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乌克兰伊拉克冲突使北约获得新生机

The role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] in the 21st century is in sharp focus now with the conflicts underway on the bloc's eastern and southern borders. The alliance born at the outset of the Cold War is in resurgence¹ as new threats emerge around the globe.

“北大西洋公约组织”在21世纪还有意义吗？如今，随着北约集团东部和西部边界陷入剑拔弩张的紧张局势，人们的目光再度聚焦北约。面对全球涌现的新威胁，这个冷战之初成立的组织获得了新的生机。

NATO's long campaign in Afghanistan is coming to an end.

北约在阿富汗的长期任务正在划上句号。

The end of this mission, however, does not herald² the slow demise³ of NATO as once thought, according to Professor Jonathan Eyal of the Royal United Services Institute.

不过，皇家联合军种研究所的乔纳森·埃亚勒教授说，阿富汗使命的结束并不像人们以前所想象的那样，预示着北约组织的终结。

"Interestingly, NATO is now more relevant than it has been for probably a decade," said Eyal.

他说： “有意思的是，和十年前相比，北约的相关性可能更大了。”

Eastern Europe

That relevance⁴, said Eyal, is largely because of Russia. NATO published satellite images this week that appear to show tanks crossing from Russia into the east of Ukraine. It follows Moscow's tacit support for Ukrainian separatists and forceful takeover of Crimea in March.

埃亚勒说，这种相关性主要是因为俄罗斯。北约本星期公布了一些卫星图像，似乎显示俄罗斯的坦克越境进入乌克兰。在这之前，莫斯科暗中扶持乌克兰的分离主义分子，并在3月间强行吞并了克里米亚。

Eyal said former Soviet-controlled states in Europe are getting nervous.

埃亚勒指出，以前曾受苏联控制的欧洲各国变得忐忑不安。

"The east Europeans used to be dismissed up to now as being neurotic⁵, as being too frightened about Russia that supposedly is no longer an enemy," he said. "Well, the east Europeans were right and we were wrong about Russia. So in many respects this is the moment where the alliance will have to reassure⁶ its members."

“就在之前不久，人们还不屑一顾，认为东欧人神经紧张，过于害怕俄罗斯，而俄罗斯按理说不再是敌人了，”他说，“好啦，在俄罗斯的问题上，东欧人原来是正确的，而我们是错误的。所以，在很多方面，北约联盟此刻必须恢复成员国的信心。”

NATO is doing that through the bolstering⁷ of troops and sea and air defenses along member states' borders in the east.

北约正在增强成员国东部边界的兵力及海空防御，以增强成员国的信心。

Russia can no longer be considered a strategic partner -- and that means a strategic shift in deployment⁹, said General Philip Breedlove, Supreme¹⁰ Allied¹¹ Commander of NATO operations in Europe.

负责北约欧洲行动的最高盟军司令、美国空军上将菲利普·布里德洛夫说，俄罗斯不再被认为是战略伙伴国了，这意味着北约在兵力部署方面作出战略转变。

"We've seen a nation cross an internationally-recognized sovereign border, and annex¹² by force a portion of a sovereign nation. That changes the way we do business," said Breedlove. "And so we are now re-evaluating how we do these things as it relates to force readiness, responsiveness and positioning."

布里德洛夫将军说：“我们看到，一个国家越过了国际公认的主权边界，强行吞并了一个主权国家的部分地区。这改变了我们的行事方式。因此，我们目前正在重新评估我们如何展开有关军队备战状态、反应能力以及部署配置的行动。”

Defense⁸ spending

A NATO-commissioned report into the future of the alliance calls for a reaffirmation of its core objective of collective defense. The authors say European members should halt defense spending cuts.

由北约批准的一份探讨北约未来的报告呼吁重申北约集体防御的核心目标。报告作者说，欧洲成员国应当停止削减国防预算。

But Europe is divided over how to best respond to Russia, said Eyal.

不过，欧洲在如何对俄罗斯作出反应方面意见分歧。

"Countries like Germany, or France, or the UK, who believe that we should not make too much out of the current Ukrainian crisis, and countries such as Poland or Romania, the big former Communist countries on the borders with Ukraine, who believe that Ukraine is a sign of a fundamentally different Europe from the one that we knew," he said.

埃亚勒教授说：“德国、法国或英国这样的国家认为，我们不应当过分夸大当前的乌克兰危机，而波兰或罗马尼亚等与乌克兰接壤的前共产党大国认为，乌克兰是一种信号，代表着和我们以前所知道的根本不同的欧洲。”

Eyal said NATO also must confront the conflicts brewing¹³ on NATO's southern borders. "Turkey, for instance, asked for a NATO meeting to discuss the crisis it sees at its borders."

埃亚勒说，北约还必须正视南部边界风雨欲来的冲突。他说： “比如说，土耳其就请求北约召开会议，讨论土耳其在本国边界看到的危机。”

That crisis in Syria and Iraq is escalating¹⁴, with extremist Islamist militants¹⁵ in control of large swathes of both countries.

叙利亚和伊拉克的危机正在升级，伊斯兰极端分子控制了两国大片地区。

NATO's secretary general already has said he sees no role for the alliance in Iraq. But Western security chiefs say the lawlessness is a haven¹⁶ for terrorists -- and NATO should continue to play a key role in collective defense.

北约秘书长已经表示，他不认为北约联盟将在伊拉克承担角色。不过，西方安全部门负责人说，无政府的乱像给恐怖分子制造了避风港，北约应当继续在集体防御方面发挥关键作用。