2019年经济学人 美国核条令(1)

 

Nuclear doctrine 

核战略思想

Finger on the button 

按钮上的手指

If America ruled out using nuclear weapons first the world would not be any safer 

如果美国首先排除使用核武器的可能性，世界也不会更安全

In 1973 Major Harold Hering, a veteran pilot and trainee¹ missile-squadron commander, asked his superiors a question: if told to fire his nuclear-tipped rockets, how would he know that the orders were lawful², legitimate³ and from a sane⁴ president? Soon after, Major Hering was pulled from duty and later kicked out of the air force for his “mental and moral reservations”.

1973年，资深飞行员兼导弹中队见习指挥官哈罗德·赫林少校向上级提出了一个问题：如果让他发射装有核弹头的火箭，他怎么知道这些命令是合法的、合理的，而且来自一位理智的总统？不久之后，赫林少校因“精神和道德上的保留意见”而被撤职，后来被空军开除。

His question hit a nerve because there was, and remains⁵, no check on a president’s authority to launch nuclear weapons. That includes launching them first, before America has been nuked itself. The United States has refused to rule out dropping a nuclear bomb on an enemy that has used only conventional weapons, since it first did so in1945.

他的问题触动了人们的神经，因为过去和现在都没有对总统发射核武器的权力进行检查。这包括在美国自己被核攻击之前先发射核武器。美国拒绝排除向只使用常规武器的敌人投掷核弹的可能性，自从1945年首次这样做以来。

Many people think this calculated ambiguity⁶ is a bad idea. It is unnecessary, because America is strong enough to repel⁷ conventional attacks with conventional arms. And it increases the risk of accidents and misunderstandings. If, when the tide of a conventional war turns, Russia or China fears that America may unexpectedly use nukes, they will put their own arsenals⁸ on high alert, to preserve them. If America calculates that its rivals could thus be tempted⁹ to strike early, it may feel under pressure to go first—and so on, nudging the world towards the brink¹⁰.

许多人认为这种故意的模棱两可是一个坏主意。没有必要这么想，因为美国有足够的实力用常规武器击退常规攻击。这种想法还增加了事故和误解的风险。如果常规战争爆发，俄罗斯或中国担心美国会出人意料地使用核武器，出于保护目的将把自己的军火库置于高度戒备状态。如果美国算计到其竞争对手可能因此受到提前出击的诱惑，那么可能会感到压力，不得不先下手为强——以此类推，将世界推向崩溃的边缘。

Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic contender for the presidency¹¹, is one of many who want to remedy this by committing America, by law, to a policy of No First Use (NFU). India and China have already declared NFU, or something close, despite having smaller, more vulnerable arsenals.

民主党总统候选人伊丽莎白·沃伦是众多希望通过法律规定美国实行“不首先使用”的政策来弥补这一缺陷的人之一。尽管印度和中国拥有更小、更脆弱的核武库，但两国已经宣布了“不首先使用”的政策，或类似的计划。

1 trainee   

n.受训练者

参考例句：

• The trainee checked out all right on his first flight.受训者第一次飞行完全合格。
• Few of the trainee footballers make it to the top.足球受训人员中没有几个能达到顶级水平。

2 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

3 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

4 sane   

adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的

参考例句：

• He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。
• He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 ambiguity   

n.模棱两可；意义不明确

参考例句：

• The telegram was misunderstood because of its ambiguity.由于电文意义不明确而造成了误解。
• Her answer was above all ambiguity.她的回答毫不含糊。

7 repel   

v.击退，抵制，拒绝，排斥

参考例句：

• A country must have the will to repel any invader.一个国家得有决心击退任何入侵者。
• Particles with similar electric charges repel each other.电荷同性的分子互相排斥。

8 arsenals   

n.兵工厂，军火库( arsenal的名词复数 )；任何事物的集成

参考例句：

• We possess-each of us-nuclear arsenals capable of annihilating humanity. 我们两国都拥有能够毁灭全人类的核武库。 来自辞典例句
• Arsenals are factories that produce weapons. 军工厂是生产武器的工厂。 来自互联网

9 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

10 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

11 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。