Why is the Middle East in flames and Russia on the rampage? In both Europe and the Middle East, it is common to hear the blame placed on Barack Obama. The US president, it is charged, is a weak and disengaged leader who has allowed international events to get out of control. Many Americans — both liberals and conservatives — make the same accusation. Sarah Palin, darling of the American right, has called Mr Obama “capitulator-in-chief”. Roger Cohen, a New York Times columnist, has blamed Syria’s agony on the “fecklessness and purposelessness” of the Obama administration.
为何中东战火纷飞？为何俄罗斯横冲直撞？在欧洲和中东，人们常将此归咎于美国总统巴拉克•奥巴马(Barack Obama)。人们指称，这位美国总统是一名软弱、置身事外的领导人，放任国际事态失控。许多美国人——既有自由派，也有保守派——对奥巴马提出了同样的指责。备受美国右翼青睐的沙拉•佩林(Sarah Palin)把奥巴马称为“投降总司令”。《纽约时报》(New York Times)专栏作家罗杰•科恩(Roger Cohen)把叙利亚的苦难归因为奥巴马政府的“低效无能和漫无目标”。