Good afternoon, everybody. I want to say a few words on a number of topics and take a few questions before the long Labor Day weekend. 各位下午好。在漫长的劳动节长周末到来之前，我想就若干议题讲几句话，然后回答几个问题。
First, beginning with the number one thing most Americans care about -- the economy. This morning, we found out that our economy actually grew at a stronger clip in the 2nd quarter than we originally thought. Companies are investing. Consumers are spending. Over the past four and a half years, our businesses have now created nearly 10 million new jobs. So there are reasons to feel good about the direction we’re headed. 首先，从大多数美国人最关心的头等大事——经济说起。今天上午，我们得知第二季度经济的实际增长速度比我们最初预期的更加强劲。企业在投资。消费者在消费。在过去四年半里，我国企业现已创造了近一千万个新就业岗位。因此，我们有理由对前进的方向感到乐观。
But as everybody knows, there’s a lot more that we should be doing to make sure that all Americans benefit from the progress that we’ve made. And I’m going to be pushing Congress hard on this when they return next week. 但众所周知，我们还需要做更多的工作，以确保所有美国人都能从我们取得的进步中受益。下周国会复会后，我将在这个问题上大力推动国会采取行动。
Second, in Iraq, our dedicated pilots and crews continue to carry out the targeted strikes that I authorized to protect Americans there and to address the humanitarian situation on the ground. 第二，在伊拉克，我们恪尽职守的飞行员和机组人员继续执行我授权的定向打击行动，以保护在那里的美国人员，并应对当地的人道主义局势。
As Commander-in-Chief, I will always do what is necessary to protect the American people and defend against evolving threats to our homeland. Because of our strikes, the terrorists of ISIL are losing arms and equipment. In some areas, Iraqi government and Kurdish forces have begun to push them back. 作为三军统帅，我将始终采取一切必要措施保护美国人民，抵御针对我国本土不断演变的威胁。由于我们的打击行动，伊斯兰国恐怖分子正在损失武器装备。在一些地区，伊拉克政府和库尔德武装已开始将其击退。
And we continue to be proud and grateful to our extraordinary personnel serving in this mission. 我们将继续为执行此次任务的杰出人员感到骄傲和感激。
Now, ISIL poses an immediate threat to the people of Iraq and to people throughout the region. And that’s why our military action in Iraq has to be part of a broader, comprehensive strategy to protect our people and to support our partners who are taking the fight to ISIL. And that starts with Iraq’s leaders building on the progress that they’ve made so far and forming an inclusive government that will unite their country and strengthen their security forces to confront ISIL. 目前，伊斯兰国对伊拉克人民和整个地区的人民构成了直接威胁。正因如此，我们在伊拉克的军事行动必须成为更广泛、更全面战略的一部分，以保护我们的人民，并支持那些正在与伊斯兰国作战的伙伴。这首先要从伊拉克领导人着手——他们需要在迄今取得的进展基础上，组建一个具有包容性的政府，团结国家，加强安全部队，以对抗伊斯兰国。
Any successful strategy, though, also needs strong regional partners. I’m encouraged so far that countries in the region -- countries that don’t always agree on many things -- increasingly recognize the primacy of the threat that ISIL poses to all of them. And I’ve asked Secretary Kerry to travel to the region to continue to build the coalition that’s needed to meet this threat. As I’ve said, rooting out a cancer like ISIL will not be quick or easy, but I’m confident that we can -- and we will -- working closely with our allies and our partners. 然而，任何成功的战略都需要强有力的地区伙伴。令我感到鼓舞的是，该地区的国家——那些在诸多问题上并不总能达成一致的国家——正日益认识到伊斯兰国对所有国家构成的威胁的首要性。我已指示克里国务卿前往该地区，继续构建应对这一威胁所需的联盟。正如我所说，铲除伊斯兰国这样的毒瘤不会一蹴而就，也不会轻而易举，但我有信心我们能够——而且我们将会——与我们的盟友和伙伴密切合作。
For our part, I’ve directed Secretary Hagel and our Joint Chiefs of Staff to prepare a range of options. I’ll be meeting with my National Security Council again this evening as we continue to develop that strategy. And I’ve been consulting with members of Congress and I’ll continue to do so in the days ahead. 就我国而言，我已指示哈格尔国防部长和参谋长联席会议准备一系列军事选项。今晚我将再次与国家安全委员会会面，继续制定这一战略。我一直在与国会议员磋商，未来几天也将继续这样做。
Finally, I just spoke with Chancellor Merkel of Germany on the situation in Ukraine. We agree -- if there was ever any doubt -- that Russia is responsible for the violence in eastern Ukraine. The violence is encouraged by Russia. The separatists are trained by Russia. They are armed by Russia. They are funded by Russia. Russia has deliberately and repeatedly violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. And the new images of Russian forces inside Ukraine make that plain for the world to see. This comes as Ukrainian forces are making progress against the separatists. 最后，我刚刚与德国总理默克尔就乌克兰局势通了话。我们一致认为——如果说此前还有任何疑虑的话——俄罗斯应对乌克兰东部的暴力负责。暴力受到俄罗斯的怂恿。分离武装由俄罗斯训练。他们由俄罗斯武装。他们由俄罗斯资助。俄罗斯蓄意且一再侵犯乌克兰的主权和领土完整。俄罗斯军队进入乌克兰境内的新图像让全世界都看清了这一点。而与此同时，乌克兰部队正在打击分离武装的行动中取得进展。
As a result of the actions Russia has already taken, and the major sanctions we’ve imposed with our European and international partners, Russia is already more isolated than at any time since the end of the Cold War. Capital is fleeing. Investors are increasingly staying out. Its economy is in decline. And this ongoing Russian incursion into Ukraine will only bring more costs and consequences for Russia. 由于俄罗斯已经采取的行动，以及我们与欧洲和国际伙伴共同实施的严厉制裁，俄罗斯已经比冷战结束以来任何时候都更加孤立。资本正在外逃。投资者越来越却步。其经济在衰退。而俄罗斯持续入侵乌克兰的行为只会给俄罗斯带来更多的代价和后果。
Next week, I’ll be in Europe to coordinate with our closest allies and partners. In Estonia, I will reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the defense of our NATO allies. 下周，我将前往欧洲，与我们最亲密的盟友和伙伴协调立场。在爱沙尼亚，我将重申我们对北约盟国防御的坚定承诺。
At the NATO Summit in the United Kingdom, we’ll focus on the additional steps we can take to ensure the Alliance remains prepared for any challenge. Our meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission will be another opportunity for our alliance to continue our partnership with Ukraine. And I look forward to reaffirming the unwavering commitment of the United States to Ukraine and its people when I welcome President Poroshenko to the White House next month. 在英国举行的北约峰会上，我们将重点讨论可以采取的额外措施，以确保联盟始终准备好应对任何挑战。我们在北约-乌克兰委员会的会议将是我们的联盟继续与乌克兰保持伙伴关系的又一契机。我期待在下个月欢迎波罗申科总统访问白宫时，重申美国对乌克兰及其人民的坚定承诺。
So with that, I’m going to take a few questions. And I’m going to start with somebody who I guess is now a big cheese -- he’s moved on. But I understand this is going to be his last chance to ask me a question in the press room. So I want to congratulate Chuck Todd and give him first dibs. 好，我现在来回答几个问题。我想先请一位我猜现在已经是大人物的人——他已经另谋高就了。但我知道这将是他最后一次在这个新闻发布厅向我提问的机会。所以我要祝贺查克·托德，并给他第一个提问的机会。
Q: I’m glad you said “in the press room.” Let me start with Syria. The decision that you have to make between -- first of all, is it a “if” or “when” situation about going after ISIL in Syria? Can you defeat ISIL or ISIS without going after them in Syria? And then how do you prioritize? You have said that Assad has lost legitimacy to lead. Defeating ISIS could help Assad keep power. Talk about how you prioritize those two pieces of your foreign policy. 问：我很高兴你提到“在这个新闻发布厅里”。让我从叙利亚问题开始。你必须做出的决定——首先，在叙利亚打击伊斯兰国是“是否”还是“何时”的问题？不进入叙利亚打击伊斯兰国，你能打败它吗？那么你如何区分轻重缓急？你曾说阿萨德已失去执政合法性。打败伊斯兰国可能会帮助阿萨德保住权力。请谈谈你如何在外交政策的这两个目标之间确定优先级。
President Obama: Well, first of all, I want to make sure everybody is clear on what we’re doing now, because it is limited. Our focus right now is to protect American personnel on the ground in Iraq; to protect our embassy, to protect our consulates, to make sure that critical infrastructure that could adversely affect our personnel is protected. 奥巴马总统：嗯，首先，我想确保每个人都清楚我们目前在做什么，因为我们的行动是有限的。我们目前的重点是保护在伊拉克的美国人员；保护我们的大使馆，保护我们的领事馆，确保可能对我方人员造成不利影响的关键基础设施得到保护。
Where we see an opportunity that allows us with very modest risk to help the humanitarian situation there as we did in Sinjar Mountain, we will take those opportunities after having consulted with Congress. But our core priority right now is just to make sure that our folks are safe and to do an effective assessment of Iraqi and Kurdish capabilities. 只要我们看到有机会以极低风险帮助改善那里的人道主义局势——就像我们在辛贾尔山所做的那样——在与国会磋商后，我们会抓住这些机会。但我们目前的核心要务只是确保我们人员的安全，并对伊拉克和库尔德武装的能力进行有效评估。
As I said I think in the last press conference, in order for us to be successful, we’ve got to have an Iraqi government that is unified and inclusive. So we are continuing to push them to get that job done. As soon as we have an Iraqi government in place, the likelihood of the Iraqi security forces being more effective in taking the fight to ISIL significantly increases. And the options that I’m asking for from the Joint Chiefs focuses primarily on making sure that ISIL is not overrunning Iraq. 我想在上次记者会上我就说过，为了取得成功，我们必须有一个统一且具有包容性的伊拉克政府。因此我们正在继续推动他们完成这项工作。一旦伊拉克新政府成立，伊拉克安全部队在打击伊斯兰国的行动中更加有效的可能性将大大增加。我要求参谋长联席会议准备的军事选项主要侧重于确保伊斯兰国不会占领伊拉克全境。
What is true, though, is that the violence that’s been taking place in Syria has obviously given ISIL a safe haven there in ungoverned spaces. And in order for us to degrade ISIL over the long term, we’re going to have to build a regional strategy. Now, we’re not going to do that alone. 然而，事实是，叙利亚境内持续发生的暴力显然为伊斯兰国在那里的无人管辖地区提供了避风港。为了长期削弱伊斯兰国，我们必须制定一项地区战略。当然，我们不会独自这样做。
We’re going to have to do that with other partners, and particularly Sunni partners, because part of the goal here is to make sure that Sunnis both in Syria and in Iraq feel as if they’ve got an investment in a government that actually functions, a government that can protect them, a government that makes sure that their families are safe from the barbaric acts that we’ve seen in ISIL. And right now, those structures are not in place. 我们必须与其他伙伴合作，尤其是逊尼派伙伴，因为这里的部分目标是确保叙利亚和伊拉克的逊尼派都感到他们对一个有效运作的政府、一个能够保护他们的政府、一个确保他们家人免受伊斯兰国野蛮行径伤害的政府拥有归属感。而目前，这些机制尚未建立。
And that’s why the issue with respect to Syria is not simply a military issue, it’s also a political issue. It’s also an issue that involves all the Sunni states in the region and Sunni leadership recognizing that this cancer that has developed is one that they have to be just as invested in defeating as we are. 正因如此，叙利亚问题不仅仅是一个军事问题，也是一个政治问题。这还涉及该地区所有逊尼派国家和逊尼派领导人——他们需要认识到，这股滋生的毒瘤必须被铲除，他们和我们一样有责任投入其中。
And so to cut to the chase in terms of what may be your specific concerns, Chuck, my priority at this point is to make sure that the gains that ISIL made in Iraq are rolled back, and that Iraq has the opportunity to govern itself effectively and secure itself. 所以，直截了当地回答你可能关心的具体问题，查克，我目前的首要任务是确保伊斯兰国在伊拉克取得的成果被击退，确保伊拉克有机会有效自治并保障自身安全。
But when we look at a broader strategy that is consistent with what I said at West Point, that’s consistent with what I said at the National Defense College, clearly ISIL has come to represent the very worst elements in the region that we have to deal with collectively. And that’s going to be a long-term project. It’s going to require us to stabilize Syria in some fashion, and stabilizing Syria in some fashion means that we’ve got to get moderate Sunnis who are able to govern and offer a real alternative and competition to what ISIL has been doing in some of these spaces. 但是，当我们考虑一项与我在西点军校和国防学院讲话相一致的更广泛战略时，显然伊斯兰国已经成为该地区最恶劣势力的代表，我们必须共同应对。这将是一个长期项目。它要求我们以某种方式稳定叙利亚，而以某种方式稳定叙利亚意味着我们必须扶持温和的逊尼派，使他们能够执政，并为伊斯兰国在部分地区的所作所为提供真正的替代选择和制衡力量。
Now, the last point with respect to Assad, it’s not just my opinion -- I think it would be international opinion -- that Assad has lost legitimacy in terms of dropping barrel bombs on innocent families and killing tens of thousands of people. And right now, what we’re seeing is the areas that ISIL is occupying are not controlled by Assad anyway. And, frankly, Assad doesn’t seem to have the capability or reach to get into those areas. 关于阿萨德的最后一点——这不仅是我的看法，我认为也是国际社会的看法——阿萨德向无辜家庭投掷桶装炸弹，造成数万人死亡，已失去合法性。而目前我们看到，伊斯兰国占领的地区反正也不在阿萨德的控制之下。坦率地说，阿萨德似乎没有能力或力量进入那些地区。
So I don’t think this is a situation where we have to choose between Assad or the kinds of people who carry on the incredible violence that we’ve been seeing there. We will continue to support a moderate opposition inside of Syria, in part because we have to give people inside of Syria a choice other than ISIL or Assad. 所以我不认为我们面临着在阿萨德和那些在叙利亚实施令人发指的暴力的人之间二选一的局面。我们将继续支持叙利亚境内的温和反对派，部分原因是我们必须给叙利亚人民一个除了伊斯兰国或阿萨德之外的选择。
And I don’t see any scenario in which Assad somehow is able to bring peace and stability to a region that is majority Sunni and has not so far shown any willingness to share power with them or in any kind of significant way deal with the longstanding grievances that they have there. 我看不到任何情景，阿萨德能够以某种方式为这个逊尼派占多数的地区带来和平与稳定——他迄今没有表现出任何与逊尼派分享权力的意愿，也没有以任何有意义的方式解决他们长期存在的不满。
Q: Do you need Congress’s approval to go into Syria? 问：进入叙利亚需要国会批准吗？
President Obama: I have consulted with Congress throughout this process. I am confident that as Commander-in-Chief I have the authorities to engage in the acts that we are conducting currently. As our strategy develops, we will continue to consult with Congress. And I do think that it will be important for Congress to weigh in, or that our consultations with Congress continue to develop so that the American people are part of the debate. 奥巴马总统：在整个过程中我一直与国会磋商。我有信心，作为三军统帅，我有权采取我们目前正在实施的行动。随着我们战略的推进，我们将继续与国会磋商。我确实认为国会的参与很重要，或者说我们与国会的磋商应继续深化，让美国人民参与到这场辩论中来。
But I don’t want to put the cart before the horse. We don’t have a strategy yet. I think what I’ve seen in some of the news reports suggests that folks are getting a little further ahead of where we’re at than we currently are. And I think that’s not just my assessment, but the assessment of our military as well. We need to make sure that we’ve got clear plans, that we’re developing them. At that point, I will consult with Congress and make sure that their voices are heard. 但我不想本末倒置。我们还没有制定出战略。我认为我在一些新闻报道中看到的情况表明，人们的预期有点超出了我们目前的实际进展。我认为这不仅是我的评估，也是我们军方的评估。我们需要确保我们有清晰的计划，并且正在制定这些计划。到那时，我会与国会磋商，确保他们的意见得到听取。
But there’s no point in me asking for action on the part of Congress before I know exactly what it is that is going to be required for us to get the job done. 但在我确切知道完成这项任务需要什么之前，要求国会采取行动是没有意义的。
Colleen McCain Nelson. 科琳·麦凯恩·纳尔逊。
Q: Thank you, Mr. President. Do you consider today’s escalation in Ukraine an invasion? And when you talk about additional costs to Russia, are you ready at this point to impose broader economic sanctions? Or are you considering other responses that go beyond sanctions? 问：谢谢你，总统先生。你认为乌克兰当前局势的升级是入侵吗？当你谈到让俄罗斯付出更多代价时，你现在是否准备实施更广泛的经济制裁？还是你在考虑制裁之外的其他应对措施？
President Obama: I consider the actions that we’ve seen in the last week a continuation of what’s been taking place for months now. As I said in my opening statement, there is no doubt that this is not a homegrown, indigenous uprising in eastern Ukraine. The separatists are backed, trained, armed, financed by Russia. Throughout this process, we’ve seen deep Russian involvement in everything that they’ve done. 奥巴马总统：我认为我们上周看到的行动是几个月来一直发生的事情的延续。正如我在开场白中所说，毫无疑问，这不是乌克兰东部本土自发的起义。分离武装由俄罗斯支持、训练、武装和资助。在整个过程中，我们看到俄罗斯深度参与了他们的一切行动。
I think in part because of the progress that you had seen by the Ukrainians around Donetsk and Luhansk, Russia determined that it had to be a little more overt in what it had already been doing. But it’s not really a shift. 我认为部分原因是，由于乌克兰军队在顿涅茨克和卢汉斯克周围取得了进展，俄罗斯决定它必须在其一直从事的活动中更加公开一些。但这并不是真正的转变。
What we have seen, though, is that President Putin and Russia have repeatedly passed by potential off-ramps to resolve this diplomatically. And so in our consultations with our European allies and partners, my expectation is, is that we will take additional steps primarily because we have not seen any meaningful action on the part of Russia to actually try to resolve this in diplomatic fashion. 然而，我们看到的是，普京总统和俄罗斯一再错过通过外交途径解决问题的出路。因此，在我们与欧洲盟国和伙伴的磋商中，我的预期是，我们将采取额外措施，主要是因为我们没有看到俄罗斯方面采取任何有意义的行动来真正尝试以外交方式解决这个问题。
And I think that the sanctions that we’ve already applied have been effective. Our intelligence shows that the Russians know they’ve been effective, even though it may not appear on Russian television. And I think there are ways for us to deepen or expand the scope of some of that work. 我认为我们已经实施的制裁是有效的。我们的情报显示，俄罗斯人知道制裁是有效的，尽管俄罗斯电视台可能不会报道。而且我认为我们有办法深化或扩大其中一些措施的范围。
But ultimately, I think what’s important to recognize is the degree to which Russian decision-making is isolating Russia. They're doing this to themselves. And what I’ve been encouraged by is the degree to which our European partners recognize even though they are bearing a cost in implementing these sanctions, they understand that a broader principle is at stake. And so I look forward to the consultations that we’ll have when I see them next week. 但归根结底，我认为重要的是要认识到俄罗斯的决策正在多大程度上孤立俄罗斯自己。这是他们自作自受。令我感到鼓舞的是，我们的欧洲伙伴认识到——尽管他们在实施这些制裁时也付出了代价——他们理解更广泛的原则正处于危险之中。因此，我期待下周与他们会晤时进行磋商。
Zeke Miller. 齐克·米勒。
Q: Thank you, Mr. President. Last year, you said that you believe our democracy is stronger when the President acts with the support of Congress. In response to Chuck’s question you said you don’t have a strategy yet, but you’ll reconsider that going forward. But why didn’t you go to Congress before this current round of strikes in Iraq? Do you not believe that that’s the case anymore, what you said last year? And throughout your career you’ve also said that -- you raised concerns with the expansion of powers of the executive. 问：谢谢你，总统先生。去年你说过，你认为当总统在国会支持下采取行动时，我们的民主会更加强大。在回答查克的问题时，你说你还没有制定出战略，但今后会重新考虑。但你为什么在这一轮伊拉克空袭之前没有去征求国会的意见？你是否不再相信你去年所说的话了？在你整个职业生涯中，你也说过——你对行政权力的扩张表示过担忧。
Are you concerned that your recent actions, unilaterally, had maybe -- have cut against that? 你是否担心你最近的单边行动可能——已经违背了这一立场？
President Obama: No. And here’s why: It is not just part of my responsibility, but it is a sacred duty for me as Commander-in-Chief to protect the American people. And that requires me to act fast, based on information I receive, if an embassy of ours or a consulate of ours is being threatened. The decisions I made were based on very concrete assessments about the possibility that Erbil might be overrun in the Kurdish region and that our consulate could be in danger. And I can’t afford to wait in order to make sure that those folks are protected. 奥巴马总统：不。原因如下：保护美国人民不仅是我职责的一部分，更是我作为三军统帅的神圣使命。这要求我在收到情报后迅速行动，如果我们的大使馆或领事馆受到威胁的话。我做出的决定是基于非常具体的评估，即埃尔比勒可能会在库尔德地区被攻陷，我们的领事馆可能会陷入危险。我不能为了确保那些人员的安全而等待。
But throughout this process, we’ve consulted closely with Congress, and the feedback I’ve gotten from Congress is, is that we’re doing the right thing. 在整个过程中，我们一直与国会密切磋商，我从国会得到的反馈是，我们做的是正确的。
Now, as we go forward -- as I’ve described to Chuck -- and look at a broader regional strategy with an international coalition and partners to systematically degrade ISIL’s capacity to engage in the terrible violence and disruptions that they’ve been engaging in not just in Syria, not just in Iraq, but potentially elsewhere if we don’t nip this at the bud, then those consultations with Congress for something that is longer term I think become more relevant. 现在，展望未来——正如我向查克描述的那样——当我们考虑一项更广泛的地区战略，与国际联盟和伙伴一道系统性地削弱伊斯兰国从事可怕暴力和破坏活动的能力时——他们不仅在叙利亚、在伊拉克这样做，而且如果我们不防患于未然，还可能在其他地方这样做——那么对于更长期的行动，与国会的磋商就变得更加重要。
And it is my intention that Congress has to have some buy-in as representatives of the American people. And, by the way, the American people need to hear what that strategy is. But as I said to Chuck, I don’t want to put the cart before the horse. And in some of the media reports the suggestion seems to have been that we’re about to go full scale on an elaborate strategy for defeating ISIL, and the suggestion, I guess, has been that we’ll start moving forward imminently and somehow Congress -- still out of town -- is going to be left in the dark. That’s not what’s going to happen. 我的意图是，作为美国人民的代表，国会必须参与其中。顺便说一句，美国人民也需要了解这一战略是什么。但正如我对查克所说，我不想本末倒置。一些媒体报道似乎暗示我们即将全面启动一项击败伊斯兰国的详尽战略，而且报道还暗示我们将很快开始行动，国会——仍在休会期间——会被蒙在鼓里。事实并非如此。
We are going to continue to focus on protecting the American people. We’re going to continue, where we can, to engage in the sort of humanitarian acts that saved so many folks who were trapped on a mountain. We are going to work politically and diplomatically with folks in the region. And we’re going to cobble together the kind of coalition that we need for a long-term strategy as soon as we are able to fit together the military, political and economic components of that strategy. 我们将继续专注于保护美国人民。我们将继续在力所能及的范围内开展那种拯救了许多被困在山上的民众的人道主义行动。我们将与该地区各方进行政治和外交合作。
There will be a military aspect to that, and it’s going to be important for Congress to know what that is, in part because it may cost some money. 一旦我们能够整合这一战略的军事、政治和经济组成部分，我们将构建起长期战略所需的那种联盟。这其中将有军事方面的内容，国会了解这一点很重要，部分原因是这可能需要一些经费。
I’ll just take a couple more. Yes. 我再回答几个问题。好的。
Q: Thank you, Mr. President. Do you regret not moving on ISIS earlier? There are some reports indicating that most of the weapons, the U.S. weapons that they have, they got it or they acquired it after the fall of Mosul. And also, the Iraqi President said today that the Iraqi forces are in no position to stand up to ISIS. What makes you think that forming a new government will change the situation? 问：谢谢你，总统先生。你是否后悔没有更早对伊斯兰国采取行动？有报道称，他们拥有的大部分武器——美国武器——都是在摩苏尔陷落后获得的。另外，伊拉克总统今天表示，伊拉克军队根本无力对抗伊斯兰国。你为什么认为组建新政府会改变局势？
President Obama: Well, once ISIL got into Mosul that posed a big problem, because there’s no doubt that they were able to capture some weapons and resources that they then used to finance additional operations. 奥巴马总统：嗯，伊斯兰国进入摩苏尔后确实造成了大问题，因为毫无疑问，他们得以缴获了一些武器和资源，然后用这些来资助更多行动。
And at that stage, we immediately contacted the Iraqi government. Keep in mind we had been in communications with the Iraqi government for more than a year indicating that we saw significant problems in the Sunni areas. Prime Minister Maliki was not as responsive perhaps as we would have liked to some of the underlying political grievances that existed at the time. 当时我们立即联系了伊拉克政府。请记住，我们与伊拉克政府沟通了一年多，指出我们在逊尼派地区看到了严重问题。对于当时存在的一些潜在政治不满，马利基总理的反应也许没有我们希望的那么积极。
There is no doubt that in order for Iraq security forces to be successful, they're going to need help. They're going to need help from us. They're going to need help from our international partners. They're going to need additional training. They're going to need additional equipment. And we are going to be prepared to offer that support. 毫无疑问，为了让伊拉克安全部队取得成功，他们需要帮助。他们需要我们的帮助。他们需要我们国际伙伴的帮助。他们需要更多的训练。他们需要更多的装备。我们将准备提供这种支持。
There may be a role for an international coalition providing additional air support for their operations. But the reason it’s so important that an Iraqi government be in place is this is not simply a military problem. The problem we have had consistently is a Sunni population that feels alienated from Baghdad and does not feel invested in what’s happening, and does not feel as if anybody is looking out for them. 国际联盟有可能为他们的行动提供额外的空中支援。但组建伊拉克政府之所以如此重要，是因为这不仅仅是一个军事问题。我们一直面临的问题是逊尼派民众感到被巴格达疏远，不认为自己与局势发展息息相关，也不觉得有人在关心他们。
If we can get a government in place that provides Sunnis some hope that a national government serves their interest, if they can regain some confidence and trust that it will follow through on commitments that were made way back in 2006 and 2007 and 2008 and earlier about how you arrive at, for example, de-Baathification laws and give people opportunities so they're not locked out of government positions -- if those things are followed through on, and we are able to combine it with a sound military strategy, then I think we can be successful. 如果我们能组建一个政府，让逊尼派看到国家政府服务于他们利益的希望，如果他们能重获信心和信任，相信政府会履行早在2006年、2007年、2008年及更早时候做出的承诺——例如如何推进去复兴党化法律、给人们机会使他们不至于被排除在政府职位之外——如果这些承诺得到履行，并且我们能够将其与健全的军事战略相结合，那么我认为我们就能取得成功。
If we can't, then the idea that the United States or any outside power would perpetually defeat ISIS I think is unrealistic. 如果做不到，那么认为美国或任何外部力量能够永久击败伊斯兰国的想法，我认为是不现实的。
As I’ve said before -- I think I said in the previous press conference -- our military is the best in the world. We can route ISIS on the ground and keep a lid on things temporarily. But then as soon as we leave, the same problems come back again. So we’ve got to make sure that Iraqis understand in the end they're going to be responsible for their own security. And part of that is going to be the capacity for them to make compromises. 正如我之前所说——我想我在上次记者会上说过——我们的军队是世界上最棒的。我们可以在地面上击溃伊斯兰国，暂时控制住局面。但一旦我们离开，同样的问题又会卷土重来。所以我们必须确保伊拉克人明白，最终他们要为自己的安全负责。这其中的一部分将是他们做出妥协的能力。
It also means that states in the region stop being ambivalent about these extremist groups. The truth is that we’ve had state actors who at times have thought that the way to advance their interests is, well, financing some of these groups as proxies is not such a bad strategy. And part of our message to the entire region is this should be a wake-up call to Sunni,to Shia -- to everybody -- that a group like ISIS is beyond the pale; that they have no vision or ideology beyond violence and chaos and the slaughter of innocent people. 这也意味着该地区的国家不能再对这些极端组织持矛盾态度。事实是，我们曾看到一些国家行为体有时认为，为了推进自身利益，资助一些这样的组织作为代理人似乎不是什么坏策略。
And as a consequence, we’ve got to all join together -- even if we have differences on a range of political issues -- to make sure that they’re rooted out. 我们向整个地区传达的信息是，这应该是一记警钟——对逊尼派、对什叶派——对所有人——像伊斯兰国这样的组织是不能容忍的；他们除了暴力、混乱和屠杀无辜人民之外，没有任何愿景或意识形态。因此，我们必须共同努力——即使我们在一系列政治问题上存在分歧——确保他们被铲除。
Last question. 最后一个问题。
Q: Mr. President, despite all of the actions the West has taken to get Russia to pull back from Ukraine, Russia seems intent on taking one step after another -- convoys, transports of arms. At what point do sanctions no longer work? Would you envisage the possibility of a necessity of military action to get Russia to pull back from Ukraine? 问：总统先生，尽管西方已经采取了所有行动让俄罗斯从乌克兰撤军，但俄罗斯似乎决心一步一步地继续推进——车队、武器运输。到什么时候制裁会不再奏效？你是否设想过有必要采取军事行动让俄罗斯从乌克兰撤军的可能性？
President Obama: We are not taking military action to solve the Ukrainian problem. What we’re doing is to mobilize the international community to apply pressure on Russia. But I think it is very important to recognize that a military solution to this problem is not going to be forthcoming. Now, the fact that Russia has taken these actions in violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Ukrainians has resulted, I believe, in a weakening of Russia, not a strengthening of Russia. That may not be apparent immediately, but I think it will become increasingly apparent. 奥巴马总统：我们不会采取军事行动来解决乌克兰问题。我们正在做的是动员国际社会对俄罗斯施加压力。但我认为非常重要的是要认识到，这个问题的军事解决方案是不会出现的。现在，俄罗斯采取这些违反乌克兰主权和领土完整的行动所导致的结果，我认为是俄罗斯被削弱了，而不是被加强了。这可能不会立即显现，但我认为会越来越明显。
What it’s also done is isolated Russia from its trading partners, its commercial partners, international business in ways that I think are going to be very difficult to recover from. And we will continue to stand firm with our allies and partners that what is happening is wrong, that there is a solution that allows Ukraine and Russia to live peacefully. But it is not in the cards for us to see a military confrontation between Russia and the United States in this region. 这还导致俄罗斯被其贸易伙伴、商业伙伴、国际企业所孤立，其程度我认为将非常难以恢复。我们将继续与我们的盟友和伙伴坚定地站在一起，表明正在发生的事情是错误的，存在着让乌克兰和俄罗斯和平共处的解决方案。但我们不可能看到美国和俄罗斯在这一地区发生军事对抗。
Keep in mind, however, that I’m about to go to a NATO conference. Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but a number of those states that are close by are. And we take our Article 5 commitments to defend each other very seriously, and that includes the smallest NATO member, as well as the largest NATO member. And so part of the reason I think this NATO meeting is going to be so important is to refocus attention on the critical function that NATO plays to make sure that every country is contributing in order to deliver on the promise of our Article 5 assurances. 然而，请记住，我即将出席北约会议。乌克兰不是北约成员，但附近的一些国家是。我们非常认真地对待我们的第五条集体防御承诺，这包括最小的北约成员国，也包括最大的北约成员国。因此，我认为这次北约会议之所以如此重要，部分原因是要重新聚焦北约的关键作用，确保每个国家都做出贡献，以兑现我们第五条保证的承诺。
Part of the reason I’ll be going to Estonia is to let the Estonians know that we mean what we say with respect to our treaty obligations. We don’t have those treaty obligations with Ukraine. We do, however, stand shoulder to shoulder with them, and we’re doing not just a lot of work diplomatically but also financially in order to make sure that they have the best chance at dealing with what is admittedly a very difficult situation. 我将前往爱沙尼亚的部分原因是要让爱沙尼亚人知道，我们对条约义务的承诺是认真的。我们对乌克兰没有这样的条约义务。然而，我们确实与他们肩并肩站在一起，我们不仅在外交上而且在财政上做了大量工作，以确保他们有最好的机会应对这一公认的非常困难的局面。
Thank you very much, everybody. 非常感谢各位。
Q: On immigration? 问：移民问题呢？
President Obama: Thank you, guys. Thank you. 奥巴马总统：谢谢大家，再见。谢谢。
Q: Immigration? 问：移民问题？
Q: Mr. President, how are external events and your executive decision-making going to impact your decision on immigration reform? Some people say you’re going to delay this. 问：总统先生，外部事件和你的行政决策将如何影响你对移民改革的决定？有人说你会推迟这件事。
The President: Let me just say this: I’ve been very clear about the fact that our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed. And my preference continues to be that Congress act. I don’t think anybody thinks that Congress is going to act in the short term, but hope springs eternal that after the midterm elections they may act. 总统：我只想说这一点：我一直非常清楚，我们的移民体系已经支离破碎，需要修复。我仍然倾向于由国会采取行动。我认为没有人认为国会会在短期内采取行动，但希望永存——中期选举之后他们或许会行动。
In the meantime, what I’ve asked Jeh Johnson to do is to look at what kinds of executive authorities we have in order to make the system work better. And we’ve had a lot of stakeholder discussions; that set of proposals is being worked up. 与此同时，我已要求杰伊·约翰逊研究我们拥有哪些行政权力来让这个体系更好地运转。我们已经进行了很多利益相关方讨论；那套方案正在制定中。
And the one thing that I think has happened was the issue with unaccompanied children that got so much attention a couple of months back. And part of the reason that was important was not because that represented a huge unprecedented surge in overall immigration at the border, but I do think that it changed the perception of the American people about what’s happening at the borders. 我认为发生的一件事是几个月前备受关注的无人陪伴儿童问题。这件事之所以重要，部分原因不是因为它代表了边境整体移民的巨大空前激增，而是我认为它改变了美国人民对边境局势的看法。
And so one of the things we’ve had -- have had to do is to work through systematically to make sure that that specific problem in a fairly defined area of the border, that we’re starting to deal with that in a serious way. And the good news is we’ve started to make some progress. I mean, what we’ve seen so far is that throughout the summer the number of apprehensions have been decreasing -- maybe that’s counterintuitive, but that’s a good thing because that means that fewer folks are coming across. 因此，我们不得不做的事情之一就是系统地研究，以确保我们开始认真处理边境一个相当明确地区的具体问题。好消息是我们已经开始取得一些进展。我的意思是，到目前为止我们看到的是，整个夏天被拘留的人数一直在下降——也许这与直觉相反，但这是好事，因为这意味着越境的人更少了。
The number of apprehensions in August are down from July, and they’re actually lower than they were August of last year. Apprehensions in July were half of what they were in June. So we’re seeing a significant downward trend in terms of these unaccompanied children. 八月份的拘留人数比七月份有所下降，实际上比去年八月份还要低。七月份的拘留人数是六月份的一半。因此我们看到这些无人陪伴儿童的数量呈显著下降趋势。
And what that I think allows us to do is to make sure that those kids are being taken care of properly, with due process. At the same time, it’s allowed us to then engage in a broader conversation about what we need to do to get more resources down at the border. It would have been helped along if Congress had voted for the supplemental that I asked for; they did not. That means we’ve got to make some administrative choices and executive choices about, for example, getting more immigration judges down there. 我认为这让我们能够确保那些孩子得到妥善照顾，并享有正当程序。同时，这也让我们能够就我们需要做什么来为边境争取更多资源展开更广泛的对话。如果国会投票通过了我要求的追加拨款，事情本来会更顺利；但他们没有。这意味着我们必须做出一些行政选择和执行层面的选择，例如增派移民法官。
So that has kept us busy, but it has not stopped the process of looking more broadly about how do we get a smarter immigration system in place while we’re waiting for Congress to act. And it continues to be my belief that if I can’t see congressional action, that I need to do at least what I can in order to make the system work better. 所以这让我们忙个不停，但这并没有阻止我们更广泛地研究在等待国会行动期间如何建立一个更智能的移民体系。我仍然相信，如果看不到国会采取行动，我至少需要尽我所能让这个体系更好地运转。
But some of these things do affect timelines, and we’re just going to be working through as systematically as possible in order to get this done. But have no doubt, in the absence of congressional action, I’m going to do what I can to make sure the system works better. 但其中一些事情确实会影响时间线，我们将尽可能系统地推进这项工作。但毫无疑问，在国会没有采取行动的情况下，我将尽我所能确保这个体系更好地运转。
Thank you, guys. 谢谢大家。
