经济学人:经济改革好评如潮? 奥朗德被同僚暗讽软弱无能

 　　Europe French foreign policy

　　欧洲 法国对外政策

　　The Bamako effect

　　巴马科效应

　　Will France’s intervention¹ in Mali make Francois Hollande popular at home?

　　弗朗索瓦·奥朗德对马里的干涉会能否使其在国内大受欢迎？

　　Bienvenue, Papa Hollande!

　　奥朗德先生，欢迎您的到来

　　“Vive la France!” read one home-made placard; “Merci Papa Hollande!” declared another. The spontaneous outpouring of gratitude² on the streets of Bamako and Timbuktu, during Francois Hollande’s lightning one-day visit to Mali on February 2nd, was part of a storybook sequence that the unpopular French president could only have dreamed of. It was, he gushed³, “the most important day in my political life”. Two days later, Joe Biden, the American vice-president, stood beside Mr Hollande in Paris and applauded his “decisiveness” and “the incredible competence⁴ and capability” ofFrance’s military forces. For a politician whom members of his own party compared variously to a marshmallow, a woodland strawberry and a caramel pudding, this was bliss⁵ indeed.

　　一个自制的标栏上写着“法兰西万岁！”，而另一个则标着“奥朗德爸爸，谢谢你”的字样。2月2日，奥朗德在对马里（Mali）为期一天的闪电访问期间，在巴马科（Bamako）和廷巴克图（Timbuktu）， 像这样自发张贴的感激标语随处可见。此般戏剧性的发展恐怕是这位人气不佳的总统都难以预料。奥朗德不断的重复道，“在我的政治生涯中，今天是至关重要的一天”。两天之前，美国副总统乔·拜登（Joe Biden）在巴黎与奥朗德会见的时候，就称赞他在管理法国军队上的“果断”和“令人难以置信的能力和才干”。相比于被自己党内同僚评价为软弱无能（棉花糖，树莓和焦糖布丁是法国人给奥朗德的绰号，暗指其软弱，并非赞扬），美国副总统的评价真算得上是赞美了。

　　Under the Fifth Republic, a French president is expected to act at once as a kind of monarch⁶ (solemnity, distance) and an active executive (decisiveness, authority). This is a tricky⁷ mix, and for the right, Charles de Gaulle has long served as the ideal. For the left, it is Francois Mitterrand, the only other Socialist⁸ president. Ever since he decided⁹ to run for election, Mr Hollande has become an adept¹⁰ Mitterrand mimic¹¹, in gesticulation, pace and tone of voice. Yet it takes more than physical imitation to earn authority. Before France’s Mali operation he struggled to overcome a reputation for consensus-seeking and fudge.

　　在法兰西第五共和国，总统曾被期许拥有国王般(庄严，距离感)的威严及强有力的执行能力(果断、权威) 。这是一个棘手的混合，戴高乐（Charles de Gaulle）作为法国右翼政党总统，曾长期执政并被视为榜样性的法国总统。而对法国左翼政党来说，榜样便是密特朗（Mitterrand）了，社会党另一位总统的总统。自从奥朗德决定参加竞选，无论是从手势节奏还是语调上，他俨然已经熟练成为另一个密特朗了。然而想获得权威，不仅仅是表面上的模仿。在法国对马里问题的处理上，他努力摆脱先前人云亦云，逃避责任的名声。

　　Now, the military intervention is prompting a reassessment. The decision to dispatch fighter jets and attack helicopters to blast advancing jihadists was taken quickly and pragmatically. It was bold, with the French enjoying little allied¹² help. “His image has changed” and he has “dispelled doubts about his authority,” says Zaki Laidi at Sciences-Po university.

　　现在，军事干预使得人们对奥朗德的看法有所改观。奥朗德决定派遣战斗机和攻击型直升机用来轰炸圣战分子的进程被迅速有效地推进着。法国只有小部分盟军的帮助，这是十分大胆的决定。巴黎政治大学的Zaki Laid说道“奥朗德的形象已经改变了，而且他已经消除了人们对他权威的怀疑。”

　　Might such uncharacteristic boldness abroad translate into the same at home? In some ways, the French decision over Maliwas not difficult: Mr Hollande judged that he had no choice. As Jean-Yves Le Drian, the defence minister, put it, “there was a spectacular acceleration” of the jihadists towards Bamako the day before the French strikes began: “if nobody had intervened, Bamako would have fallen two or three days later”. Mr Hollande did not have to take on a war-weary or doubting public opinion, or hostile political opposition¹³.

　　奥朗德此般大胆举措，在法国国内是否能一如国外般受到认可？在某些方面，法国所作出的在马里的决定并不难：因为奥朗德认为，除此之外他别无选择。正如国防部长Jean-Yves Le Drian当圣战者直指巴马科，但法国依旧按兵不动时说的那样“事态演变的太快了。如果再没有人干预，巴马科在2-3天内绝对会被攻占。”因为奥朗德先生不需要面对厌战、质疑的公众意见或者持敌对态度的反对党。

　　A greater test is whether Mr Hollande is bold enough to take on his own constituencies with domestic reform. He has begun to implement¹⁴ some measures to improve competitiveness, including a softening¹⁵ of labour-market regulation, which does not appeal naturally to the left. Yet these have been offset¹⁶ by crowd-pleasing tax increases on the rich and on companies, and a reluctance¹⁷ to cut public spending. Given that the public sector¹⁸ supplies many of his deputies and voters, upcoming attempts to reform pensions and the civil service will be a better test of his willingness to take risks.

　　另一个更大的考验是,奥朗德是否敢于站到自己支持者的对面进行国内改革。他已经开始实施一些措施来提高竞争力，包括放宽劳动力市场监管，此举当然不会获得法国左派支持。但是，奥朗德同时施行了口碑甚好的富人税和企业税增税，以及反对政府开始削减，这些政策抵消了左派的不满。如果考虑到法国的公共部门（指政府部门、事业单位等）为奥朗德总统选票、议员的主要来源，即将到来的对养老金及行政部门的改革尝试，将会是对其是否愿承担风险的一次更好测试。

　　Even less clear is whether a more authoritative¹⁹ image will transform Mr Hollande’s poor poll ratings. The link is not automatic. Nicolas Sarkozy, his predecessor²⁰, got no ratings jump from the war in Libya. For Mr Hollande, much depends on whether things go horribly wrong in Mali; for the moment, the French have had only one soldier killed. So far the polling evidence is mixed. One recent survey suggested that Mr Hollande’s low ratings have barely moved. A poll in Paris-Match, a weekly, showed a six-point jump in his popularity, to 43%—but a mere²¹ 37% applauded his economic policy.

　　现在还不是很清楚的是，是否还有更权威的形象将改变奥朗德可怜的民调支持率。两者并非必然相关的。前任法国总统尼古拉·萨科齐（Nicolas Sarkozy）,他的前任没有从利比亚战争中得到民意支持率上升的好处。对于奥朗德来说，更多的是取决于马里事态究竟会不会向恐怖、恶劣的方向发展；目前，法国人也只有一个士兵站亡。到目前为止，调查证据是喜忧参半。最近的一个调查显示，奥朗德的低支持率几乎没有任何变动。《巴黎竞赛》（Paris- Match）周刊的一项民意调查显示，奥朗德的支持率激增6个百分点，达到43%。但是其中只有37%赞扬他的经济政策。

　　1.home-made 自制的；手工的

　　例句:The bread, pastry²² and mayonnaise are home-made.

　　面包、油酥点心和蛋黄酱都是家里做的。

　　2.for the moment 暂时；目前

　　例句:You've got enough to think about for the moment.

　　目前你要考虑的事情够多了。

　　3.In some ways 在某种程度上

　　例句:In some ways we wish we could turn the clock back.

　　在某些方面，我们希望能回到以前。

　　4.served as 担任；充当

　　例句:She ushered²³ me into the front room, which served as her office

　　她把我领进了她用作办公室的前厅。

1 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。

2 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

3 gushed   

v.喷，涌( gush的过去式和过去分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话

参考例句：

• Oil gushed from the well. 石油从井口喷了出来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Clear water gushed into the irrigational channel. 清澈的水涌进了灌溉渠道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

5 bliss   

n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福

参考例句：

• It's sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed.整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。
• He's in bliss that he's won the Nobel Prize.他非常高兴，因为获得了诺贝尔奖金。

6 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

7 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

8 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 adept   

adj.老练的，精通的

参考例句：

• When it comes to photography,I'm not an adept.要说照相，我不是内行。
• He was highly adept at avoiding trouble.他十分善于避开麻烦。

11 mimic   

v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人

参考例句：

• A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

12 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

13 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。

14 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

15 softening   

变软，软化

参考例句：

• Her eyes, softening, caressed his face. 她的眼光变得很温柔了。它们不住地爱抚他的脸。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• He might think my brain was softening or something of the kind. 他也许会觉得我婆婆妈妈的，已经成了个软心肠的人了。

16 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

17 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

18 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

19 authoritative   

adj.有权威的，可相信的；命令式的；官方的

参考例句：

• David speaks in an authoritative tone.大卫以命令的口吻说话。
• Her smile was warm but authoritative.她的笑容很和蔼，同时又透着威严。

20 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

21 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

22 pastry   

n.油酥面团，酥皮糕点

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry.厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• The pastry crust was always underdone.馅饼的壳皮常常烤得不透。

23 ushered   

v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
• A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》