast”一词，虽说此词词典可能没有收录，但细心的读者会通过上下文推断narrowcast是小范围地宣传之意。同样，在讲述美国前总统小布什的语境中若出现out-Bush，读者可能也会推断是说某人比小布什在某方面还厉害。而本文此处的John-Bolton-likedistastefor multilateralism则可解读出这位美国驻联合国常任代表(大使)对多边主义的反感了。

Ⅰ.According to the article，determine which statements are true and which are false.

1.Joseph Nye of Harvard University first developed the idea of“soft power”.

2.Condoleezza Rice might be more moderate than John Bolton.

3.World reactions to Obama's victory tempted the writer to think more deeply about soft power.

4.Neo-con agenda does not include unbalanced stress on“the war on terror”.

5.American Founding Fathers advocated an appealing culture and the rule of law.

1.All of the following are symbols of soft powe r except________.

A.financial solidity

B.Hollywood

C.attractive ways of life

D.American youth culture

2.The three-legged stool of U.S.includes_________.

A.military power

B.economic strength

C.soft power

D.all of the above

3.FDR________.

A.may be an initial for a business

B.may be a former U.S.President

C.may be a colleague of Joseph Nye at Harvard

D.none of the above

4.This passage mentions that Obama is________.

A.related to Indonesia

B.related to Africa

C.both A and B

D.neither A nor B

5.Which of the following is NOT true according to the article?

A.Wilson and JFK all took internationalist approaches to pursuing America's national interests.

B.Soft power to the writer means to get the world convinced of the faith in America's commitment，judgment and leadership.

C.People don't expect a miracle from Obama in his first 100 days in office.

D.Paul Kennedy was surprised to see the collapse of America's soft power during Bush administration.