经济学人299:雇佣兵 黑水公司之后

　　Business
商业报道
Private military contractors²
雇佣兵
Beyond Blackwater
黑水公司之后
An industry reinvents itself after the demise³ of its most controversial firm
有争议公司倒闭后重新兴起的一种产业
WE WERE selling 1m a year in merchandise with the company logo on it, says Erik Prince with a mixture of nostalgia⁴ and defiance⁵.
带着缅怀又不屑情绪的Erik Prince说：过去我们一年能卖掉100万美元带公司商标的产品。
Blackwater, the company in question, rose to worldwide prominence⁶ as an outsourced branch of the American army during the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.
尚存争议的黑水公司因参与了伊拉克战争和阿富汗战争作了美国的分支而引起世界范围的关注。
It had plenty of admirers for the way it had pioneered a new branch of the defence industry, earning a total of around 2 billion from Uncle Sam for providing armed personnel to the Pentagon, the State Department and, secretly, the CIA.
它因秘密给美国五角大楼、国务院和中情局提供武装保镖年入20亿美元而成为国防行业的新分支，引来了无数的追随者。
2_副本.jpgBut the firm was overwhelmed by its more numerous critics, who said it was an undisciplined, unaccountable bunch of mercenaries.
然而它却受不起更多数量抨击者的轰击，说他们是一群无组织无纪律无责任感的雇佣兵。
In 2010 Mr Prince gave up the fight.
2010年普林斯先生放弃了这场争斗。
He sold the firm, which he had founded in 1997 and which got its first big break by teaching police to handle school shootings after the 1999 Columbine massacre⁷.
他卖掉了自己1997年创立的公司，该公司因1999年科仑拜校园事件后教授警察处理校园枪击事件而迎来首次重大突破。
It is smaller now and mostly does less controversial work such as guarding diplomats⁸ and providing training.
现在它的规模变小了，通常做诸如保护外交官和提供培训这些较少有争议的事宜。
Its new name, Academi, could scarcely sound less aggressive.
它的新名字Academi听起来也不那么富有攻击性。
Mr Prince has started talking, after a long silence, to promote his book, Civilian⁹ Warriors¹⁰, in which he mounts a defence of his firm as unyielding as a Blackwater contractor¹ under enemy fire.
一段时间的沉默之后，普林斯先生已经开始发话了，来促销他的书作《Civilian Warriors》。在书中他给自己的公司套上了不屈的盾牌，就像敌军战火下的黑水公司。
Mr Prince says he never intended to build a new sort of defence firm.
普林斯先生说他从没有想过要建立一个新型的防卫公司。
But he stumbled on a huge opportunity to fill gaps in military capacity cost-effectively.
但是他偶然发现了一个巨大的机遇，来填补军事规模成本问题上的空缺。
Blackwater provided security to government officials such as Paul Bremer, the head of the transitional authority after the invasion of Iraq, and after that, senior State Department employees in Iraq and Afghanistan.
黑水公司在伊拉克遭侵略后为过渡政府首领Paul Bremer这样的政府官员提供庇佑，在这之后为在伊拉克和阿富汗的美国国务院高级雇员提供庇佑。
He says he got his entrepreneurial instinct from his father, who built a successful motor-industry supplier and taught him that the best way to win and keep a customer is always to say yes, then overdeliver—a formula that worked spectacularly well for Blackwater until the deadly nature of its overdelivery became so controversial.
他说他从他的父亲那里得到了企业家的天性，他的父亲是个成功的汽车工业供应商，教会他赢得和保持一位客户的最有效的方法就是常说yes，然后为之付出。这也是黑水公司因这种付出遭来非议而自然死亡前一直运行异常顺利的准则。
Now he is glad to be out of the industry he helped build. With the winding¹¹ down of America's military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, it has become a very crowded field; too many firms competing for a shrinking pie. But Blackwater's demise created space for two rivals: DynCorp International, a 60-year-old firm that diversified¹² into military security, and Triple Canopy¹³, founded in 2003 with a similar business model to Blackwater's.
现在他很高兴自己不在自己帮助创立的产业里。借着美国入侵伊拉克和阿富汗的东风，它成为非常拥挤的领域；太多的公司去争一块正在萎缩的馅饼。但是黑水公司的倒闭创造了两个竞争对手：有着60多年历史的在军事安全方面多样化的DynCorp International和2003年建立的与黑水公司有着类似贸易的Triple Canopy。
Groups such as Human Rights First campaign against governments' use of private military contractors, and Barack Obama attacked Blackwater in his first presidential campaign.
类似于人权至上的组织游行抗议政府雇佣私人雇佣兵，巴拉克奥巴马在他的第一次总统大选中就抨击了黑水公司。
George Bush responded by modestly tightening¹⁴ the rules on its deployment¹⁵.
乔治布什的回应则更谨慎些，就是扣紧了调度的规章制度。
But there has been no change of course since Mr Obama took office.
但是显然在奥巴马上任后情况没有任何变化。
There is no going back, we just need to figure out the new rules for when private military firms should be used and when they should not, says Sean McFate, an academic at Georgetown University who previously¹⁶ worked for DynCorp.
乔治城大学的一位曾替DynCorp 工作过的学者Sean McFate 表示：事情没有任何好转，我们得出台新的条例，规定私人雇佣兵何时可用，何时不可。
Post-Blackwater, two trends have dominated the new industry, says Mr McFate: globalisation and indigenisation.
在黑水公司之后，这个全新的产业被两种趋势所左右，McFate先生说：那就是全球化和本土化。
On the supply side, there are a growing number of private military firms, and not all of the new ones were formed by former special forces from Western powers, such as Aegis¹⁷ and Blue Mountain, two British firms.
在供给方，私人军事公司数量日渐增多，而且不是所有的新公司都是由像英国Aegis和Blue Mountain这样的西方强者的前特种部队组成的。
Warlords in places such as Afghanistan and Somalia are creating contracting firms that they staff with local talent.
阿富汗和索马里这样的军阀正创立提供本地人才的合同公司。
Their embattled national governments are seeing the merits in contracting out security.
各国政府都严阵以待，观察合同外包安保的优势。
So America is no longer the only big buyer of private force, notes Mr McFate.
McFate先生表示因此美国不再是唯一的私人雇佣兵的大买家了。
One thing that would greatly improve the industry's prospects¹⁸ is if the United Nations began using private contractors for peacekeeping missions, as it is said to be considering.
但是有件事可以大大改善该产业前景，那就是如果联合国为维护和平开始雇佣私人军队，当然只是如果。
Today, such missions are staffed by soldiers from poorer countries, who are often badly trained.
如今，这样的任务交给了相对贫困国家经过刻苦训练的士兵去完成。
Mr Prince thinks that private contracting would make the UN more effective, but he has no intention of going after that business.
普林斯先生认为私人雇佣兵可以使联合国办事效率更高，但是他并不打算追求那样的生意。
For him, the new promised land is Africa, where he is investing in firms providing services to the oil and gas industry, in places where he thinks his expertise¹⁹ in providing logistics and security can give him a competitive edge.
对他来说，新的乐土在非洲，在他认为他提供后勤和安保的专门技术有相当竞争优势的地方，为石油和天然气产业提供服务。
1.rise to 上升到
In 2008, global consumers squealed²⁰ when chinese demand caused commodity prices to rise to record levels.
在2008年，当中国需求推动大宗商品价格升至历史高位时，全球消费者叫苦不迭。
The imf has said that the fiscal²¹ deficit²² could rise to about 9% of gdp this year.
国际货币基金组织（imf）说，印度今年的财政赤字可能会升至gdp的9%。
2.provide to 为...提供
What help file do you want to provide to your users?
您想给您的用户提供什么帮助文件？
What kind of information do production managers and foremen provide to their boss.
生产经理和领班向他们的老板提供何种信息。
3.such as 像，例如;譬如；诸如
What about future steps such as euro bonds?
诸如欧元联盟之类的未来计划怎样？
Imaginary problems such as these are usually hiding real ones.
像这样的臆想的问题通常隐藏真实性的。
4.wind down 接下
Use the last hours of the evening to wind down.
使用晚上最后几个小时的时间来放松。
As the wars in afghanistan and iraq wind down, more veterans will be looking for second careers.
随着阿富汗和伊拉克战争的结束，更多士兵将会退役再就业。

1 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

2 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 demise   

n.死亡；v.让渡，遗赠，转让

参考例句：

• He praised the union's aims but predicted its early demise.他赞扬协会的目标，但预期这一协会很快会消亡。
• The war brought about the industry's sudden demise.战争道致这个行业就这么突然垮了。

4 nostalgia   

n.怀乡病，留恋过去，怀旧

参考例句：

• He might be influenced by nostalgia for his happy youth.也许是对年轻时幸福时光的怀恋影响了他。
• I was filled with nostalgia by hearing my favourite old song.我听到这首喜爱的旧歌，心中充满了怀旧之情。

5 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。

6 prominence   

n.突出；显著；杰出；重要

参考例句：

• He came to prominence during the World Cup in Italy.他在意大利的世界杯赛中声名鹊起。
• This young fashion designer is rising to prominence.这位年轻的时装设计师的声望越来越高。

7 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

8 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

10 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

11 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

12 diversified   

adj.多样化的，多种经营的v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 )；进入新的商业领域

参考例句：

• The college biology department has diversified by adding new courses in biotechnology. 该学院生物系通过增加生物技术方面的新课程而变得多样化。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Take grain as the key link, develop a diversified economy and ensure an all-round development. 以粮为纲，多种经营，全面发展。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 canopy   

n.天篷，遮篷

参考例句：

• The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
• They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。

14 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

15 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

16 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

17 aegis   

n.盾；保护，庇护

参考例句：

• Medical supplies are flied in under the aegis of the red cross.在红十字会的保护下，正在空运进医药用品。
• The space programme will continue under the aegis of the armed forces.这项太空计划将以武装部队作后盾继续进行。

18 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

19 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

20 squealed   

v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He squealed the words out. 他吼叫着说出那些话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The brakes of the car squealed. 汽车的刹车发出吱吱声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

22 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。