美国密切关注拉美局势(1/2)

英语自学网

拉美国际安全形势紧张，吸引美国密切关注。美国希望借峰会重树地区影响。
Hints：
Barack Obama
Summit of the Americas
Leon Panetta
Steve Johnson
Pentagon
Venezuela
Hugo Chavez
校对：阿焰
翻译&注解：cherryxyr
组长：蓝色三叶草
答疑：betty0925It is a region that is often out of U.S. headlines. But now, the worry that drug and human smuggling networks in the area may turn into a terrorist corridor is driving U.S. leaders to point their attention south.
This month, President Barack Obama attended the Summit of the Americas in Colombia, and his Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, is paying visits to Colombia, Brazil, and Chile - nations with which Washington has longstanding partnerships.
Steve Johnson is a former Pentagon official specializing in Latin America.
"This is a way of making contact and dealing with the region at a time when there's a growing concern over the ability of many countries to be able to handle the threat posed by transnational crime and, specifically, drug trafficking organizations."
One U.S. concern is Venezuela's military buildup and the country's partnership with Iran.   
Reports of the deteriorating health of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez and the country's elections this year have Washington watching for signs of instability.这片地区很少会受到美国人的关注。但是如今，毒品和人口走私网很可能使该地区成为恐怖分子进入美国境内的途径。此类担心使美国领导班子把注意力放到了南部地区。
巴拉克·奥巴马总统本月出席了在哥伦比亚举行的美洲国家首脑峰会。国防部长莱昂·帕内塔则在此期间访问了和美国保持长期合作关系的哥伦比亚、巴西和智利等国。
史蒂夫·约翰逊是前美国国防部官员，专门研究拉丁美洲。“当各国处理跨国犯罪（尤其是贩毒组织）的威胁的能力越来越受关注时，访问各国是与相关地区取得联系并逐步解决问题的方法。”
委内瑞拉的军备加强和其与伊朗的伙伴关系也是美国关心的诸多问题之一。
委内瑞拉领导人乌戈·查韦斯的身体健康每况愈下，该国今年还要举行大选。这让华盛顿当局一直在等待任何局势不稳定的迹象出现。