Name: Kyle
News source: New York Times
Name of article writer: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush
Date of article: 16 Jan 2010
News resource：http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/17/opinion/17clinton.html?hp
This news report is actually a speech made by two former American Presidents: Bill Clinton and George W. Bush after a meeting with President Obama on the American relief efforts in Haiti. President Obama asked the two former presidents to take charge of private-sector fund raising efforts. In this speech, two former presidents firstly appreciated the generosity of American people a lot by reviewing what American people did in face of previous disasters. Also they stated the object of fund raising and interpreted a concrete plan to allot the funds. They indicated that there were still lots of complicated work to do and American Government believed that Haitian government could lead Haitian people to rebuild their homeland successfully. At last, they called upon all American people to give a hand to their neighbor suffering in the earthquake Haiti.
Compared with the reaction to Sichuan earthquake, the reaction of American government to the Haiti earthquake showed that the U.S. took this matter seriously; also it seems that the U.S. valued Haiti highly. To be frank, I have to say that the U.S. really did a great job in their relief efforts. More than 10,000 American soldiers were sent to Haiti. Two former presidents, one is Democrat while the other one is Republican, joined hands to help with fund raising efforts.
The main reason, I think, is that the U.S. has been always regarded countries in Central and South America as its own allies, or its “backyard” in another word. However, as those countries like Brazil become stronger and stronger, they no longer follow the U.S.’s lead as always as before. Instead, they developed deeper relationship with other leading powers in the world like Russia, China and European Union. As a result, the U.S. is eager to strengthen its relationship with Central and South American countries. The horrible earthquake happened in Haiti is a perfect opportunity for the U.S. to show its power as well as its intention to continue the close relationship with those countries. Another important reason is that the U.S. wants to build a positive image in the world.
Anyway, it is still pleasant to see Haiti getting help from the world. Whatever reasons behind it, saving life is the most crucial work for now.
At the beginning, let me mourn for the victims in this disastrous earthquake in Haiti...
回复删除As a small country of islands in the Caribbean, Haiti has no enough ability to save itself. Therefore, it does need the global aids. I quite agree with you that US having immediately sent a rescue team can release Haiti a lot and US really wants to ally with the Latin American countries. I think your points are persuasive. What I want to emphasize is that for both financial and political reasons, the strong countries need more countries to ally with so that they can keep strong. US, Russia and even China should do so. I really like your last sentence, which let me know that, as long as the results is beneficial for all, it is not important that the aim is not pure.
(Puluo)
I agree that big countries should ally with big countries because only in this way can them co-operate and moving further together.They sometimes have the same goal and can benefit each other.
回复删除But big countries should also help small countries to develop. Our earth is a big family. We can not isolate certain group of people.Especially when we are confronted will big disastes, we must unit together to overcome the problems.
Brian