时代周刊:穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼兜售分裂中东计划(1)

THE AUTOCRAT’S ASCENT¹

独裁者的崛起

Saudi heir Mohammed bin² Salman is pitching his plan to disrupt the Middle East

沙特继承人穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼兜售分裂中东计划

By Karl Vick

文/卡尔·维克

There may not even be a name for what the crown prince of Saudi Arabia has been doing in the U.S. for three weeks,

或许，说沙特阿拉伯王储这次为期三周的美国之旅师出无名并不为过，

but he has been doing a lot of it.

但他这次并没有闲着。

By the time 32-year-old Mohammed bin Salman departs,

到他踏上归国之旅时，

he will have visited five states plus the District of Columbia, four Presidents, five newspapers, uncounted moguls and Oprah.

时年32岁的穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼将已经访问完五个州及哥伦比亚特区，四位总统，五家报纸，数不清的大亨和奥普拉。

America has not seen the like since Soviet³ Premier⁴ Nikita Khrushchev arrived

自从1959年9月苏联总理赫鲁晓夫乘坐一架带有裂缝的TU-114专机抵达美国，

in September 1959 in a Tupolev 114 with cracks in the fuselage to knock around the country for 13 days,

开启在美全国各地为期13天的访问之旅，同时也给美国最危险的敌人戴上了一副讨人喜欢的面具以来，

putting a relatable human face on America’s most dangerous enemy.

这次的情况美国还是第一次见。

Bin Salman’s ride is a Boeing 747 with GOD BLESS YOU emblazoned under the cockpit in Arabic and English.

本·萨尔曼乘坐的是一架波音747专机，驾驶舱下绘有英语和阿拉伯语的“上帝保佑你”字样。

And the kingdom he essentially⁵ rules—as iron-fisted regent of his ailing⁶ 82-year-old father, King Salman—defines frenemy.

而基本在他统治之下的那个国家——以摄政王的身份和铁腕的手段帮助他82岁高龄又被病魔缠身的父亲，国王萨尔曼统治着那个国家——也展示了什么是“亦敌亦友”。

His U.S. itinerary⁷ (a week longer than Khrushchev’s) is as wide-ranging as the American distrust of his homeland:

可以说，美国人对他的国家有多不信任，盖洛普的最新调查显示，有55%的美国人都对沙特阿拉伯持反面态度，

55% of Americans disapprove⁸ of Saudi Arabia, according to the latest Gallup survey.

他这次来美国的行程(比当年赫鲁晓夫的访问还多出了一个星期)就有多广泛。

In the 1970s, the Saudis engineered the oil embargo⁹ that had Americans waiting in gas lines;

上世纪70年代，沙特策划了石油禁运令，迫使美国加入了排队购买天然气的行列；

in the ’90s, U.S. troops scrambled¹⁰ into the desert to save the Saudis in the First Gulf¹¹ War;

上世纪90年代第一次海湾战争爆发后，美国军队急忙进入沙漠支援沙特；

and when American families drew up emergency safety plans in the fall of 2001,

2001年秋，美国家家户户的老百姓都忙着制定紧急安全计划，

it was after the terrorist attacks orchestrated by one Saudi, Osama bin Laden¹²,

也是拜沙特人奥萨马·本·拉登策划的恐怖袭击所赐——

whose countrymen accounted for 15 of the 19 people who carried out the attacks.

发动袭击的19人中有15人都是他的同胞。

A great deal has turned on the actions of men in red checkered¹³ headscarves and flowing robes.

这群戴着红色格子头巾、穿着飘逸长袍的人的行为引起了很多不满。

So there could hardly be a more disarming¹⁴ question than the one bin Salman poses in the hotel suite¹⁵

所以，当本·萨勒曼在酒店套房接受完众多媒体的拍照，等大家都走了，他转头就问，

where he has just sat for a formal portrait, once the cameras are finally gone:

“我能把这身衣服脱下来吗？”

“Can I take this stuff off?”

没有什么比这个问题更能让大家安心的了。

The instant transformation¹⁶ that follows—kerchief off, ceremonial robe handed to an aide—

随后的瞬间变身——摘掉方巾，并将长袍递给助手——

captures the entire point of his sojourn¹⁷:

可以说是道出了他这次行程的全部宗旨：

to sell skeptical¹⁸ Americans on his audacious, risky¹⁹ plan to modernize²⁰ Saudi Arabia and reassert its primacy in the Middle East.

那就是，向心怀疑虑的美国人兜售他推动沙特社会现代化，重新确立该国在中东的主导地位这一大胆而冒险的计划。

Over the course of three years since his father became king,

在他父亲加冕为王后的这三年里，

bin Salman has ruthlessly consolidated²² control over the kingdom’s economic and security power centers.

本·萨勒曼以铁腕的手段巩固了自己对沙特的经济权力中心和安全权力中心的控制。

He has introduced modest liberalization and sharply escalated²³ a proxy²⁴ war with Iran across the region,

他一方面为沙特社会引入了一定程度的自由风气，一方面急剧升级了该地区与伊朗的代理人战争，

creating a humanitarian²⁵ crisis in neighboring Yemen.

让邻国也门因此陷入了一场人道主义危机。

And he proposes to wean the kingdom off oil exports and diversify²⁶ its economy for a post-petroleum future.

他还建议沙特阿拉伯摆脱对石油出口的依赖，实现经济多元化，迎接“后石油时代”。

If it works, bin Salman’s putative²⁷ revolution could transform one of world’s most retrograde autocracies²⁸

如果真的奏效，本·萨勒曼的这次公认的革命性举措或许能够一举将位列世界上最落后的独裁政权国家之列的沙特

from exporter of oil and terrorist ideology²⁹ into a force for global progress.

从一个依赖石油出口，恐怖主义横行的国家，变成一股推动全世界进步的力量。

But sudden change often ends badly in the Middle East,

只不过，在中东，突然的改变通常都只会以糟糕的结局收场，

and warning flags snap from the crown prince’s actions at home and abroad.

而王储在国内国外的行为也纷纷为他竖起了警告。

“He is an ambitious young man willing to act aggressively and decisively to consolidate²¹ power,”

“他是一个雄心勃勃的年轻人，为了巩固政权，他愿意采取积极果断的行动，”

says Chas W. Freeman Jr., a former U.S. ambassador to Riyadh under President George H.W. Bush.

布什总统在任期间曾任美国驻利雅得大使的查斯·W. 小弗里曼说。

“(But) the rashness of much of what the crown prince has been doing—it’s pretty radical³⁰ stuff—it does make him vulnerable.”

“(只是)王储一直在做的很多事情——那些事情都相当的激进——都很轻率，这一点确实会让他很容易受到攻击。”

1 ascent   

n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高

参考例句：

• His rapid ascent in the social scale was surprising.他的社会地位提高之迅速令人吃惊。
• Burke pushed the button and the elevator began its slow ascent.伯克按动电钮，电梯开始缓慢上升。

2 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

3 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

4 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

5 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

6 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

7 itinerary   

n.行程表，旅行路线；旅行计划

参考例句：

• The two sides have agreed on the itinerary of the visit.双方商定了访问日程。
• The next place on our itinerary was Silistra.我们行程的下一站是锡利斯特拉。

8 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。

9 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

10 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

12 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

13 checkered   

adj.有方格图案的

参考例句：

• The ground under the trees was checkered with sunlight and shade.林地光影交错。
• He’d had a checkered past in the government.他过去在政界浮沉。

14 disarming   

adj.消除敌意的，使人消气的v.裁军( disarm的现在分词 )；使息怒

参考例句：

• He flashed her a disarming smile. 他朝她笑了一下，让她消消气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We will agree to disarming troops and leaving their weapons at military positions. 我们将同意解除军队的武装并把武器留在军事阵地。 来自辞典例句

15 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

16 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

17 sojourn   

v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留

参考例句：

• It would be cruel to begrudge your sojourn among flowers and fields.如果嫉妒你逗留在鲜花与田野之间，那将是太不近人情的。
• I am already feeling better for my sojourn here.我在此逗留期间，觉得体力日渐恢复。

18 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

19 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

20 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

21 consolidate   

v.使加固，使加强；(把...)联为一体，合并

参考例句：

• The two banks will consolidate in July next year. 这两家银行明年7月将合并。
• The government hoped to consolidate ten states to form three new ones.政府希望把十个州合并成三个新的州。

22 consolidated   

a.联合的

参考例句：

• With this new movie he has consolidated his position as the country's leading director. 他新执导的影片巩固了他作为全国最佳导演的地位。
• Those two banks have consolidated and formed a single large bank. 那两家银行已合并成一家大银行。

23 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

24 proxy   

n.代理权，代表权；（对代理人的）委托书；代理人

参考例句：

• You may appoint a proxy to vote for you.你可以委托他人代你投票。
• We enclose a form of proxy for use at the Annual General Meeting.我们附上委任年度大会代表的表格。

25 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

26 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。

27 putative   

adj.假定的

参考例句：

• There have been many attempts to track down the putative Loch Ness monster.人们为追踪假定存在的尼斯湖水怪做了许多努力。
• He is the putative father of this child.他是这孩子的推定的父亲。

28 autocracies   

n.独裁( autocracy的名词复数 )；独裁统治；独裁政体；独裁政府

参考例句：

• She did persuade herself that there were no autocracies save that of Prussia. 她自己深信，除了普鲁士以外，世界上哪儿都没有独裁政府了。 来自辞典例句
• Autocracies can function perfectly well without news, but democracies cannot. 独裁国家没有新闻业，可以依旧运转；民主国家却不行。 来自互联网

29 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

30 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。