经济学人218:美国与伊斯兰国 再担重任

 　　America and Islamic State

　　美国与伊斯兰国

　　Mission relaunched

　　再担重任

　　The fight against Islamic State will help define America's role in the world

　　打击伊斯兰国能帮助美国定位自己的国际角色

　　FOR more than three years, Barack Obama has been trying to avoid getting into a fight in Syria. But this week, with great tracts¹ of the Middle East under the jihadist's knife, he at last faced up to the inevitable². On September 23rd America led air strikes in Syria against both the warriors³ of Islamic State (IS) and a little-known al-Qaeda cell, called the Khorasan group, which it claimed was about to attack the West. A president who has always seen his main mission as nation-building at home is now using military force in six countries—Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

　　三年有余，奥巴马一直避免卷入叙利亚的战斗。但在本周，随着大片中东土地在圣战主义者的利刃下沦陷，奥巴马终做出在所难免的决定。9月23日，美军领导发动叙利亚境内空袭，同时打击“伊斯兰国”和一个名为“呼罗珊集团”的基地组织分支，该集团尚未出名，但美国称其预备对西方国家发起恐怖袭击。这位一向把其工作重心放在国家内部建设的总统现在对六个国家动用军事力量，包括叙利亚，伊拉克，阿富汗，巴基斯坦，也门和索马里。

　　The Syrian operation is an essential counterpart to America's attacks against IS in Iraq. Preventing the group from carving⁴ out a caliphate means, at the very least, ensuring that neither of these two countries affords it a haven⁵. But more than the future of IS is at stake in the streets of Raqqa and Mosul. Mr Obama's attempt to deal with the jihadists is also a test of America's commitment to global security. It is a test that he has been failing until now.

　　叙利亚空袭是呼应美国对伊拉克境内“伊斯兰国”打击的重要行动。美国要防止“伊斯兰国”在中东地区站稳脚跟，或者至少，保证这两个国家都不会成为该组织的避难所。但是不仅“伊斯兰国”在拉卡和摩苏尔的未来发展岌岌可危，奥巴马总统如何应对圣战分子，其做法也是对美国“世界安全卫士”承诺的一次考核。直到这一刻，奥巴马总算给了这次考核一个合格的答复。

　　美国与伊斯兰国.jpg

　　IS et al

　　“伊斯兰国”及其它

　　The sense that America is locked in relative decline has been growing in recent years, as it has languished⁶ under the shadow of the financial crisis and two long, difficult wars. Why should a newly rich country like China take lectures about how to run its affairs from a president who struggles even to get his own budget through? America, meanwhile, seems swamped by the forces of disorder⁷, either unable or unwilling⁸ to steady a world that is spinning out of control. IS embodies⁹ this frightening trend. It is, in the jargon¹⁰, a non-state actor, and it thrives on chaos¹¹. With each new humiliation¹² of the governments in Iraq and Syria, it has accumulated more wealth, territory and recruits.

　　鉴于美国受金融风暴和两次拖沓、艰苦的战争影响，近些年一直有质疑美国在走下坡路的论调。对于一个连自己国家预算都摆不定的总统，中国这种财富新锐国家又有什么向其取经的必要呢？同时，美国似乎陷入了混乱力量的泥潭中，既不愿、也没有能力稳定这个逐渐失控的世界。“伊斯兰国”的事件正说明了这一骇人趋势。术语中“伊斯兰国”应属于一个非国家行为体，它就建立在一片混乱之上。它不断给伊拉克政府和叙利亚政府抹上新的屈辱，由此聚敛财富、土地和兵力。

　　Its rise has also reflected American policy. First, the poorly thought-out intervention¹³ of George W. Bush, typified by the rash “Mission Accomplished” banner that greeted him on the USS Abraham Lincoln in May 2003 after his invasion of Iraq. Then Mr Obama's studious inaction. When Syrians rose up against the regime of Bashar Assad, the president stood back in the hope that things would sort themselves out—leaving Mr Assad free to commit atrocities¹⁴ against his own people. Even when Mr Assad crossed “the red line” of using chemical weapons, the superpower did not punish him. About 200,000 Syrians have died and 10m have been driven from their homes. Denied early American support, the moderate Syrian opposition¹⁵ has fragmented, leaving the field to the ruthless and well-organised IS.

　　“伊斯兰国”的崛起也反映了美国政策的失误。第一桩错是乔治·W·布什的种种轻率行为：其标志就是2003年5月在迎接其从伊拉克凯旋的林肯号上公然写着“使命完结”的大幅标语。第二桩错是奥巴马政府的不作为：叙利亚人民奋起反抗巴沙尔·阿萨德政权时，奥巴马总统退居幕后，指望事情能自己好转起来—他的不作为使得阿萨德更加肆意妄为，践踏百姓。甚至在阿萨德动用化学武器的行为已然越界时，美国这个超级大国都没有对其严惩。他的做法导致约20万叙利亚人民死亡，超过1000万人被驱逐出境。没有美国及时的帮助，温和的叙利亚反对派分崩离析，令这个国家陷入精心组织、残暴无情的“伊斯兰国”控制之下。

　　Standing¹⁶ back has not worked well elsewhere in the world, either. Mr Obama has spoken about the limits to American power—exhorting other governments with a stake in today's system to do their bit to keep the world safe. He wanted the United States to be seen less as a unilateral bully¹⁷, more as the leader of world opinion. Yet when America stepped back, its allies stepped back, too. The countries that most eagerly came forward were its rivals, such as Russia and China.

　　这种不作为的做法在任何地方都行不通。奥巴马说美国的力量是有限的，他想要当今世界其它有点能力的政府也对维护世界和平贡献一份力。他不想让美国看上去是个只会动武的恶霸，而想让其成为意见领袖。然而美国没有发声时，它的伙伴国也没有做出回应。那些自告奋勇站出来的国家都是它的对手，如俄罗斯和中国。

　　IS has induced a change of heart among the American people. Before vicious extremists seized the city of Mosul and began to cut off Western heads on social media, Americans doubted the merit of further military action in the Middle East. When they realised that IS threatened them directly, they began to demand protection. Mr Obama therefore has a chance not just to strike a blow for order in the Middle East, but also to give the declinists pause.

　　“伊斯兰国”的行为诱发了美国人心态的变化。在这群狠毒的极端分子攻占摩苏尔城，砍下西方媒体记者的头颅之前，美国国民尚质疑对中东地区采取进一步军事行动是否合理。当他们意识到伊斯兰国对自己的威胁时，就立马要求采取行动，保护自己了。奥巴马这下不仅要重整中东秩序，还要一扫美国衰败论的论调。

　　From axis¹⁸ of evil to network of death

　　从“邪恶轴心”到“死亡之网”

　　He has brute¹⁹ force on his side. The disastrous²⁰ mismanagement of post-invasion Iraq has tended to eclipse the overwhelming potency²¹ of American firepower at the beginning. In six short weeks in the spring of 2003 America and its allies defeated the 375,000 troops of Saddam Hussein with the loss of only 138 American lives. Never in history has a single country had such military dominance. It has not suddenly evaporated.

　　奥巴马手握强大兵力，起初美国军火的压倒性力量似乎受到其在伊拉克未处理得当的战后布置的影响。但想想在2003年春天，短短六周里美军和其盟军就以138名美国士兵的代价击退了萨达姆·侯赛因的37万5千人大军。历史上从没有哪个国家在军事上拥有如此的统治地位，这种强大的地位即使受到影响，也不可能在一夕间消失。

　　The bigger question is whether Mr Obama can carry off delicate diplomacy²². The lesson from Iraq and Afghanistan is that firepower alone will not prevail. Indeed, if America comes to be seen by Sunni Arabs as nothing more than a Shia air force, strikes will only bind²³ IS to the local people.

　　问题在于奥巴马总统是否拥有精妙的外交手段。从在伊拉克和阿富汗的教训来看，光有长枪大炮不见得能让美国稳居上风。要是在逊尼派的眼中，美国和一支什叶派空军没什么分别的话，难说当地人民不会同“伊斯兰国”携起手来。

　　If he is to win the argument in Iraq and Syria, Mr Obama needs coalitions²⁴ and partnerships²⁵. For that he must get the diplomacy right. So far he has done well. He insisted on the replacement²⁶ of Nuri al-Maliki, the Shia-chauvinist former prime minister of Iraq, with Haider al-Abadi, who is making efforts to bring Sunnis into government. He sent John Kerry, his secretary of state, to recruit regional Sunni powers such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan, to try to persuade Sunnis in Iraq and Syria that he is not taking sides against their branch of Islam. America has argued to the United Nations that its intervention—requested by Iraq but not Syria—is legal under Article 51 of the UN's charter. Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, appears to have accepted that argument; so should Britain's Parliament, which will vote on whether to help America.

　　奥巴马要想赢得伊拉克和叙利亚的舆论支持，就得发展盟友，而这就需要他用到外交手段。到目前为止，他做得还不错。他坚持用Haider al-Abadi代替伊拉克前总理，什叶派沙文主义者努里·马利基(Nuri al-Maliki)，前者正努力让逊尼教徒进入政府。他派遣国务卿约翰·克里(John Kerry)游说逊尼派强国，如沙特阿拉伯和约旦，让它们帮忙说服伊拉克和叙利亚的逊尼派势力相信美国并没有反对他们的教派。他向联合国辩称自己的介入—是伊拉克要求的，而不是叙利亚—根据联合国章程第51条表明，是合法的。联合国秘书长潘基文似乎接受了这种说法，而英国议会即将就是否帮助美国做出投票表决，其也应当接受这种说法。

　　There is much more for Mr Obama to do. The coalition-building is not complete. Turkey, a NATO member, is at last suggesting it favours action against IS, but it needs to be seen to help. Holding the alliance together will require patience, flexibility²⁷ and a judicious²⁸ mix of bullying²⁹ and seduction. Mr Obama will have to put in many more long hours on the telephone with world leaders than he has done so far. And even if he succeeds in substantially destroying IS, new horrors may emerge from the ensuing vacuum if he does not help benign³⁰ local forces to fill it.

　　奥巴马要做的还有很多，他还要继续发展联盟。北约成员国土耳其最终表明它同意打击“伊斯兰国”，但还没有实际行动。联合各同盟国需要耐心，灵活应变力和软硬兼施的高明手段。奥巴马大概得拿出比以往都多的时间，同各国领袖好好煲一煲电话粥。而且即使“伊斯兰国”组织被成功摧毁，如果他没能帮助当地温和势力及时填补空缺，新的麻烦又会接踵而至。

　　Americans will grumble³¹ about the superpower's lot. Of course, European allies can do more; of course, Asia's emerging powers should support the world order. But it is also plainly in America's interest to stay involved—and, when necessary, to show that it will put its might behind right, if only to deter³² the world's tyrants³³ and terrorists from further mischief³⁴. Although the mission to stop IS will be long and hard, it is one that no other nation could even contemplate³⁵. Mr Obama is right to relaunch it. Now he must see it through.

　　美国人也要抱怨其身处超级大国的烦恼。诚然，欧洲同盟国可以多做些贡献，亚洲的新兴国家也应当帮助维护世界秩序。但是说白了，美国的身处其中，并且在必要时动用武力伸张正义，制止暴君和恐怖分子的进一步作恶，对美国本身也是有利的。阻止“伊斯兰国”扰乱秩序的使命是个艰难的持久战，除了美国外没有哪个国家能够担当。奥巴马重新承担使命的做法是正确的，现在他必须坚持到底。

1 tracts   

大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文

参考例句：

• vast tracts of forest 大片大片的森林
• There are tracts of desert in Australia. 澳大利亚有大片沙漠。

2 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

3 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。

4 carving   

n.雕刻品，雕花

参考例句：

• All the furniture in the room had much carving.房间里所有的家具上都有许多雕刻。
• He acquired the craft of wood carving in his native town.他在老家学会了木雕手艺。

5 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

6 languished   

长期受苦( languish的过去式和过去分词 )； 受折磨； 变得（越来越）衰弱； 因渴望而变得憔悴或闷闷不乐

参考例句：

• Our project languished during the holidays. 我们的计划在假期间推动得松懈了。
• He languished after his dog died. 他狗死之后，人憔悴了。

7 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

8 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

9 embodies   

v.表现( embody的第三人称单数 )；象征；包括；包含

参考例句：

• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This document embodies the concern of the government for the deformity. 这个文件体现了政府对残疾人的关怀。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 jargon   

n.术语，行话

参考例句：

• They will not hear critics with their horrible jargon.他们不愿意听到评论家们那些可怕的行话。
• It is important not to be overawed by the mathematical jargon.要紧的是不要被数学的术语所吓倒.

11 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

12 humiliation   

n.羞辱

参考例句：

• He suffered the humiliation of being forced to ask for his cards.他蒙受了被迫要求辞职的羞辱。
• He will wish to revenge his humiliation in last Season's Final.他会为在上个季度的决赛中所受的耻辱而报复的。

13 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

14 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

16 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

17 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。

18 axis   

n.轴，轴线，中心线；坐标轴，基准线

参考例句：

• The earth's axis is the line between the North and South Poles.地轴是南北极之间的线。
• The axis of a circle is its diameter.圆的轴线是其直径。

19 brute   

n.野兽，兽性

参考例句：

• The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
• That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

20 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

21 potency   

n. 效力，潜能

参考例句：

• Alcohol increases the drug's potency.酒精能增加这种毒品的效力。
• Sunscreen can lose its potency if left over winter in the bathroom cabinet.如果把防晒霜在盥洗室的壁橱里放一个冬天，就有可能失效。

22 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

23 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

24 coalitions   

结合体，同盟( coalition的名词复数 )； （两党或多党）联合政府

参考例句：

• History testifies to the ineptitude of coalitions in waging war. 历史昭示我们，多数国家联合作战，其进行甚为困难。
• All the coalitions in history have disintegrated sooner or later. 历史上任何联盟迟早都垮台了。

25 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

26 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

27 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

28 judicious   

adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的

参考例句：

• We should listen to the judicious opinion of that old man.我们应该听取那位老人明智的意见。
• A judicious parent encourages his children to make their own decisions.贤明的父亲鼓励儿女自作抉择。

29 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

30 benign   

adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的

参考例句：

• The benign weather brought North America a bumper crop.温和的气候给北美带来大丰收。
• Martha is a benign old lady.玛莎是个仁慈的老妇人。

31 grumble   

vi.抱怨；咕哝；n.抱怨，牢骚；咕哝，隆隆声

参考例句：

• I don't want to hear another grumble from you.我不愿再听到你的抱怨。
• He could do nothing but grumble over the situation.他除了埋怨局势之外别无他法。

32 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

33 tyrants   

专制统治者( tyrant的名词复数 )； 暴君似的人； （古希腊的）僭主； 严酷的事物

参考例句：

• The country was ruled by a succession of tyrants. 这个国家接连遭受暴君的统治。
• The people suffered under foreign tyrants. 人民在异族暴君的统治下受苦受难。

34 mischief   

n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹

参考例句：

• Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
• He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

35 contemplate   

vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视

参考例句：

• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate.战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。
• The consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate.后果不堪设想。