Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States began a new engagement in the Muslim world. One of the key architects of that engagement is the newly-appointed U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan Crocker.
2001年9/11恐怖袭击发生后，美国开始了在穆斯林世界的一场新行动。这场行动的其中一名主要策划者是新被任命为美国驻阿富汗大使的莱恩·克罗克。
Few American statesmen have spent more time on the front line of America's post 9/11 diplomatic efforts than current U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker. He re-opened the U.S embassy in Kabul in 2001 following the fall of the Taliban, later served as ambassador to Pakistan and then to Iraq, where he was partnered with General David Petraeus during the surge of U.S. troops.
很少有美国政治家比现任美国驻阿富汗大使莱恩·克罗克在9/11之后在美国的外交战线上奉献了更多的时间。在塔利班倒台后，克罗克在2001年主持重开美国驻喀布尔大使馆，之后他先后担任驻巴基斯坦和驻伊拉克大使。美军在伊拉克激烈作战期间，他与大卫·彼得雷乌斯将军搭档。
He was also in New York on the day of the attacks and carries the memory close to his heart. "It has defined my life and my career from that moment to this. I've spent five years since 9/11 deployed in these countries and I expect to be here for several more. Because I, you know, 3,000 people killed on one New York morning is something none of us ever want to see again," he said.
9/11恐怖袭击发生那天，克罗克也在纽约，他对此记忆犹新。克罗克说：“从9/11事件发生那一刻直到现在，它为我的生活和我的职业生涯下了定义。9/11之后我被派往这些国家待了5年，我预计还将在这里待更多年。因为，你们知道，纽约的那天早上有3000人丧生，这是我们任何人都不愿再看到的。”
At first, the U.S. was reluctant to engage in nation-building in Afghanistan, preferring to focus on removing the Taliban from power and hunting down al-Qaida.
起初，美国不愿意参与阿富汗的国家建设，而是更想专注于将塔利班赶下台和追捕基地组织成员。
But within a few years, it became apparent that without building institutions it left a vacuum in the country that allowed the Taliban to sneak back in from safe havens in Pakistan and destabilize Afghanistan again.
然而，事态在几年之内变得很明显，如果不建立机构，就会给阿富汗留下真空地带，这样会让塔利班有机会从巴基斯坦的藏身处偷偷溜回来，使阿富汗再度陷入不稳定。
Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, a former Afghan foreign minister who became an opponent of President Hamid Karzai, says the internatonal community, and the Afghans themselves, have missed an opportunity by not understanding one another better, ignoring the Pakistani safe havens and allowing corruption to grow in the country, notably within the government. "These three factors (have) led to this situation, and 10 years down the road we should have been in a much better situation in terms of Afghan institutions assuming responsibility,shouldering responsibilities," he said.
阿富汗前外交部长阿卜杜拉博士是总统卡尔扎伊的敌手。他说，国际社会和阿富汗人自己已经错失了一个机会，因为他们没能进一步了解彼此，又不管巴基斯坦人在阿富汗的藏匿处，还放任在政府内尤其严重的国内贪污问题。阿卜杜拉说：“这三个因素导致了这个局面。就阿富汗负起责任、共同承担责任这件事来看，这十年下来我们的处境本来可以好得多。”
When the U.S. came to Afghanistan, the policy was to put anti-Taliban warlords on the payroll - turning a blind eye, critics say, to their abuses. which led to an environment of corruption.
批评人士说，当美国来到阿富汗时，他们的政策是付钱给反塔利班的军阀，无视其滥用权力的问题，因此造就了一个贪污的环境。
Afghanistan is a devastated, impoverished country. Ambassador Crocker has seen firsthand what happens when institutions are either non-existent or removed, and he says that people need to be patient in building up Afghan civil society.
阿富汗是一个惨遭战火蹂躏的贫困国家。克罗克大使已经亲眼见证过一些机构的消失或被破坏，他说，人们在建设阿富汗公民社会时要有耐性。
"Institutions take time to build. Particularly in Afghanistan, like in Iraq, you've had not just the removal of a leader, you've had a revolution. All these old structures are gone. So you don't get ministries that function perfectly overnight, or even over a decade. It takes time to develop those. It takes time to develop the rule of law. Which means, whether it is Iraq or it is Afghanistan, you are going to have corruption. It has to be taken seriously," he said.
克罗克说：“兴建机构要时间。尤其在阿富汗，就像在伊拉克，那不只是一位领导人下台，而是发生了革命。所以，你不会经过一夜就有运作完美的政府部门，甚至经过十年都不见得有。发展这些需要时间，发展法治需要时间。无论是在伊拉克还是在阿富汗，都会有贪污问题。这一定要被认真看待。”
But with a 2014 timetable set for NATO combat troops to leave Afghanistan, many say the Taliban is under the impression they can just wait out the West. Dr. Abdullah says this is due to the past experience of Soviet forces leaving in haste, and a lack of clarity of message about what will happen after NATO combat troops leave.
但是由于北约战斗部队2014年撤出阿富汗的时间表，很多人表示，塔利班给人一种印象，那就是他们只要耐心等待西方的撤退就能得利了。阿卜杜拉博士说，这都是因为过去苏联军队匆忙撤离，还有，有关北约部队离开阿富汗之后将会发生什么，信息也不够明确。
"It's a very uphill struggle, with the past experience of the Afghan people, the Soviet withdrew overnight, and the last soldier, the last tank... That is very vivid in the memory of the Afghan people. But, at the same time, the admiinistration, the Afghan administration, confusing it's own people. The range of the views of the Afghans, you will be surprised that it differs from a complete withdrawal, nothing left behind, to permanent bases," he said.
他说：“这是一场非常艰难的博弈，基于阿富汗人民以往的经历，苏联军队一夜之间就撤走了所有的士兵和坦克。这些在阿富汗人的记忆当中仍然历历在目。但是与此同时，阿富汗政府让自己的人民感到困惑。阿富汗人有各种不同的看法 ， 有人认为北约会完全撤军，什么都不留，也有人说会设有永久基地。”
To avoid another vacuum and civil war like the one that broke out following the Soviet withdrawal, the West is working on building up local forces, as they did in Iraq.
为了避免另外一次像苏联撤军之后出现的真空状态以及内战，西方正在致力于帮助建立阿富汗当地的武装力量，正如西方在伊拉克所做的那样。
And not abandoning Afghanistan again, as well as getting that message across, is a priority for Ambassador Crocker. Because, he says, the consequences are unacceptable.
不要再次抛弃阿富汗，同时让人知道这个意图，这是美国驻阿富汗大使克罗克的当务之急。因为他说，抛弃阿富汗的后果是不可接受的。
"To leave before the job is done, to leave before Afghan security forces are capable of providing security throughout the country, risks a return of the Taliban. And that is why, a decade on, we must muster the strategic patience, as a nation and as a people, to do everything we can to make sure that things come right here, and next door in Pakistan, precisely so we never have to endure that kind of attack again," he said.
他说：“在该做的工作没有完成之前撤离，在阿富汗安全部队有能力在阿富汗全国提供安全保障之前撤离，就有塔利班卷土重来的危险。这就是为什么10年来，我们必须积聚起战略耐心，作为一个伟大的国家和人民，尽我们一切所能确保这里的事情办得好，确保邻国巴基斯坦的事情处理得尽善尽美，这样我们就永远不会再次遭受911那样的袭击。”
Like the Ambassador, Many Americans involved say despite the distance of time, the images from 10 years ago remain a driving force in their work in Afghanistan.
和这位大使一样，很多参与了阿富汗事务的美国人都表示，尽管有10年的时间跨度，但是10年前的场景仍然是驱使他们完成在阿富汗工作的动力。 |