NPR新聞:美國重心轉(zhuǎn)移，奧巴馬啟程訪問亞太(1/3)

President Obama left town this morning for the third Asia trip of his presidency. Before visiting Australia and Indonesia, he will begin in Hawaii, where leaders from around the Pacific region are gathering for the APEC Summit. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports on the incentives pulling Mr. Obama across the ocean and the forces tugging on him to stay at home. Every year, the German Marshall Fund surveys Americans' attitudes toward the rest of the world. This year, the poll found something surprising. We saw a big shift this year when the majority of Americans say that their country's national interest is with the countries of Asia. This is Zsolt Nyiri, who runs the Transatlantic Trends Report for the Marshall Fund. In every previous survey, Americans said their country's future lies with Europe - but no longer. We found this to be the case, especially for the American youth. Those Americans who are between the ages of 18 to 24, 76% of them said that Asia is more important for their national interests than the countries of the European Union. President Obama might never want to put it in such stark terms. After all, he doesn't want to offend America's European allies, but his administration shares this view. Here's how President Obama greeted South Korea's president, Lee Myung-bak, at the White House last month. The United States is a Pacific nation and America's leading once more in the Asia Pacific.