Political and demographic changes within Europe, as well as the United States, also ensure that the transatlantic alliance will lose prominence. In Europe, the E.U. project still consumes the attention of many, but for others, especially those in southern Europe facing unsustainable fiscal shortfalls, domestic economic turmoil takes precedence. No doubt, Europe’s security challenges are geographically, politically and psychologically less immediate to the population than its economic ones. Mounting financial problems and the imperative to cut deficits are sure to limit what Europeans can do militarily beyond their continent. It is true that the era in which Europe and transatlantic relations dominated U.S. foreign policy is over.
参考答案： 欧洲内部及美国在政治和人口结构方面的变化也注定了这个跨大西洋联盟会失去重要性。在欧洲，欧盟一体化方案仍然得到了词多国家的关注，但是对于其他国家来说，特别是对于欧洲南部出现难以为继的财政赤字的国家来说，国内的经济乱象却是在第一位的。无疑，欧洲的安全难题在地理、政治和心理方面对于欧洲人的影响都不像经济难题那么紧迫。日益突出的金融问题和削减赤字的必要性必定会限制欧洲各国在欧洲大陆以外所能采取的军事行动。确实，欧洲和跨大西洋关系主导美国外交政策的时代已经结束。